Dear colleagues,
The Office of the Vice President for Research invites you to submit a proposal for the 2nd annual Remote and Austere Conditions Grand Challenge! This dynamic, multi-day pitch event unites leading research experts, industry partners, and legislative representatives to explore groundbreaking technologies, innovative techniques, and holistic solutions to tackle pressing challenges faced in remote, rural, and austere conditions.
The U.S. Army defines remote and austere conditions as “environments where access to clean water, electricity, and to a fixed or mobile medical facility is significantly degraded or denied, and where diagnostic and treatment resources and medical personnel are unavailable or limited for extended periods of time.” These conditions are common in frontier counties, areas with less than 20 people per square mile and a travel time of at least 30 minutes to basic services. Approximately 56% of the U.S. is frontier and the majority of that is concentrated in the intermountain region.
The University of Utah supports research across the largest geographical area in the U.S. The intermountain region is vast, sparsely populated with varying geographical conditions, severe access issues, and supported by limited infrastructure and resources. These challenges make the intermountain region an ideal location for driving impactful change and advancing our understanding of remote, rural and austere conditions. The Remote & Austere Conditions (RAC) Grand Challenge funds innovative responses to the threats and obstacles of these extreme environments. From advances in communication and robotics, breakthroughs in patient triage and patient resuscitation, to effective behavioral and community interventions, the RAC Grand Challenge seeks bold approaches to enhance the safety and well-being of populations living in challenging areas with limited or no resources.
Unlike traditional pilot programs, the RAC Grand Challenge will be an in-person pitch event. The 2025 Request for Proposals (RFP) is provided HERE. Teams will have until November 14, 2024 to prepare and submit a short internal proposal outlining their pitch via InfoReady. The VPR Office will conduct a merit review of received proposals and select teams to present their pitch at the event. Selected teams will receive pitch coaching prior to final presentations in March of 2025. The Grand Challenge will be judged by a panel of experts from relevant scientific fields, industry, and funding agencies with a direct interest in remote and austere conditions. Selected teams will be funded for the 2025-2026 academic school year. Awards will be up to $250,000 of direct costs, and indirect costs will not be provided. All funded teams are expected to seek extramural support within 180 days after the end of the award.
Research on remote, rural, and austere conditions encompasses a wide array of specialized disciplines and topics. Proposals for the RAC program should target any aspect, topic, discipline, or field that clearly aligns with the challenges of remote, rural, and/or austere environments. Compelling RAC proposals will pinpoint a significant current or emerging challenge in these areas and articulate a clear, comprehensive, and innovative strategy for addressing it. Example categories/topic areas can be found in the RFP. This example list is not exhaustive, and no preference will be granted to these categories or topics in review.
Please see the RFP for a full timeline of events, eligibility criteria, required application materials, and more. Internal proposals for RAC are due by 11:59pm MST on Thursday, November 14th, 2024. Applications must be submitted HERE.
RAC Grand Challenge Leadership will conduct two virtual informational sessions on the 2025 RAC Grand Challenge application process:
These information sessions will provide a brief overview of the RAC Grand Challenge process and a Q&A from interested participants. These events are also excellent tools for identifying other interested participants, potential collaborators, projects that need additional and targeted input/assistance, etc.
For questions regarding the RAC Grand Challenge, please contact us via email.
Thank you.