The UAB Building and InnovatinG: Digital heAlth Technology and Analytics Center (BIGDATA), an NIH NIAMS-funded P30 Core Center for Clinical Research, focuses on clinical and translational research, real-world evidence, clinical informatics, and implementation science related to musculoskeletal, rheumatic, and skin diseases.

The P30 BIGDATA Center seeks to foster collaborative, innovative research that aligns with our mission to not only advance knowledge, but to also transforms healthcare delivery and improve patient outcomes. The mission of the P30 BIGDATA Center is to advance research in rheumatologic, musculoskeletal, and skin diseases by integrating digital health technologies, informatics, and advanced analytics. Funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the center aims to enhance and improve outcomes for patients with rheumatologic, musculoskeletal, and skin diseases through innovative data-driven approaches. Pilot projects are funded for 1-3 years.

*Clinical trials will not be awarded under this mechanism. 

Key Dates

Posted Date: May 1, 2025
Application Deadline: June 30, 2025
Earliest Start Date: August 1, 2025 (anticipated)
End Date: July 31, 2025

Application Overview

Submit applications as a single PDF via InfoReady, an institutionally supported project designed to facilitate proposal submission and review.

Applications will undergo internal review using the NIH 1-9 scoring scale by select reviewers from BIGDATA's three cores: Methods and Health Informatics (MHI), Dissemination, Implementation, and Community Engagement (DICE); and Administrative Core. Proposals selected internally require NIH approval before funding can be released to the awardee.

Eligibility

This program primarily supports new and early career investigators. Investigators with previous or current K-awards are encouraged to apply. Established investigators must justify how proposed aims differ significantly from their previous work or represent substantial advancements in one of the defined areas listed above. All applicants must have UAB faculty appointments starting on or before the award date.

Funding

• Up to $100,000 total available ($50,000 per year)
• Maximum of $50,000 direct costs per project
• PI salary capped at 15% of the total direct budget
• At least 50% of the budget must support BIGDATA Core services
• Competitive renewal is possible annually

Application Instructions

Application proposals are submitted as a single PDF using InfoReady, designed to facilitate proposal submission and review, and maintained by the UAB Office of Research. Access the InfoReady online submission form. 

Application Components

Applications should be organized into the following sections:

1. Summary Page (1 page max)

• Title
• Eligibility Statement: Briefly (2-3 sentences) explain PI(s)' eligibility.
• Project Abstract: Brief summary of objectives, aims, design, outcomes, and relevance to BIGDATA mission.

2. Research Strategy (4 pages max)

• Significance: Importance, prior research rigor, central theme/goals, research implications, impact.
• Innovation: Novel concepts, methodologies, or improvements over existing approaches.
• Approach: Specific aims, hypotheses, feasibility, strategy/methodology, data analysis, and resource sharing.
• References Cited (not counted in page limit).

3. Additional Required Documents

• Recruitment/Retention Plan: Required if involving human subjects (no page limit).
• NIH Biosketch: PI biosketch conforming to NIH standards (5 pages max).
• Budget and Budget Justification: Detailed budget (use PHS398 form) (justification, no page limit)
• Consultation Summary: Document BIGDATA core service consultations (2 pages max).
• Project Timeline: Outline milestones clearly (1 page max).

Review Criteria

Applications will be reviewed on:

• Significance (regional relevance, translational impact)
• Investigators (PI expertise, new/established investigator criteria)
• Innovation (novelty of research methods/concepts)
• Approach (feasibility, rigor, methodology)
• Overall Impact (overall merit and potential for significant scientific impact)

Award Administration

Successful applicants will:

• Receive Notice of Selection (NoS).
• Secure all required regulatory approvals prior to initiating research.
• Engage regularly with BIGDATA Cores, as needed based on the project science.
• Complete the *Rigor, Reproducibility & Transparency (R2T) Kaizen module
• Submit scientific progress reports as requested.
• Acknowledge P30 BIGDATA core grant NIH P30AR072583 in manuscripts, abstracts, and presentations.
• All related publications must comply with NIH Public Access Policy.

*The National Institute of Health (NIH) requires formal instruction in Scientific Rigor, Reproducibility & Transparency (R2T) for all federally-funded trainees. In support of high quality investigation and in our commitment to scientific integrity, UAB based the R2T-Kaizen course upon the review of articles focusing on common errors and fallacies in scientific research as well as the (4) focus areas of R2T: scientific premise, authentication of chemical and biologic resources, consideration of sex and other biologic variables in study design and statistical rigor.

NIH / NIAMS Prior Approval

NIAMS-funded P30 BIGDATA requires all projects that involve human subjects and/or vertebrate animals be subject to the NIH Prior Approval to document and ensure regulatory compliance. No funds may be expended for a pilot and feasibility project until NIAMS receives and approves the following materials: a complete project application (including biographical sketches, personnel effort and budget justification, a research plan, human and/or animal subject sections and any IACUC or IRB or other required documentation, and the critiques of the review committee.

Contact

For detailed inquiries, please contact the BIGDATA team at the BIGDATA Consultation Form.