IPWR will not be offering a FY07 Science Program. Please check back in the spring of 2008 for the program announcement for a FY08 Science Program.
The Institute for Public Health and Water Research (IPWR) was initially incorporated in January 2005 as the Brita Water Research Institute, a not-for-profit, independent science and education organization focused on improving public health and well being by expanding knowledge about quality drinking water. In November 2005, the name was changed to the Institute for Public Health and Water Research to clearly indicate the mission of the organization and to facilitate collaborations with other groups, particularly non-governmental organizations.
The IPWR provides scientific direction, funds and other support to investigators to encourage research, publications and meetings. The IPWR distributes information and organizes discussions with appropriate groups for public education and outreach. The goals are to: identify and promote opportunities to construct an integrated research agenda; directly fund research to expand knowledge on water and health; and produce technical and non-technical information on water consumption and health.
The general scientific foci of the IPWR include: the health risks/benefits of the consumption of drinking water and water aesthetics and its relationship to water consumption. The Background material presented below provides an overview of the entire scope of the scientific and educational interests of the IPWR. It is recognized that this Program Announcement solicits a relatively broad range of investigations in view of the limited amount of funding available for FY 2006. However, the IPWR anticipates significant expansion of funding in future years and is announcing its overall research interests to the scientific community through this publication.
The IPWR was launched with an unrestricted research and educational grant from The Brita Products Company.
i. Healthy functioning:
The relationship between the consumption of water and health has
received scant scientific attention. How much water is required
for daily functioning, under what conditions? How much water
do people drink? How is the physiological requirement for water
established and maintained at the cellular level? How does the
requirement of water for daily functioning vary by factors external
to the individual (i.e., climate) and by characteristics of the
individual (i.e., stage of life, state of health or activity
level)? What are the benefits of water consumption for children?
What is the health-related role of micronutrients in drinking
water (i.e., calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, iron, selenium,
sodium chloride and fluoride)? Is the recommendation to consume
the equivalent of eight, eight ounce glasses of water per day
valid, for whom and when? How does health and quality of life
change as the quantity of available, potable water increases?
How does the quantity and quality of drinking water effect the
well-being of people at specific stages of life and in specific
health/disease states? How do social and behavioral characteristics
of populations (for example, knowledge and attitudes about water,
cultural dictates, religious practices, distrust of medical professionals
and/or governmental authorities) influence the use of water and
impact health outcomes? What factors and characteristics lead
people to pay higher prices for bottled water and beverages rather
than to consume the less expensive tap water? How can the forces
motivating this behavior be engaged to provide more people with
safe water? What are the health effects of chronic poor hydration
(assuming non-contaminated water) at the cellular, organ and
organism level? How do these health consequences vary by age,
initial health status and nutritional state? Are there links
between specific health and disease outcomes (i.e., stroke, renal
stones, bone fractures, low birth weight, hypertension and cardiovascular
disease) and drinking water consumption?
ii. Obesity:
What is the relationship between hydration, obesity and weight
loss strategies? Does adequate hydration support weight loss
efforts? If so, at what stage of life and with what weight
loss strategies is adequate hydration most effective? Conversely,
does adequate hydration protect against weight gain? If so,
what are the mechanisms of protection?
iii. Characteristics and health consequences of microbial and chemical contaminants:
Many people still do not have access to drinking water that is
free from harmful microbes and chemical contaminants. This problem
is a particularly acute issue in low income countries. The vulnerability
to health consequences from poor quality or contaminated water
is not uniform throughout the population. Groups most vulnerable
to health consequences include infants, the aged, chronically
ill, pregnant, immuno-suppressed people, etc. Further research
is required to precisely identify those as highest risk in order
to support and target preventive intervention efforts. What are
the characteristics of those at highest risk? Additionally, risk
of water borne disease is not static across time or in an individual.
