Research Updates & Announcements

‌‌We were very excited when the University announced two opportunities to offset the impacts of changes to federal funding: the Research Resilience Fund (RRF) and the Life Sciences Research Initiative (LSRI).

The LSRI includes two different programs. The high-impact individual awards support individual faculty or small teams with funding from $100K to $250K per year for a two year period. The transformational team science awards will be in the range of $2.5 million per year over a four-year period. Full applications for the individual awards and letters of intent (LOI) for the transformational team awards are both due July 15. 

In support of Bloomberg School faculty applying for the transformational team awards, we are requesting interested teams to submit a brief description of their proposal along with their team members. We also ask teams to identify any disciplinary expertise that would be beneficial to incorporate into their proposal, for which they have not identified an appropriate collaborator. We are requesting this information for two purposes:

• ‌First, the Vice Dean for Research office in collaboration with the Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) will attempt to connect teams with potential collaborators throughout our University based on identified need. 

• ‌Second, if we identify proposals with overlapping themes, we may put those teams in touch to discuss whether a collaborative approach may be preferred to competing applications. 

Through these efforts, we hope to enhance collaborative expertise, consolidate efforts which may strengthen applications, and enhance likelihood of funding for investigators at the School. This request is not mandatory and is not part of the review process.

Application Process

1. ‌‌If you are interested in providing this information, please fill out this simple LSRI Concept Summary Form  providing a brief abstract of your project and team members. We will review your submission as promptly as possible and will offer our recommendations for collaboration, including facilitating introductions and arranging meetings as appropriate. We will accept these submissions on a rolling basis, recognizing that with such a short timeframe until applications are due that there is limited time to connect with collaborators and adapt proposals. 

2. In parallel with your submission to the VDR, upon your request we will also submit your information to the LSRI advisory group as part of their pre-LOI process. They will review and make suggestions regarding program fit and alignment with this initiative. 

‌If you have any questions on this process, please contact us at bsph.research@jh.edu. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is there a template for the LOI budget document that is required? Or can we cover this in broad strokes? 

   1. A full budget is not required at the LOI stage, so simple descriptive text of what the overall projected amount and broad categories will be adequate. The advisory group anticipates many coming from basic science, so identification of investments in equipment will be pertinent. Also, if you were anticipating shaping the proposal into cores like a program project grant, it would be reasonable to give some apportionment by the cores.

2. Should F&A be budgeted for these grants? And if so, is that included or on top of the $100K-$250K per year published amount? 

   1. Consistent with other internal awards, no indirect costs should be included in proposed budgets.

       

We are encouraged by the University’s substantial new investment in support of faculty and their research endeavors. As was shared in previous messages, the Research Resiliency Fund (RRF) represents a $60 million commitment to address research disruptions resulting from ongoing changes in federal funding. The primary goals of the RRF are to support faculty who currently have funding gaps and to help sustain ongoing research or adapt to emerging opportunities. The awards provide two years of support, which will give faculty time to pivot to other funding sources. 

Application Process 

• Faculty should initiate the application process by submitting the following as as separate PDF files through the InfoReady link on the OVPR RRF website:

  • Application Narrative (max 4 pages)

  • Current Discretionary Balance(s)

  • Current and Pending Support

  • Applicant Biosketches

  • Prior Reviews (if applicable)

Faculty should also download and complete available through the InfoReady link and upload it as an Excel document to their application submission. 

• OVPR will conduct an administrative review for eligibility and completeness, then refers eligible applications to the School. 

• The School will conduct departmental and school-level prioritization based on the strength of the proposed science, funding need, and strategic alignment.  

• The School will submit prioritized applications to OVPR for final selection and notification. 

• Applications are accepted by OVPR on a rolling basis. The overall review process will occur on a bi-weekly schedule. 

Please refer to the OVPR’s RRF Frequently Asked Questions page and our BSPH RRF wiki site for additional guidance on the application process and required components. For further questions or clarifications regarding the University or School-level process, please contact OVPR (research@jhu.edu) or research@BSPH (bsph.research@jhu.edu), respectively. 

