Digital Health Co/Lab at the University of Kansas
Request for Applications 

Announcement: October 29th, 2025 
Application Deadline: EXTENDED* February 23th, 2026 (5:00 PM CST)  
Notice of Invitation to Present an Innovation Pitch to Review Committee: March 2026
Live Innovation Pitch Presentations: April 2026 
Announcement of Awards: May 2026 
Award Period: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027 
Number of Awards: up to 2 in FY2027 
Total Value Amount of Award:  $20,000

* Given increasing interest in this grant opportunity, the Digital Health Co/Lab is pleased to share we are extending the application deadline 10 additional days to February 23rd. This will ensure all researchers have ample opportunity to discuss their idea with Co/Lab leadership, ensure project fit, and receive guidance on any hardware- or data-related questions.

The Digital Health Co/Lab at the University of Kansas is pleased to offer Wearable Insights into Health awards to foster clinically relevant research discoveries that improve human health and well-being. These awards are being offered through a partnership with Garmin Health (Olathe, Kansas, USA). The program will fund two observational studies designed to utilize Garmin wearable health sensors (e.g., wrist-worn monitors) to evaluate undiscovered physiological, behavioral, and/or psychosocial factors and processes affecting the health outcomes of patients, with specific focus on: 1) cardiovascular disease/hypertension; and 2) mental health. For each project, Garmin will provide in-kind support up to a value of $10,000 towards: feedback on proposals from senior staff; consultation, technical assistance, and data analysis/informatics guidance to the study team as needed to meet project goals; and wearable devices for patients enrolled in the study. In addition, the Digital Health Co/Lab will provide each project $10,000 in funds to conduct the study. Researchers will be required to utilize the Garmin Health Device Portal, currently hosted by KU Medical Center Research Informatics, to enroll patients and collect real-time wearable data for analysis. The outcomes of funded projects should help investigators: 1) prepare competitive submissions to government, foundation, philanthropic, or venture capital funding sources; and/or 2) utilize findings to improve quality of healthcare in real-world clinical practice.

To be eligible for funding, Principal Investigators must have a primary faculty appointment at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) or at University of Kansas-Lawrence (KU-Lawrence).

In addition to the application, research teams will deliver a mandatory live-session innovation pitch presentation to the review committee. Innovation pitch presentations will be limited to 5 minutes, followed by 10 minutes for questions from the reviewers. Innovation pitch presentations will be held in-person on the KUMC main campus in May 2026 (exact date/time TBD).  

For the FY2027, the two awards will each provide a maximum $20,000value each in total in-kind and research funds combined for 1 year. No-cost extensions are not allowed.

Special Note on Intellectual Property

Please be aware Garmin may have certain rights to intellectual property and/or results created under this program. New intellectual property arising from any project funded under this program is subject to the KU intellectual property policy and should be disclosed to KUCTC in a timely manner upon completion of the project.

Program Details

Eligibility

• The Principal Investigator must have a primary faculty appointment in an academic or clinical Department within KUMC or at KU-Lawrence.
• The Principal Investigator must hold the rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor, and must be either:
  • Within the tenure-track, have reached tenure, or, within the Clinical, Research, or Clinical Scholar tracks
  • Faculty within an Instructor, Educator, or Teaching track are not eligible.
• Be within 12 years of completing a terminal degree (e.g., PhD, MD, or equivalent) or post-graduate (e.g., post-doctoral, residency, clinical fellowship) specialty training, whichever is later.
• Only one proposal will be accepted per PI per funding cycle. A PI on one proposal can be listed as a collaborator or co-investigator on other proposals, but not as PI.
• Applicants may hold other grant funding if it does not redundantly support activities or deliverables proposed in the application. 