Research is needed to specify how risk and disease occurrence
change in the face of known drinking water contamination. What
are the particular risks to children of unsatisfactory water
supplies? What are the effects, if any, of the interactions of
specific contaminants? What are the health effects of acute high-level
exposures to specific contaminants or pathogens? What are the
health effects of chronic low dose exposure to specific contaminants
or pathogens? Are there consequences for health that result from
sequences of exposures (some high dose, some low dose by multiple
contaminants or pathogens) across time? What can individuals
do to improve the safety of their drinking water? In low income
countries, is it better to develop community level or individual
level interventions to improve drinking water safety? What are
the sociological, behavioral and cultural reasons for the success
of some interventions and the failure of others? How can interventions
to improve drinking water safety be designed and managed to best
improve public health?
iv. Taste and Odor:
What aesthetic qualities of water do people prefer? Do these
preferences vary by characteristics of the people? Taste and
odor are the primary factors leading to complaints to municipal
water suppliers, and are likely the major factors leading to
reductions in consumption of drinking water. It is necessary
to identify individual chemicals that result in unacceptable
taste and odors in drinking water, as well as the interactions
of chemicals leading to poor water aesthetics. The source or
cause of the specific tastant or odorant must be identified and
mechanisms developed to control the problem. The normal variation,
within population groups, of acceptance of specific tastants
and odorants requires definition, as well as the concentrations
of chemicals defining acceptability. The contributions of the
components or constituents of the distribution and storage system,
and their materials, to the aesthetics of drinking water require
evaluation. What are the implications for health? There are a
number of important basic science issues around the perception
of water taste. What is the role of water taste in the regulation
of fluid balance? Why do some people drink a lot of water, and
some people drink very little? It is necessary to understand
water taste in order to determine how salt and water balance
is maintained in the organism as a whole. The regulation of water
taste may be an important mediator in specific pathophysiological
conditions. Some diseases, including those that affect the renal,
endocrine (diabetes) or cardiovascular system, are frequently
associated with physiological changes in water balance. By understanding
the regulation of these processes, it may be possible to restore
nutritive balance and develop prevention programs.
v. Communicating with the consumer:
What are the most effective and economical strategies for communicating
the water and health relationship to children and families? What
group is the best target for information diffusion and behavior
change: children, their parents and/or teachers?
The IPWR is issuing its first research grant program announcement. For FY 2006, the IPWR is soliciting pilot research grants in the general area of:
"Health benefits and outcomes of drinking water"
The long-range purpose is to establish a portfolio of high quality science on drinking water and health outcomes. Each year the IPWR will emphasize one of the above foci in the Program Announcement. The key areas of interest in this competition are: the benefits and risks of drinking water consumption, and the water and health relationship. This may include improving general health/decreasing risks, maturational changes, obesity, diabetes, waterborne disease, cognitive performance, etc. Where appropriate and possible, studies should include partnerships with municipal water utilities and identify and test strategies for collaboration with municipalities in promoting the value of drinking water. Studies must consider both information dissemination and behavior change.
The above questions/issues are provided as examples only. The list is not exhaustive or exclusive. While research grant applications must address the general theme, "Health benefits and outcomes of drinking water," investigators should use their scientific judgment in constructing the hypotheses, and design and methods of the proposal. Investigators should not be constrained by the preceding examples.
The application mechanism for this IPWR competition is the investigator-initiated research grant (RG). There are two categories:
IPWR Fellow
Award ("IPWR Fellow")
This RG is aimed at scientists who are 5 years or less from
the date of receipt of the doctoral degree (or other terminal
degree) as of the time the application is submitted, or who
are students working towards a doctoral or other terminal degree.
Research
Grant: Investigator (RGI)
The RGI is open for application to all investigators at any stage
of their career.
Investigators in both categories will use the same application kit (KWIK Review System) for submission of their proposal. In the box requesting the application number and project title, investigators applying for the IPWR Fellow Award should insert "IPWR Fellow" on the line for the application number. All other investigators should leave the application number line blank. (Investigators in both categories should insert the title of the application on the "project title" line.)
Potential applicants must first submit a letter of intent by email to grants@ipwr.org detailing the scientific questions and outlining the design and methods to be used. The letter of intent to apply is to be received no later than January 20, 2006. The letters of intent will be screened for relevance of the proposed investigations to the research mission of the IPWR.
The IPWR is particularly interested in applications testing hypotheses (although descriptive research is accepted) that are developed by investigators from several scientific disciplines or specialties (i.e., multi or cross-disciplinary research). The letter of intent is not to exceed 500 words.
Upon acceptance of the letter of intent, the potential applicant will be notified by email message and provided with the application kit.