Information on Prioritization

The Bloomberg School has a long history of being highly successful in securing federal funding, which also means we are particularly impacted by recent changes to that funding. For our school, where such a large proportion of salary support is from external sources (“soft money”), the RFF awards can help fill substantial gaps in funding of faculty and research teams impacted by funding disruptions. We anticipate that our School will receive meaningful and substantial support in response to our critical needs. However, we know that the available funding from the University is insufficient to support all faculty who have current and anticipated salary gaps. 

As School leadership has reviewed our internal process for prioritizing applications for RFF funds, we have sought to balance support for our vibrant scientific research agenda and continuity of important projects and investigator teams with the substantial financial obligations we face, particularly faculty salary support. In developing this guidance, we have relied heavily on our existing Policy and Procedures Manual (PPM), which defines faculty roles, responsibilities, and expectations by track and title. Consistent with the “First Dollar Principle” used across the University in this period of financial constraint, we will prioritize support for the most restrictive funding obligations first and then apply available funds to support other mission-critical faculty and research teams. Importantly, relieving financial pressure associated with obligated salary support frees department resources that can be used to advance other important mission objectives via more available departmental general funds.

With these principles in mind, the Bloomberg School offers the following guidance to support clarity and transparency regarding the school-level prioritization process.  

Eligibility & Priority Considerations 

• All faculty, regardless of rank/title, must justify their role as PI in relation to the review criteria. While many faculty ranks may be eligible to apply, School and departmental review will use PPM faculty role guidance to prioritize requests as needed (see table below from Appendix 5 of PPM 01 Faculty).

• Priority will be given to tenured and tenure-track faculty as PIs of proposals. 

• Research, practice, and teaching professorial track faculty (RPT) who play a critical role in advancing the strategic missions of the School may be also given priority as PIs of proposals.  

• Scientist faculty may be supported as PI when their role is aligned with larger ongoing, delineated, and departmentally prioritized research initiatives. It is expected that Scientist faculty will more often be included as essential members of teams led by professorial faculty than serving as PIs on prioritized applications.

• Faculty with the titles of Research Associate, Practice Associate, Lecturer, or Instructor are not eligible to serve as PI on RRF awards. These faculty are expected to be supported as members of existing research teams rather than as PIs. 

• Emeritus faculty, affiliate faculty, and faculty in the retirement transition program are not eligible to serve as PI. 

• All Bloomberg School faculty may serve as co-investigators on RRF proposals, with the exception of Visiting Professors. 

• Subawards are not eligible for RRF award.

We anticipate substantial numbers of applications for the RRF awards and are confident that our applicants will be highly competitive. We recognize that not all deserving applications will be able to be prioritized or funded, but the overall infusion of support will be positive for our whole School. The RRF awards will not only directly sustain faculty and research teams engaged in important research endeavors, but will also help alleviate funding obligations and preserve resources for faculty and mission areas not prioritized under this award mechanism.  

Ultimately, these timely funds will support our important work in diverse research areas while also helping to address the significant funding challenges currently affecting our School. We look forward to the impact the RRF awards will make, and we will continue to push forward with strategy and innovation to strengthen and sustain our vital research enterprise.  

Are you applying to work with the NIH’s National Death Index? The following application questions have changed, including information you must include in your Notice of Award. You may have to contact your program office to update your application with this information.

Recently Revised Questions

3. External funding sources?

List the names of all OTHER organizations providing funding for this project and indicate the type of support provided (i.e., grant, contract, cooperative agreement, interagency agreement, or other [specify]).

• Name of organization:

• Type of funding support:

NOTE: Except for NIH Grant Awardees who must provide the copy of their Notice of Award, each funding source must complete and sign the NDI Supplemental Confidentiality Agreement. The Notice of Award from NIH must contain specific language about the NDI data, otherwise the Supplemental Confidentiality Agreement must be completed.

