DELPHI Funding Opportunities
Internal Funding Opportunities
DELPHI Data Science Initiative Seed Grant Program
Deadline: Thursday, April 10, 2025
Synopsis: This program aims to catalyze new collaborations and innovative research in data science and data-enabled science that will lead to federal extramural grant applications. Pilot awards will be awarded up to $40,000. We invite applications that build upon the mission of the DELPHI and support innovative health-related research that cuts across traditional research areas across the translational spectrum. Areas of interest include (but are not limited to):
- Development of new data science analysis approaches for discovery or translational applications
- Integration of large datasets with machine learning or artificial intelligence methodologies to advance applications imperative to the human condition
- Novel applications of data science techniques to critical research questions
- Novel computational, data analytics, and visualization techniques and frameworks to support research and discovery
- Use of data to improve translational research and improve the human condition
- Big-data-driven research to optimize outcomes from ethical perspectives
- Critical examinations of data infrastructure and/or policy
- Optimizing data presentation, storage, analytics, and/or access
Please view the full RFP for details about eligibility, the application process, and the review process. Apply online through InfoReady. Please direct any questions to DELPHI senior manager Andrew George (andrew.george@hsc.utah.edu).
LSO: Pew Biomedical Scholars Program
Internal Deadline: April 6, 2025
Award: $300,000; $75,000 per year for a four-year period.
Limited Submission Synopsis: The UofU is hosting an internal limited submission competition for the 2026 Pew Biomedical Scholars Program. The internal application consists of: 1) Brief Proposal Description: Up to 2 pages. The description of proposed research should include a statement of the project to be undertaken, its aims and objectives, the methods to be used, and the potential significance of the research. The description should include how this project fits into the applicant's "big picture" plans. 2) Full CV, and 3) List of individuals providing letters of support. Applications will be reviewed and selected by an internal selection committee. One applicant will be selected from the University to submit a full proposal to Pew. If selected, the full application deadline to Pew is September 3, 2025.
Pew Biomedical Scholars Description: The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences provides funding to young investigators of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health. This program does not fund clinical trials research. Strong proposals will incorporate particularly creative and pioneering approaches to basic, translational, and applied biomedical research. Candidates whose work is based on biomedical principles but who bring in concepts and theories from more diverse fields are encouraged to apply. Learn more and apply for the LSO via InfoReady.
Please contact Gwen Allouch (gwen.allouch@hsc.utah.edu) if you have questions about this opportunity.
External Funding Opportunities
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation: Metascience and AI Postdoctoral Fellowship
Due Date: April 10, 2025
Award: Up to $250,000 over two years
Synopsis: The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation makes grants primarily to support original research and education related to science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and economics. The Foundation believes that these fields—and the scholars and practitioners who work in them—are chief drivers of the nation's health and prosperity. The Foundation also believes that a reasoned, systematic understanding of the forces of nature and society, when applied inventively and wisely, can lead to a better world for all.
This program will support a cohort of postdoctoral researchers to deepen their understanding of AI technology and pursue career paths which evaluate the phenomenon of AI-mediated science and guide its pursuit, covering one or more of the following objectives:
- building our understanding of how the growing adoption of AI is changing the research landscape and the day-to-day work of researchers;
- building our understanding of the epistemic, metascientific, ethical and/or socioeconomic implications of these changes; and
- building understanding of how governments, industry, and/or funding organizations should respond to improve our research landscape.
This program will not fund fellows whose primary research focus is the direct development of scientific AI tools.
This RFP is for a postdoctoral fellowship program to support early career researchers in the social sciences and humanities (with particular emphasis on philosophy, sociology of science, and metascience) interested in building a career in understanding the implications of AI for the science and research ecosystem.
Please contact Jenna Taylor (jenna.taylor@utah.edu) if you are interested in applying for this opportunity.
Health Security Innovation Challenge
Due Date: April 16, 2025
Award: With a $200K prize pool, finalists will present their technologies at the Medical CBRN Defense Consortium (MCDC) and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Consortium member meeting in Baltimore, MD, on July 23. Synopsis: The Health Security Innovation Challenge seeks innovative solutions to strengthen prevention, detection, treatment, and protection against biological, chemical, and environmental threats.
Topic Areas Include:
- Next-Gen Prevention – Vaccine platforms, mRNA-based countermeasures, antibody development
- Advanced Treatments – Small molecule therapeutics, rapid-response medical countermeasures
- Smart Diagnostics – AI-driven detection tools, microphysiological systems, synthetic binder development
- Threat Detection – Wearable bio-sensors, agent identification, sensor integration
- Integrated Protection & Response – CBRN-resistant materials, decontamination, smart isolation
- Adaptive & Autonomous Systems – Robotics, AI-powered situational awareness, real-time monitoring
Join us for an informational webinar on April 1 from 3:30–4:15 PM ET to learn about the challenge scope, application process, and finalist selection criteria. Representatives from CWMD and MCDC will provide insights into their priorities and answer questions during a live Q&A session.
NSF Foundations for Digital Twins as Catalyzers of Biomedical Technological Innovation (FDT-BioTech)
Due Date: May 5, 2025
Award: Collaborative projects from multiple organizations are accepted according to standard NSF procedures. The total budget (direct and indirect cost) for a collaborative project from multiple organizations must not exceed $1,000,000.
Synopsis: The NSF FDT-BioTech program supports inherently interdisciplinary research projects that underpin the mathematical and engineering foundations behind the development and use of digital twins and synthetic data in biomedical and healthcare applications, with a particular focus on digital, in silico models used in the evaluation of medical devices and the relevance of the developed models in addressing current and emerging challenges affecting the development and assessment of biomedical technologies. The goal of the FDT-BioTech initiative is to catalyze biomedical technological innovation through new foundational development of methods and algorithms relevant to digital twins and synthetic humans.