Collaboration and Team Formation

• Priority will be given to proposals from interdisciplinary teams that include clinicians and researchers.
• It will be a requirement that a member from scientific leadership at Garmin Health will serve in a collaborative function on the project team, but the Principal Investigator must be a faculty member meeting the eligibility criteria.
• PIs must consult with the KU Center for Technology Commercialization for guidance on patent protection, market analysis, and commercialization opportunities before submitting their application.  Email kuctc@ku.edu or call 785-864-6401 to schedule a consultation.  More information: https://research.ku.edu/about-kuctc

Funding

• Aside from Garmin’s $10,000 in-kind contribution for each project, the Digital Health Co/Lab will provide $10,000 in direct costs to each project. Indirect costs are not allowed. PI and faculty salary support, travel costs, patient care costs, and tuition/fees are not allowed.
• Funds must be spent within the 12-month project period, July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027. No-cost extensions are not allowed.  
• Funds may not be transferred outside of the United States.

Additional in-kind resources from the Digital Health Co/Lab will be available for awarded applications, e.g., consultation on study design and data analysis, matchmaking with internal and external subject matter experts. KUMC Research Informatics will provide access to the Health Device Portal for participant enrollment management and wearable data acquisition.

Review Criteria & Innovation Pitch Presentations

In addition to the written grant application, research teams are required to deliver a live-session innovation pitch to the review committee. Pitch presentations will be limited to 5 minutes, followed by 10 minutes for questions from the reviewers. Presentations will be held in-person on the KUMC main campus in May 2026 (exact date/time TBD). 

Reviewers will focus on six primary questions:

1. Does the project involve interdisciplinary collaboration between clinicians and researchers?
2. To what extent does the proposed digital health innovation address an unmet human health need in the areas of (area 1) or (area 2)?
3. To what extent does the project address a critical step or milestone necessary to: a) prepare competitive submissions to external funding sources; or b) prepare for implementation of the digital health innovation in real-world clinical practice?
4. Is the research team qualified to carry out the proposed work?  
5. To what extent are the research design and methodology appropriate to conduct the proposed project?
6. Beyond the award, what other staffing, equipment, and funds will the project team need to reach the proposed project milestones in the 12-month period? 

Peer Review and Funding Decisions

The Digital Health Co/Lab will facilitate development of a peer review committee composed of qualified researchers, clinicians, and entrepreneurs with experience in the development, evaluation, implementation, and commercialization of digital health innovations. Members of Garmin Health leadership will also be appointed to the review committee. Applicants must provide the names and contact information of three to five (3-5) individuals qualified to serve as reviewers in their application's Cover Letter. Funding decisions will be made by the review committee. 

Required Materials (in order)

1. Cover Letter
   1. Project Title
   2. Principal Investigator
   3. Contact information for three to five (3-5) suggested reviewers: name, title, institution/organization, email. Reviewers may be internal or external to KU, KUMC, or TUKHS. Conflict of interest: Reviewers would have a conflict of interest if they were an applicant’s mentor, department chair, spouse, or close relative; or if they collaborate on manuscripts, grants, or business ventures.  
2. Abstract (250 word maximum)
3. Specific Aims (1 page maximum)
4. Research Strategy (3 page maximum)
   1. Significance: Describe the importance of the proposed research area, summarize prior key studies emphasizing the strengths and weaknesses in their rigor and transparency, and provide a scientific rationale for your proposed study.
   2. Innovation: Explain how your application is conceptually and/or technically innovative (e.g., explores new avenues, will create new knowledge, will improve an existing method)
   3. Approach: Describe the observational design – what you plan to do, how you plan to do it, and whether you can do it. Also describe relevant preliminary studies in this section.  
   4. Future Directions: Specify how the proposed work will lead to future extramural funding, clinical implementation, and/or commercialization.
   5. References (no page limit)
5. Budget spreadsheet in provided template
6. NIH (National Institutes of Health) Biosketch for all Key Personnel
7. Project Timeline
   1. Outline project milestones for the 12- month project period
   2. IRB approval must be secured prior to July 1, 2026

Formatting Guidelines

11pt Arial 
0.5-inch margins 
Single spacing 
Assemble all documents in the order listed above into a single PDF file

Submission Instructions

Please complete the applicant survey and upload requested materials in InfoReady.

Apply for the Wearable Insights into Health awards on InfoReady

Contact

For technical assistance questions about your submission, please reach out to Jennie Andra, Operations Manager, at jandra@kumc.edu. For scientific or funding-related questions, please reach out to Dr. Frank Materia, Associate Scientific Director, at fmateria@kumc.edu.