Pharmaceutical Research Computing (PRC) invites individuals with a need for data analysis services to submit proposals for pilot project funding.

Image of a ballpoint pen that has been placed on top of two documents sitting on a table.Pharmaceutical Research Computing (PRC) is an analytic and computing center located in the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. PRC invites principal investigators with an interest in data analysis services to submit proposals for pilot project funding. Services include data cleaning, data set creation, statistical analysis, project coordination, and programming assistance. PRC specializes in data analyses related to pharmaceutical, epidemiologic, health services, health economics, health outcomes, and program evaluation studies.

Principal investigators are eligible to receive up to 50 hours of PRC support (Tier 1 support) or up to 105 hours of PRC support (Tier 2 support). The review committee will use the scope of work described in the submitted proposal to determine whether Tier 1 or Tier 2 support is appropriate. Awardee(s) will receive a PRC credit (for either Tier 1 or Tier 2 support) to be used toward the purchase of any PRC services. The credit will expire on December 20, 2019. Data management up to 10GB will be provided free-of-charge for awarded projects.

For a list of PRC services, please visit our PRC Services Request Form.

Eligibility:

  • Applicants cannot have been a client of PRC within the last three years.
  • Research projects must involve the analysis of secondary data (e.g., healthcare claims data, survey data, electronic medical record data, hospital discharge data, programmatic data, qualitative interview data, etc.) to which potential awardees already have access.

Requirements:

  • Applicants must submit a brief proposal using the following format:
    • Page 1: Title page including the investigator’s name, contact information, and project title.
    • Pages 2-4: Proposal text including an overview of the research project and identified need, the available data/database, and the PRC services requested.
      • Discuss the feasibility, overarching research question, long-term study objectives, and data analysis plan.
      • Clearly specify the PRC services requested. These services are described in detail on the PRC Services Request Form.
      • Include brief details on future next steps and how you plan to utilize requested outputs (e.g. reports, analytic files) developed as a result of this collaboration.
    • Page 5: References
  • Electronically submit proposals to Jacqueline Milani at jmilani@rx.umaryland.edu by 5 p.m. (EST) on Monday, June 3, 2019.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria:

  • Experience: PI experience in this area of research.
  • Suitability: Proposed work must be aligned with services currently offered by PRC.
  • Feasibility: The requested PRC services should be within scope for this pilot mechanism, short in duration and limited in scope to coincide with the amount of funding.
  • Topic: The proposal must describe a health services research or program evaluation study.
  • Relevance and Future Goals: Priority will be given to proposed work that supports the PI’s longer-term research agenda (e.g., potential for future funding) and future clearly identifies ongoing collaborations with PRC.

Timeline:

  • RFP release date: May 2, 2019
  • Proposals will be accepted until: 5PM EST on Monday, June 3, 2019
  • Notifications of accepted proposals sent by: Monday, June 10, 2019
  • Investigators receiving an award are requested to engage PRC services by Monday, July 8, 2019 (e.g., set an initial meeting, provide all approval documentation, or provide the dataset) or risk forfeiting award.
  • PRC credit expires: December 20, 2019.

For More Information:

For more information, please contact:

Jacqueline A. Milani, MS, CPP Director, Pharmaceutical Research Computing
Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
220 Arch Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Phone: (410) 706-3266
Fax: (410) 706-5394
Email: jmilani@rx.umaryland.edu

Eberechukwu Onukwugha, MS, PhD
Associate Professor
Executive Director, Pharmaceutical Research Computing
Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
220 Arch Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Phone: (410) 706-8981
Fax: (410) 706-5394
Email: eonukwug@rx.umaryland.edu