• The Notice of Award needs to include this language about funding NDI searches:

4a. Please select all that apply from the eligibility requirements checklist:

• New searches will NOT be conducted (data will be used from prior approved project/projects).

• FIRST and LAST NAME and SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

• FIRST and LAST NAME and MONTH and YEAR OF BIRTH

• SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER and DATE OF BIRTH and SEX

6a. Are you getting cause-of-death? (check yes) Please explain how the cause of death data received from the NDI will be used in this project.

6d. I have read and acknowledge that: (check yes)

• Should there be any significant deviations from such studies, we fully understand that an amended NDI Application must first be submitted to and approved by NCHS.

• Should follow-back investigations become necessary, and involve death records obtained via the NDI, it is understood that first we must (1) submit an amended Application Form describing the follow-back investigations, (2) obtain and submit an approval from an Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects, and (3) wait for the amended application to be reviewed by the NDI advisers and approved by Director of the NCHS Division of Vital Statistics.

• Any information obtained via the NDI, will be flagged and stored separately from any administrative records or from statistical records that could be used in the future for purposes not described in the application. Computer records containing death record information obtained via the NDI shall also be flagged so that they will not be used in the future for purposes not described in the application.

9a. Name the organization(s), including your own, that will:

• Submit records of study subjects for the NDI file search(es):

• Receive the results of the NDI search directly:

10c. I have read and acknowledge that: (check yes)

No figure, including totals, will be less than 10 in tabulations for sub-national geographic areas, regardless of number of years combined. No data on an identifiable case will be derivable through subtraction or other calculation from the combination of tables in any presentation or publication. No data will permit disclosure when used in combination with other known data.

• Upload the most current IRB approval letter and/or protocol, if applicable and remove the expired one.

• If significant changes have occurred since the original application was submitted, please revise and submit the required documentation.

Other things to note

• NDI account-related procedures can be confusing and restrictive in terms of login access and security. Only the PI may make account-related requests, which means they will often not answer questions from an assistant.

• Some investigators have had their accounts mistakenly deactivated in the past. If this is the case for your account, the process to have it reinstated may be lengthy.

• The NDI system was being revamped recently, leaving it inaccessible to research teams. If you are unable to update your application through the NDI system, schedule a call with your CDC/NDI contact, who should be able to access and update your application on your behalf.

• The NDI confidentiality agreement has been updated to include language on AI.

CDC now requires new language be included in any NIH grant Notice of Award (NOA) to access National Death Index data. You will be contacted by CDC if this policy applies to you. In that case, you will need to reach out to your Program Officer and request an updated version of the NOA that includes this language. Some NOAs, however, may include this language already. NIH is often resistant to update NOAs, but faculty have been able to negotiate these updates with their PO.

For more information, read FAQ’s on the National Death Index.

The Notice of Award must include the following language about funding NDI searches:

This term is being included in this award because the recipient of this NIH award (grant, cooperative agreement, contract, or other transaction authority award) has sought access to National Death Index data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). This term serves as NIH’s agreement to the Supplemental Confidentiality Agreement of the Centers for Disease Control National Death Index (NDI) Application, with regard to any data for which the funding recipient applies to obtain from the NDI under this award. Specifically, this term provides assurance that NIH will not receive any of the identifying or identifiable death record information obtained from the NDI, state death records, and/or death record follow-back investigations. Additionally, consistent with 45 C.F.R. 75.303(e), the awardee must safeguard NDI data received from NDI consistent with applicable Federal, state, local, and tribal laws regarding privacy and obligations of confidentiality, which includes confidentiality requirements imposed by the CDC through the Supplemental Confidentiality Agreement of the NDI Application. For purposes of this award condition, consistent with the NDI Application, “Identifying or Identifiable death record data” means any information on death certificates, other paper documents, or in computer files which by itself, or if linked with other records, would permit the identification of one or more individuals or establishments; for example, name(s), Social Security number, exact dates, addresses, and death certificate number. Even with the removal of direct identifiers and linkable study subject identification numbers, there is still a special concern that some combinations of the remaining variables could potentially be used to identify an individual. For example, a combination of date of birth, date of death, and/or cause of death is considered identifiable. Upon demonstrated inclusion of this term, NCHS shall not require NIH officials to sign a Supplemental Confidentiality Agreement in order to grant recipient access to the requested NDI data, as NCHS will rely on this term as NIH’s assurance as set forth herein.

