Funding Opportunities

Anticipated start date of funding – November 15, 2026

Description of Program and Purpose of Funds

Circadian and Sleep Health for a Healthy Kentucky (CASH-KY) is an Emerging Theme for Research sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research that supports research in chronobiology and sleep. The CASH-KY Pilot Program broadly supports basic, clinical, implementation, innovation, and commercialization research in biological rhythms (e.g., circadian, diurnal, seasonal, annual rhythms) and sleep. The goal of this program is to develop preliminary data leading to the submission of new applications for external (NIH, NSF, etc.) research grants. Pilot projects must clearly describe the relevance of the study to the mission of CASH-KY and a detailed plan for submission of a grant proposal.

Eligibility

• UK Faculty at any rank are eligible to serve as Principal Investigators for CASH-KY Pilot Projects.
• Postdoctoral Scholars are not eligible.
• There is no specific citizenship requirement.
• Junior faculty and new collaborative research teams are strongly encouraged to apply.

Budget Guidelines

•    The CASH-KY Pilot Grant program will provide approximately $25,000 in direct costs for a 1-year project period. The award amount may exceed $25,000 with justification and depending on the availability of funds.
•    It is expected that the Grantee will use the full amount of funding awarded during the one-year term of the award.
•    Up to 10% salary support for faculty will be considered, if amount <25% of the total award.
•    Allowable expenses include staff salary, student stipends/tuition, supplies, core charges, animal costs, and clinical services.
•    Travel to scientific meetings and workshops is not allowed.
 

Review

Applications are evaluated by faculty members of CASH-KY. Proposals will be reviewed based on:

• Significance and rigor of the project.
• Feasibility of completing the project in one year.
• Specific plan and timeline for obtaining extramural funding.

If you are new to circadian and sleep research but have an idea, please send us an email at CASH.KY@uky.edu. We can chat about resources and collaborators.

Application Instructions

All materials should be combined into a single PDF document. Margins should be at least 1/2 inch and the font size should be 11 or 12 point. Proposals should be emailed to CASH.KY@uky.edu by 5pm EDT on October 16, 2026. Questions may be directed to CASH.KY@uky.edu.

Applications should include the following documents compiled into a single PDF:

1. Title page that includes:
   • Project Title
   • Principal Investigator or Co-PIs (please indicate one corresponding PI)
   • Co-Investigators
   • Total budget requested
2. Research Strategy (4 pages maximum) describing the Specific Aims, Significance, and Approach. The Research Strategy should include a specific plan, including a timeline, for obtaining extramural funding and describe how data from the pilot project will support an extramural application. The Approach should be described in sufficient detail to assess rigor. 
3. References (no page limit)
4. Budget and Justification for 1 year of funding (see Budget Guidelines above).
5. Biosketches for each PI and Co-Investigator (NIH or NSF SciENcv format).

Reporting

Award agreements will include expectations for follow-up reporting on the activities and outcomes supported by this funding. It is expected that awarded investigators will provide a final report describing the impact of this funding, including publications, subsequent grant proposals, external grant awards, intellectual property disclosures, patents, etc.

In addition, publications resulting from the funded research must acknowledge support from Circadian and Sleep Health for a Healthy Kentucky (CASH-KY).

PAR‑24‑330 – Interventions to Reduce Sleep Health Disparities (R01)

About: This funding opportunity encourages development and evaluation of non‑pharmacological interventions to improve sleep health and reduce sleep health disparities linked to social determinants. Interventions may address circadian misalignment, shift work, or sleep hygiene among populations experiencing health disparities

Applications Due: Standard R01 cycles; February 5, June 5 and October 5

NIH Highlighted Topic – Sleep, Circadian Rhythms & Substance Use Disorders

About: NIDA and partner institutes issued a highlighted topic encouraging investigator‑initiated applications that explore how sleep and circadian processes influence substance use disorders. Projects may involve basic mechanistic studies, translational research or human studies investigating bi‑directional relationships between sleep/circadian rhythms and substance use disorders. Apply through the parent R01, R21 or R03 announcements.

Availability: Remains active until Sep 10, 2026

Description of Program and Purpose of Funds

The CASH-KY Small Project Award provides small (˂$5000) and brief (˂ 6 months) awards to complete a single, well-defined experiment or project. The Small Project Program supports basic, clinical, implementation, innovation, and commercialization research in biological rhythms (circadian, diurnal, seasonal, annual rhythms) and sleep. The goal of this project is to complete a well-defined experiment or project that will immediately lead to the submission or resubmission of a manuscript or grant proposal. Examples include experiments requested during manuscript peer review and validation studies or key feasibility data for grant proposals.

Eligibility

• UK Faculty at any rank are eligible to serve as Principal Investigators for CASH-KY Pilot Projects.
• Postdoctoral Scholars are not eligible.
• There is no specific citizenship requirement.

Budget Guidelines

• The suggested budget is $5,000 for a project period of up to 6 months. Larger budgets will be considered with appropriate justification. 
• The budget must align with a focused, near-term experiment or project. 
• Allowable expenses include supplies, core facility charges, animal costs, participant remuneration, and other direct research costs necessary to complete the proposed project
• Salary support is not allowed.
• Travel to scientific meetings and workshops is not allowed.
• It is expected that the Grantee will use the full amount of funding awarded during the project period.

Review

Applications are evaluated by faculty members of CASH-KY. Proposals will be reviewed based on:

• Relevance of the project to chronobiology and sleep research and to the CASH-KY mission.
• Clarity and rigor of the proposed experiment or experiments.
• Feasibility of completing the work within the requested budget and project period.
• Strength of the plan for scientific impact, including how the project will strengthen a specific manuscript, grant application, or other product.
• Likelihood that results will lead to peer-reviewed publications or competitive extramural funding.

Application Instructions

All materials should be combined into a single PDF document. Margins should be at least 1/2 inch and the font size should be 11 or 12 point. Proposals should be emailed to CASH.KY@uky.edu. Questions may be directed to CASH.KY@uky.edu.

Applications should include the following documents compiled into a single PDF:

1. Title page that includes:
   • Experiment Title
   • Principal Investigator or Co-PIs (please indicate one corresponding PI)
   • Co-Investigators
   • Total budget requested
2. Research Strategy (2 pages) that includes:
   • Description of the experiment(s) to be completed with this funding.
   • Brief background and Significance that links the work to circadian and/or sleep research.
   • Approach described in sufficient detail to assess rigor and feasibility, including key methods, sample size or power justification as appropriate, and anticipated outcomes.
   • Description of existing data or progress and how the proposed experiment will complete or strengthen the project.
   • Clear plan for dissemination (for example, target journal) or plans for extramural grant submission. 
   • Appendix (not included in 2 page limit): Applicants are encouraged to attach Reviewers comments on a manuscript submission and/or summary statements to demonstrate the necessity of the proposed project.       
3. References (no page limit)
4. Budget and Justification for 6 months of funding (see Budget Guidelines above).
5. Biosketches for each PI and Co-Investigator (NIH or NSF Common Form).

Reporting

Award agreements will include expectations for follow-up reporting on the activities and outcomes supported by this funding. It is expected that awarded investigators will provide a final report describing the impact of this funding, including publications, subsequent grant proposals, external grant awards, intellectual property disclosures, patents, etc.

In addition, any publication resulting from the funded research must acknowledge support from Circadian and Sleep Health for a Healthy Kentucky (CASH-KY).