Funding Opportunities

***FY26 Grant Application Cycle is Open*** 

Thank you for your interest in applying for a Krupp award.  Prior to applying, please review the Request for Applications (RFA). If this is your first time applying, please complete your membership application to become a KCIR member in order to qualify.  Every application begins with a Letter of Intent (LOI).  In order to plan for your online submission, we offer the invitation to review potential project ideas that prospective applicants may wish to develop for submission.  For those who want to submit a concept idea for review, we will advise applicants on potential relevance of proposed project concept ideas as they relate to the objectives of the Krupp Endowed Fund.

Submit a Concept Idea for Review

Apply Now - Letter of Intent (LOI) Online Submission

     Letter of Intent (LOI) Deadline: LOI must be received via electronic submission by 11:59 p.m. Pacific time, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025.

     Notice of LOI Decisions: by January 31, 2025.

     Full Application Deadline (by invitation only): Full application must be received via electronic submission by 11:59 p.m. Pacific time, Sun. March 30, 2024.

     Notice of Awards: ~May 2025

     Funding Cycle: starts FY 2026 (July 1, 2025).

For more information, please contact KruppREC@ucsd.edu.

LOI / Application Eligibility and Review Criteria

The primary aim of the UC San Diego Krupp Center for Integrative Research (KCIR) Krupp Endowed Fund (KEF) is to support research that examines the benefits of natural, complementary and alternative medicine and integrative medicine approaches that show the greatest promise of bettering human health for the largest number of people, at the lowest cost, without the use of prescription drugs or surgery.

The primary objective of the fund is to support innovative clinical research in the fields of diet; medicinal food and herbs; food derived macro- and micronutrients (which include vitamins and minerals); and homeopathy.

Primary Aim

  • To support research that examines the benefits of natural, complementary and alternative medicine and integrative medicine approaches that show the greatest promise of bettering human health for the largest number of people, at the lowest cost, without the use of prescription drugs or surgery.

Primary Objective

  • To support innovative clinical research in the fields of diet/nutrition; medicinal food and herbs; homeopathy; and food derived macro- and micronutrients (which include vitamins and minerals).

Research Priorities

Priority will be given to research projects that meet the Primary Aim and Primary Objective (above), and:

  1. Promote active involvement of patients in their own care.
  2. Address the health needs and conditions and/or involve the participation of those with limited means.
  3. Utilize inexpensive, readily available, and natural approaches, treatments, and products.
  4. Incorporate a team approach to care (e.g. group-based intervention programs).
  5. Involve Centers for Integrative Health (CIH) patients or those who participate in CIH clinical, nutritional, or educational programs.

Eligible projects will need to meet the following requirements:

  • Focus on diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of common, clinically significant, or costly health conditions (in which introduction of a natural CAM/IM approach could improve clinical outcomes, ameliorate suffering, or reduce costs) without the use of prescription drugs or surgery.
  • Address the use of one or more Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Medicine (CAM/IM) approaches in the fields of natural diet (may also include lifestyle focus if part of a comprehensive diet and lifestyle program); medicinal foods and herbs; food-derived macro- and micronutrients (which include vitamins and minerals); and homeopathy.
  • Other CAM/IM research projects will be considered on merit after all existing work in the fields above have been exhausted.        

The following types of projects are allowed:

  • Self-contained research projects that generate pilot data needed to design a larger, more definitive study.
  • Clinical studies that bring credibility to previous low-level research already done by others.
  • Clinical studies that also employ a basic science component to determine biological mechanisms of CAM/IM approaches.
  • Epidemiologic (observational) investigations of effects of CAM/IM use on important health outcomes in specific patient populations.
  • Health services research addressing cost, utilization, or satisfaction with CAM/IM care.

Evaluation Criteria

All submissions should be well-written, precise, and succinct.

LOIs are scored for eligibility (including alignment with Primary Aim, Primary Objective and Research Priorities), scientific merit (significance of problem, feasibility of project, and confidence in PI/research team), cost efficiency, and programmatic impact.

Full applications (if invited) will be subject to a comprehensive scientific and programmatic review. The following scoring criteria will be used in Scientific Review during the evaluation of these proposals:

  1. Significance. Does the project address an important (clinically significant, costly) health problem or a critical barrier to progress in a field of research?
  2. Innovation. Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or Interventions?
  3. Approach. Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific alms? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? Is the project feasible?
  4. Environment.  Will the scientific and clinical environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success?
  5. Investigator(s). Is/are the investigator(s) well suited to the project? If the investigators are in the early stages of their careers, do they have appropriate experience, training and senior mentorship? If established, have they demonstrated an ongoing record of accomplishments that have advanced their field(s)?

Programmatic review criteria include:

  1. Strategic alignment with stated Krupp aims, objectives and priorities;
  2. Efficiency and responsibility in use of grant funds; and
  3. Demonstration of greatest impact to society and future research, if funded.

Please see RFA for more details.