0. Overview
The Prevention Insights Challenge is intended to incubate innovative approaches to addressing some of the most complex issues facing the United States in the areas of substance use and mental health.
We are particularly interested in two types of ideas:
Ideas that pose unique solutions to problems (e.g., questions of the form “Couldn’t we solve this issue much more easily if we just did X?” where X = model, program, technology, etc.)
Ideas that challenge conventional thinking or paradigms (e.g., questions of the form “What if X is wrong?”)
1. Award Amounts
Winner: $1,000 personal stipend (transferred to bursar account) and funding for the proposed pilot project (up to $10,000 for 1 year)
2nd Place: $500 personal stipend (transferred to bursar account)
3rd and 4th Place: $250 personal stipend (transferred to bursar account)
2. Submission Timeline and Eligibility
Proposals for Cycle 1 are due on January 31, 2020.
The Submission portal is open from October 31 to January 31.
Authors of winning entries will be notified by March 15, 2020.
Individuals or teams may submit proposals (note that the personal stipend prizes are singular, meaning that if a team of 4 students wins, they will receive $1,000 total, not $4,000 total in stipends).
All undergraduate or graduate students enrolled full time at Indiana University Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses as of January 31, 2019 may apply.
We particularly encourage teams that include representatives from multiple different schools or fields of study.
3. Formatting and Submission Requirements
The proposed topic must address one or more aspects of substance use and/or mental health in the United States. Proposals not meeting this criterion will not be reviewed.
The project narrative must be 5 pages or fewer, including diagrams, but not including references.
Proposals must be single-spaced, written in Times New Roman, size 12 font, and with at least half inch margins on all sides.
Proposals must be submitted as a single, combined file with all elements, in PDF format.
Element 1: Title Page
Element 2: Contact information for all team members, including e-mail address, phone number, current degree program (both field of study and level of degree), and, for all graduate and doctoral students, advisor’s name and e-mail address
Element 3: Project Narrative
Element 4: References
Appendix 1: Verification of IU enrollment for all applicants
4. Project Narrative Content
Project Narratives must contain the following sections:
Introduction to the Problem (1/2 page or less)
Literature Review – what do we currently know about the problem, and where are there gaps in our understanding? (2 pages or less)
Statement of the Idea – one or two sentences fully encapsulating the idea.
Significance – how the idea addresses the problem (1 page or less)
Innovation – why is this idea innovative? (1/2 page or less)
Testability – with $10,000, how could this idea reasonably be tested? (1 page or less).
5. Scoring – Out of 100 possible points
Introduction and Literature Review – 25 points
Applicant must create a reasoned case for both the problem to be addressed and the gaps in our understanding.
The best approaches will leave reviewers with the belief that it is fundamentally important to the field to address the articulated gaps.
Statement of the Idea – 15 points
Significance – 20 points
The idea, if explored, tested or implemented (as appropriate) has a reasonable, face-valid possibility of affecting the field in a meaningful way.
Innovation – 15 points
The idea truly challenges conventional approaches/wisdom or is a fundamentally unique way of approaching a substance use and/or mental health problem.
Testability – 25 points
The idea or approach can reasonably be tested for initial feasibility or proof-of-concept
A small experimental study would have the possibility of indicating whether the idea would merit continued investigation.