Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance Agility Project Grants

The Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance is a new interdisciplinary research institute at Stanford whose mission is to transform human health and wellness on a global scale through the discovery and translation of the biological principles underlying human performance. We aim to leverage an untapped reservoir of knowledge through the application of science, technology, and analytical rigor to the study of human performance, injury prevention, and injury recovery throughout life. By comprehensively studying athletes of various ages, genders, ethnicities, abilities, and disciplines, we aim to discover the biological principles that govern peak performance, from the molecular level to the whole body. The goal is to leverage these principles to optimize and sustain health throughout an individual’s lifespan.

The Agility Projects are seed grants to fund early stage research that will advance the mission of the Alliance. Interested applicants must submit a letter of intent and then invited applicants will prepare a full proposal for review. We also welcome proposals focused on teaching and other outreach activities designed to strengthen and educate the human performance community on campus and beyond.

PROGRAM PRIORITIES

Projects working to further our knowledge of the science of human performance, including both physical and cognitive performance are welcome. Proposals for fundamental scientific exploration and translational work are welcome. Teams composed of members that use different methodologies/approaches and/or work in different disciplines are highly encouraged.

LETTER OF INTENT

We are seeking letters of intent (LOI) from members of the Stanford community. The submitted LOIs will be reviewed by a committee consisting of faculty with a broad range of expertise. Approximately 10-15 LOIs will be selected, and those teams will be asked to submit a full proposal. We plan to select 6-8 projects for funding. 

TIMELINE/KEY DATES

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Applicants must be affiliates of the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance. Any interested member of the Stanford faculty is invited to join the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance. To join, please visit https://forms.gle/XgzmoFc5JNUGTVfu5.

We welcome proposals that come from Stanford faculty, students, and staff. Each proposal must have a Stanford faculty member who qualifies as a Principal Investigator (PI) according to Stanford University Policy. Clinician Educator (CE) Faculty at the rank of clinical assistant professor and above who are full-time Stanford employees with 100% CE faculty appointments are eligible to apply; no waiver is required. 

PIs may participate in more than one letter of intent if each proposed project includes a different set of team members.

SELECTION CRITERIA

The Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance Agility Project Committee will review proposals based on:
1) Scientific merit of the proposal, with quality, innovation and creativity balanced by the project's likelihood of success.
2) Potential to advance the understanding of human performance, broadly defined.
3) The potential impact of your goals for increasing diversity, inclusion, belonging, equity and justice.
4) The potential for follow-on funding.

LETTER OF INTENT SUBMISSION

LOIs are submitted via the Stanford Seed Funding Website.

The Seed Grant LOI must be submitted online by the deadline: September 15, 2021, 5:00 pm Pacific Time. The online LOI application will only be visible during the application period of July 21 through September 15, 2021.

Each LOI should have one Communicating Principal Investigator. The Communicating Principal Investigator serves as the point of contact for the project and is responsible for submitting the online application. 

A complete online application consists of:
1) Completed form for general information about the Communicating Principal Investigator and the collaborating investigator(s).
2) A short description of the project goals, the impact of the project on human performance research, and a description of how your team will contribute to diversity, inclusion, belonging, equity and justice.

PREVIEW OF FULL PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

If your team's LOI is selected, you will be notified to submit a full five-page proposal. Full proposals must include background leading to the proposal, specific aims, a description of proposed methods, a budget, a diversity statement, expected outcomes. The proposal should also detail the role of each team member and the CVs of all the faculty members involved in the proposal.