The IPWR will fund projects limited to two years duration:
1. IPWR Fellow: US $25,000 maximum costs per year for a total of US $50,000 per award, with up to 10% going to indirect costs. Up to 4 awards will be issued in FY 2006.
2. RG: US $100,000 maximum costs per year for a total of US $200,000 per award, with up to 10% going to indirect costs. Up to 3 awards will be issued in FY 2006.
Cost-sharing is encouraged, but not required, and will not be used in judging the merit of the applications. The IPWR reserves the option to pay fewer grants if the quality of the applications received is not satisfactory.
All faculty (full or part-time, permanent, or adjunct), graduate students and post-doctoral fellows are eligible to apply for a research grant, depending upon restrictions within their university or organization. In general, public, private, domestic and foreign research laboratories, medical centers and hospitals, and universities are eligible to apply. Applications will be accepted from, and awards made to, foreign institutions to the extent allowed by U.S. law. Minority investigators and investigators at minority institutions, including the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and American Indian/Alaska Native and Tribal Colleges, are particularly encouraged to apply. Federal government appropriated laboratories are prohibited from serving as the applicant organization, although federal government scientists can serve as research staff on an application submitted from an eligible institution. Members of the Health and Scientific Advisory Board (HSAB) and the Executive Board of Directors are ineligible to apply during the tenure of their service.
All applications must be submitted using the electronic KWIK Review System. The completed application is to be sent by email to julie.kay@ipwr.org on or before February 28, 2006. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the proposal is received by the IPWR before midnight of the due date.
The review process of the IPWR is two tiered. The first tier is the review by independent, expert scientists for the determination of the scientific and technical merit of the grant application. The second tier review determines the relative ranking of all of the proposals within the competition and results in funding decisions.
Tier One
The purpose of the initial review is to determine the overall
quality or scientific merit of the proposal, including consideration
of questions such as: Is the question under investigation
important and meaningful? Is the structure of the proposal
(design and methods) appropriate to answer the scientific
question? Are the resources (people, facilities and equipment)
necessary to support the project in place? Are the investigator,
and his/her team, sufficiently skilled and experienced to
suggest a high probability that the project will be successfully
implemented? Is the budget adequate and appropriate to support
the work proposed?
In the IPWR review system, a custom tailored review of each proposal, drawing upon a large group of ad hoc reviewers, will be arranged and managed electronically. Each application will be reviewed by at least three external scientists expert in the questions and methods presented in the grant proposal. The goal of this procedure is to make it as objective as possible by establishing an independent and fair process for merit evaluation.
Tier Two
The Health and Scientific Advisory Board (HSAB), a small group
of senior, well-established investigators, serves as a resource
to the IPWR on all scientific, health and technical matters.
The HSAB conducts the second tier review for all research
grant applications submitted to the IPWR. The HSAB makes
funding recommendations, not decisions, on research grant
applications for the IPWR. Funding consideration of any research
grant application includes the initial scientific and technical
review, program priorities of IPWR, program balance, the
innovativeness of the application, and the total pool of
funds available for awards.
Final funding decisions on research grant applications rest with the Board of Directors of the IPWR, who will make decisions based on the recommendations of the HSAB.
Letters of
intent: on or before January 20, 2006.
Application receipt date: February 28, 2006.
Initial scientific and technical review: March through April,
2006.
Health and Scientific Advisory Board meeting: May 2006.
Board of Directors funding decisions: May 2006.
Grant awards: on or before June 30, 2006.
Contact and Additional Information
Prospective
applicants are strongly encouraged to review the IPWR
Statement of Policies and Procedures. For any
questions, please contact:
Jennie Ward Robinson, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Institute for Public Health and Water Research
School of Public Health
University of Illinois at Chicago
1603 W. Taylor, Room 1178B
MC#923
Chicago, IL 60612-4394
Phone: 312-355-3144
Fax: 312-996-1374
Email: grants@ipwr.org
* IPWR is indebted to the participants in the workshop, “Current Critical Questions in Research on Drinking Water and Health,” June 27-29, 2004, San Francisco, for providing context, ideas and text, in their slides and papers, which serve as the basis for this first competition: Drs. V. Nathan, M. Sobsey, J. Jacangelo, M. Tomson, M. Wiesner, A. Dietrich, J. James, J. Weintraub, C. Moe, P. Meinhardt, T. Gilbertson, J. Cotruvo and T. Ford.