The application deadline is Monday, November 10, 2025.

Overview

The Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI) is requesting proposals for small research grants focusing on expanding access to health insurance and health care. Projects must start between January and March 2026. LDI will provide funding for up to $40,000 for research support for projects of up to 12 months duration that are expected to lead to external funding and/or peer-reviewed research publications.

These grants are made possible by generous support from the Davis Family SUMR Program Endowment Fund.

The goal of this Request for Proposals is to expand research activity and expertise at Penn focused in this area, leading to the expansion of access to health insurance and/or health care.

In addition, this RFP seeks to:

• Stimulate innovative new research ideas.
• Encourage new collaborations between investigators from different schools, backgrounds, and disciplines.
• Result in peer-review publications.
• Lead to new extramural grant funding or a new research program for the PI.

We are particularly interested in proposals bringing new perspectives and interdisciplinary approaches and teams to these research questions.

Eligibility

• All LDI Senior Fellows are eligible and encouraged to apply. We welcome applications from all professions, including early-career investigators seeking to establish independent directions, established investigators pursuing new research directions, and investigators in non-clinical disciplines.
• An LDI Senior Fellow must be the principal investigator for a proposal to be eligible for funding.
  • Penn faculty without LDI affiliations are permitted to be co-investigators on proposals.
•  Projects that have already received funding from another source are not eligible under this solicitation.
• Application Limit: One application per Principal Investigator (PI) per cycle.

Selection Criteria

LDI will prioritize meritorious proposals focused on studying health care access and coverage. Proposals will be assessed against the following criteria:

• Impact. The significance of the problem and potential for new insights into expanding health care access.
• Investigator(s) and Team. The qualifications of the PI and the background and experience of the investigator team, with particular value placed on cross-disciplinary/cross-school teams. Junior PIs may benefit from collaboration with a more senior mentor, which should be described.
• Methods. Methodological rigor and appropriateness of the scientific plan.
• Theme. Applicability to the priority topic.
• Future Potential. The likelihood that the pilot project will lead to new extramural grant funding and/or a robust new research program for the PI.

Other Requirements

• All investigators selected for LDI Pilot funding must submit a final report to LDI at the end of the funding period, which includes a brief description of research activities, results, and products; and detailed financial accounting. Investigators may also be requested to present their results at a research seminar at LDI and to serve as a reviewer of pilot grant applications in the future.
• Investigators must acknowledge LDI support on all publications and other products of the program (e.g., “This research was supported by a grant from the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics”) and send copies of all products to LDI.

Budget

The budget for a Senior Fellow pilot project grant is limited to $40,000.

Funds may be used to support project staff salaries and benefits, consultant fees, data and data management fees, supplies, and other direct expenses. Funds may not support faculty salaries or travel. Equipment purchases are discouraged but can be allowed with sufficient justification. No indirect costs are permitted. No internal service center fees tied to faculty effort are permitted.

How to Apply

LDI Senior Fellows should download the proposal template and upload it as part of the online application form. 

Please note: Do not send this proposal to the University Office of Research Services before submitting it to LDI. As a condition of funding, PIs of all approved proposals must eventually submit a letter from ORS indicating that the project meets all regulatory standards, but these approvals need not be obtained before submitting the proposal to LDI.

The application deadline is Monday, November 10, 2025. Awards will be announced by Monday, December 11, 2025.

For questions, please email us at PennLDI-info@wharton.upenn.edu.