Frequently Asked Questions
How do I determine if we are eligible to apply for a TRDRP grant mechanism?
TRDRP’s eligibility criteria has been refined. Applications responding to this 2025 Call for Applications proposing research in basic and preclinical science studies of tobacco-related diseases must incorporate nicotine and/or other constituents of commercial tobacco products in order to be deemed “tobacco-related” and eligible for TRDRP funding. Similarly, clinical, translational, or implementation studies must involve human subjects that have a history of commercial tobacco product use. Eligible studies must have outcomes that will inform prevention of initiation of commercial tobacco product use and/or be informative or beneficial for current and prior commercial tobacco product users.
New changes and key requirements, including determining eligibility, are available within the 2025 Core Call for Applications. Link: https://trdrp.org/funding-opportunities/
Where can I find specific instructions for each award type?
Specific instructions for each award type can be found within the 2025 Core Call for Applications Appendix E, and the 2025 CPPRA and MSCI Call for Applications sections titled Detailed Description of Proposal Templates. Visit https://trdrp.org/funding-opportunities/ for more information
When submitting an LOI for a TRDRP CPPRA or Partnered-MSCI, the Principal Investigator field is auto filled in SmartSimple. Where shall I provide my Partner’s Co-PI information on the LOI form?
The LOI for partnered awards can be submitted by either of the future Co-PIs (Academic Co-PI or Community Co-PI). Only the information of one Co-PI, the Applicant Principal Investigator (Applicant PI), is required for LOI submission. After the LOI has been invited to the Full Application stage, the Applicant PI will be able to invite their partner Co-PI to contribute to the application in SmartSimple. The partner Co-PI will receive a “Collaboration Invitation” email from the Research Grants Program Office (RGPOgrants@ucop.edu) requesting them to complete their own budget in SmartSimple. For additional information, please review the SmartSimple Instructions.
Who should I contact for questions about an LOI that was submitted?
Please send LOI related questions to RGPOgrants@ucop.edu.
Where do I access the Templates that are required for the full application?
Templates can be accessed and downloaded via SmartSimple. For more information on what to include in these documents, please see the 2025 Core Call for Applications Appendix E. Please consult Detailed Description of Proposal Templates in corresponding Calls for awards that are not part of the Core Call. These templates will be made available for Letters of Intent that are invited to submit a Full Application.
What are the page limits for each document required for the Full Application?
Information on page limits can be found on each applicable template in SmartSimple at the Full Application stage. Please note, it is important to use the corresponding template as is, and not make modifications to margins, font, or text size. For instructions on completing templates, please see Appendix E of the Core Call. For instructions on completing templates for the 2025 CPPRA or MSCI Call for Application, please see the section titled Detailed Description of Proposal Templates. Access Calls for Applications here: https://trdrp.org/funding-opportunities/
Am I able to submit more than one application?
Applicants may submit LOIs for no more than two projects as Principal Investigator, provided that the proposed research topics and aims are significantly different for each project. Predoctoral and postdoctoral applicants may submit an LOI for only one project.
How do I determine whether the sex of an animal model or human subject should be considered as a biological variable in my research?
Consistent with NIH, we now require applicants proposing experiments with biological endpoints to determine whether the sex of an animal model or human subject should be considered a biological variable in designing their experiments.As explained in “Applying the new SABV (sex as a biological variable) policy to research and clinical care,” Physiology & Behavior 187 (2018) 2–5 “Sex originates from an organism’s sex chromosome complement – XX or XY chromosomes in in humans, and is reflected in the reproductive organs. Considering SABV is not the same as looking for sex differences, but it is about exploring the influences of sex as a biological variable and revealing the “data hiding in plain sight.” Applicants can review the paper in Physiology & Behavior here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031938417302585
The following points are taken verbatim from the article:
- First, before conducting research, find out whether there are known sex differences in the area of study by adding the terms sex, gender, male, and female to your literature search. In addition to PubMed, use the GenderMed database.
- Second, randomize and balance the sexes in the study and control groups. If you are testing a pharmaceutical, consult the FDA snapshot page, which provides information about sex differences in drug metabolism and effects for recently approved drugs.
- Third, if sex differences are suspected, e.g., from the literature search, conduct pilot studies to determine whether powering the study to detect sex differences is warranted.
- Fourth, in the analyses of the data, regardless of whether the study was powered to detect sex differences, disaggregate the data to see if there are differences that are hidden when data from males and females are pooled. Analyze key relationships for males and females separately.
Am I allowed to add out of state expenditures to my budget?
Prop 56 does not allow funding for out-of-state research, while Prop 99 does, if justified. However, Prop 99 funds are very limited. We therefore recommend against adding out-of-state research expenditures, such as sub-contracts with collaborators, to your budget. If you include such an out-of-state expenditure that you feel is critical to your research, and your award is selected for funding, funding of your entire award depends on availability of very limited Prop 99 funds, and you may not be funded at all.
What resources are available to help me engage State policy makers?
If you are interested in engaging State Government, please consider partnering with the UC Center Sacramento (UCCS). UCCS is a system-wide program of the University of California. One of the Center's core missions is to share knowledge in the interest of better, more evidence-based public policy. UCCS can help TRDRP investigators address the broader impacts and policy implications of their tobacco-related research. Specific services available include evaluating dissemination strategies; helping to arrange meetings with policymakers within the Sacramento-based governmental apparatus; convening panels and conferences at the UCCS facility near the Capitol; preparing policy briefs; and assisting with op/eds for local, regional, and national news outlets.
These services are available to both UC- and non-UC-affiliated investigators. TRDRP investigators interested in collaborating with UC Center Sacramento should contact UCCS Director Richard L. Kravitz as early in the proposal-writing process as possible.
How do I design a Community Engagement Plan for a biomedical research grant?
TRDRP believes that it is critical to engage the community in understanding research into tobacco disease prevention, tobacco use prevention, and cessation. We require a community engagement plan to encourage investigators to think creatively how they could include community residents in their research process. Community members or community organizations could be involved at various stages of research (e.g., development, implementation, dissemination).
A few examples of how a biomedical scientist might consider including community members in their research include: community presentations of research findings in an accessible manner for a general audience; holding a community forum to better understand intended and unintended downstream effects from the community perspective; holding laboratory educational sessions to discuss the importance of bench-level science for scientific discovery that will eventually improve health at the community level. Click here for suggestions on designing your community engagement plan.
Scientists planning to engage community residents in their research should set aside funds in their budget to compensate residents for their time and involvement, as appropriate.
How is community defined?
Community is broadly defined as any group of individuals sharing a common characteristic, such as culture, language, race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, or other attribute that might impact the effectiveness of tobacco control programs.
What are Tobacco Priority Populations?
Priority populations in California are those that use tobacco at higher rates, experience greater secondhand smoke exposure, are disproportionately targeted by the industry, and/or have higher rates of tobacco-related disease. These include racial and ethnic minority groups, sexual and gender groups, people of low socioeconomic status, rural residents, military personnel and veterans, workers not covered by smoke-free workplace laws, people with behavioral health conditions, people with disabilities, and school-age youth. Applicants may identify additional priority populations by applying the criteria above or using other disparity indicators. (Source: Tobacco Education and Research Oversight Committee. Achieving Health Equity: Breaking the Commercial Tobacco Industry’s Cycle of Addiction, Death, and Environmental Degradation, 2023-2024. Sacramento, CA: Tobacco Education and Research Oversight Committee. 2023.)
Can’t find the answer to your question? For programmatic questions, please contact TRDRP Program Officers. For questions about SmartSimple, please contact our Contracts and Grants Colleagues at RGPOGrants@ucop.edu.