research@BSPH, the Innovation Translation Council (ITC), and the Hopkins Business of Health Initiative (HBHI) are now accepting applications for the very first AI + Health Care Idea Tank through Monday, April 13, 2026.

Do you have an AI idea that could help address a public health problem?

Students, faculty, and staff across Johns Hopkins University are welcome to apply individually or as teams. Student–faculty collaborations and cross-disciplinary ideas are especially welcome.

We invite you to submit a pitch deck for presentation at the AI + Health Care Idea Tank, to be held on Friday, May 8 at 1:30 PM at Mustang Alley in Baltimore, MD. The session will follow the HBHI luncheon and take place before the bowling social.

Ideas may be at an early stage. Prototypes, companies, datasets, or funding are not required. Concepts that are still forming or seeking collaborators across disciplines are encouraged.

To help participants connect and form teams, we have created a Slack channel where you can share ideas, find collaborators, and ask questions. You are welcome to join even if your idea is still forming, and early participants will help shape the collaborations that emerge from the Idea Tank.

Award details

Three contestants will receive prizes ranging from $250–$1,000 to support further exploration of their idea. Awards are sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Data Science and AI Institute (DSAI).

Contestant criteria

Contestants will be selected based on the following factors:

• Their idea combines elements of public health and artificial intelligence to address a current problem.

• Their idea promotes an innovative, scalable, and sustainable solution capable of achieving real-world impact.

Requirement

• Contestants must be available to present in-person at Mustang Alley in Baltimore, MD on May 8, 2026 at 1:30 PM.

Pitch deck details

Pitch decks should contain 5 slides (plus a cover slide) and will be presented in a 5-minute pitch.

Each slide should contain no more than three bullets or one diagram.

0. Cover slide: Contestant name, title, and school affiliation, and name of idea

1. Need – What problem in public health is unsolved

   1. On the slide: One sentence describing the unmet problem, who is affected, and the scale of the issue.

   2. In the presentation: Briefly illustrate why this problem matters and why existing approaches have not solved it.

2. Insight – What you discovered that others missed

   1. On the slide: One key observation explaining the root cause or overlooked factor behind the problem.

   2. In the presentation: Explain how this insight changes how the problem should be addressed.

3. Solution – Your approach

   1. On the slide: A simple description of the proposed solution and its key advantage. Keep it non-confidential with no proprietary information.

   2. In the presentation: Explain how the solution works, why it improves on current approaches, and the team or collaborators involved.

4. Impact – Who benefits and why it matters

   1. On the slide: Who benefits from the solution and the potential scale of health, societal, or economic impact.

   2. In the presentation: Describe how adoption of this solution could improve outcomes or systems.

5. Next Proof – Where could this idea be in 6 months

   1. On the slide: One milestone that could move the idea forward through collaboration, validation, or early testing.

   2. In the presentation: Describe the key learning or validation that could be achieved in six months.

How to submit a pitch deck

1. Download your PowerPoint pitch deck as a .pdf and name the file: “LastName_FirstName_ITCAIPitchDeckSubmission”

2. Send the .pdf file to BSPH.research@jh.edu by Monday, April 13, 2026.

   1. In the email, please include the following:

   2. “I confirm I am available to present in-person at Mustang Alley in Baltimore, MD on May 8, 2026 at 1:30 PM.”

   3. Any relevant information, such as links, about your idea that may be beneficial for our team to understand the problem and your work so far.

Five contestants will be notified of their selection in late April. Please reach out to BSPH.research@jh.edu with any questions.