Call for Pilot Proposals:
Data Science and Health Initiative (DASHI)

→ Submission Deadline: Tuesday, January 18, 2022


The Data Science Institute and Columbia University Irving Medical Center have a new partnership focused on building collaborative research projects at Columbia that leverage foundational data science for new clinical advances. On the biomedical side, this is driven by emerging access to large scale complex datasets due to recently deployed technologies, e.g. in imaging, genomics, and electronic health records. An additional area of interest is in the evaluation of large cancer genomes and functional genomic datasets. 

These data challenges are looking for analysis tools to tackle them. On the engineering side, method developers are seeking data to sink their teeth into and test their developments in real-world settings. The new Data Science and Health Initiative (DASHI) aims to bridge this gap and create synergy between our institutional strengths.

DASHI invites applications for pilot projects in the intersection of Data Science and Health Sciences. 

A team consisting of a primary contact-PI and their selected co-PI(s) may submit a full, 3-page application for seed funding of the pilot project. DASHI is particularly interested in supporting teams that merge data science and health disciplines (re: teams with data science PIs and health PIs). This proposal should delineate a path towards external funding of the project beyond its pilot stage.


Details

Budget: DASHI expects to fund at least 2 projects, up to $75k each for one year. Funds will support research undertaken at Columbia University. 

Contact PI Eligibility Criteria: Any faculty member, associate research scientist, or equivalent at any Columbia University campus. Postdocs, PhD students and other graduate students can participate as co-PIs on a collaborative team. 

Funding Timeline: 

  • Submission Deadline: January 18, 2022
  • Notification: by February 15, 2022
  • Expected Project Start for Selected Proposals: March 1, 2022

Required Application Materials

Applicants will submit the following materials on the application form here.

PI Contact Information 

  • Primary contact PI name, email, title, and Columbia University department affiliation
  • All names, emails, and affiliations for co-PIs

Requested Funding and Scope of Proposal

  • Project Title
  • Funding amount requested from DASHI (dollar amount only)
  • Plan for applying to specific, external, large-scale funding opportunities

Document Upload 

Applicants will submit a single, merged PDF document that includes the following requirements:

  1. Project Proposal* (3 page maximum, single spaced, 11 pt. font, Arial, 0.5 inch margin)
  2. Proposed budget with justification (equipment and indirect costs are not allowed)
  3. Explicit statement** on how the project will uphold Columbia University’s commitment to racial equity and justice
  4. Biosketch for PIs and Collaborators (NIH or NSF style format)

Please name your file: FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME_DASHI-Submission.pdf


Judging Criteria

*The following criteria will be used to rank and select project proposals for DASHI funding:

  • How does the project fit the goals of the DASHI initiative? How is the project necessarily inter-/multidisciplinary between health sciences and data science?
  • Why is the proposed project innovative? 
  • Why is DASHI funding essential to the success of this project?
  • Attendees of the recent DASHI Workshop (Dec. 10, 2021) will be given special consideration. 

**Columbia University is committed to racial equity and justice. Proposals should explicitly state that the project will uphold these values, e.g., stating that the methods used to collect and analyze project data, and the project outcomes reported are fair, just, and ethical.


DASHI Steering Committee:

  • Itsik Pe’er, PhD, Associate Professor of Computer Science
  • Peter Canoll, MD, PhD, Professor of Pathology & Cell Biology
  • Elham Azizi, PhD, Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering
  • Elias Bareinboim, PhD, Associate Professor of Computer Science
  • Lawrence Schwartz, MD, Professor and Chairman for the Department of Radiology
  • Sarah Collins Rossetti, RN, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Nursing