Community Engaged Scholars Program

Key Dates

Applications for Cohort 16 are expected to open in Fall 2025.

Cohort 15 Key Dates - applications are currently closed

• December 2, 2024 – Letters of Intent Due
• January 24, 2025 – Full Applications Due
• March 21, 2025 – Awardees Notified
• April 10, 2025 – In Person Kickoff Retreat at MUSC (all team members required to attend; mileage, parking, and lunch expenses are covered by CES-P)

Eligibility

Each team must consist of at least one Academic Partner and one Community Partner and can include up to 5 members. The partnership can be either new or established. 

An Academic Partner is an individual with a faculty or clinical appointment (minimum of Assistant Professor or higher) at one or more South Carolina research intensive universities (e.g., Medical University of South Carolina, Clemson, University of South Carolina). Academic partners must have previous research experience, and their institution must have an affiliated IRB. 

A Community Partner is defined as an individual who maintains a primary affiliation, whether employed or volunteer, with a community organization. For this program, community organization is defined as an organization that has: 

1. a documented interest in improving the health of the relevant community (e.g., a mission statement); and
2. a history of serving the health needs and interests of the relevant community. 

These organizations may include, but are not limited to public schools, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, community-based health provider organizations and advocacy groups. 

Program Details

Each team prepares and submits an initial CBPR study proposal, budget, and supporting documents as part of the CES-P application process. Applications undergo a multi-tiered review process. Following notification of awards, selected teams will be invited to join training sessions where they will be receive training on community based research principles, research methods, program evaluation, funding, and other relevant topics, in addition to assistance from the CES-P Director, assigned mentor (if applicable), and SCTR Institute faculty and staff to refine the proposal, budget, and initiate their projects.

Training sessions include an in-person Kickoff retreat with all awardees, a synchronous virtual session with all awardees, and several one-on-one virtual team meetings with program leadership. All academic and community partners must be present for the entirety of scheduled group and individual team meetings.

Between sessions participants are expected to collaborate with partners on assigned tasks and complete program surveys. Partners will continually refine their grant and IRB application in preparation for the IRB submission (during and outside of sessions). All partners must complete Human Subjects and Good Clinical Practice Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) modules (note that the cost of CITI training is covered by MUSC for awardees).

Funding

The award of funds is contingent upon successful completion by all team members of CES-P, including attendance at all sessions, Human Subject Protection (CITI) Training, program surveys, final SCTR approval of revised protocol and budget, and appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval.

Once all components are completed and approvals are received, each team will be awarded up to a maximum of $10,000 to implement the proposed CBPR project over a 12-month period (most awards range between $3000-$7000).

Salary support for academic and community investigators and university indirect costs are not allowable. Teams may include staff support to carry out study activities, as needed (i.e., if a team needs to hire a research assistant).

Contact:

For more information, please reach out to the program contacts: 

Michelle Nichols, Ph.D., RN
CES-P Program Director
nicholmg@musc.edu 

Kimberly Brown
CES-P Program Coordinator
brkimber@musc.edu