Pilot funding opportunity from Oregon Center for Aging & Technology

The Oregon Center for Aging & Technology (ORCATCH) seeks applications for its Pilot Grant Program–a program that provides investigators with $50,000 to improve technology as well as to translate that technology into useful tools to improve the health of the aging population.

Recipients of the award will have access to ORCATCH’s  “living laboratory,” a network of residences in the local community outfitted with a suite of basic devices for continuous remote monitoring of mobility and computer use. In addition to the Living Laboratory facilities, investigators will also have access to a large library of continuous activity and health data collected unobtrusively and in parallel with standard health assessment protocols in the home environment of seniors that spans several years. For this pilot program, ORCATECH anticipates a broad range of research that may include: exploring personal emergency response systems, intensive data exploration of existing large continuous data sets of senior activity and health outcome prediction, or health maintenance protocols utilizing embedded technology. Applications for funding are due February 18, 2011.

To be eligible, applicants should be employed by a public or not-for-profit research, academic or health institution in the U.S. Collaborative projects are encouraged with industry partners, but justification must be made as to why public funds are needed to conduct the research. Applications are evaluated on the basis of scientific merit with priority given to beginning investigators just entering the field of translational aging research and to new or innovative projects. Applications from women and minority groups are specifically encouraged. For more information, view the full announcement.

View the rest of this week’s Funding Alerts.