The Office of the Vice President for Research invites you to submit a proposal for the 2nd annual Remote & Austere Conditions (RAC) 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, engineering, and technology, breakthroughs in medical innovation and healthcare, 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.

The 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, innovations in energy storage and delivery, 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. Teams will submit a short proposal for review in November of 2024 and selected teams will receive pitch coaching before final presentations in March of 2025. The RAC Grand Challenge will be judged by a panel of experts from relevant scientific fields, industry, and funding agencies with a direct interest in remote, rural and austere conditions. Selected teams will be funded for the 2025 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.

The general timeline of events for the RAC Grand Challenge is as follows:

1. RFP and InfoReady Competition Launched: Full program details and InfoReady competition portal are finalized and made available to University of Utah community. 2025 RFP will launch on October 1, 2024.
2. Information Sessions: Virtual information sessions designed to describe the RAC Grand Challenge, answer questions from potential participants, and begin team building/proposal preparation. 2025 Information sessions will take place on Tuesday, October 8^th from 12pm-1pm and Friday, October 18^thfrom 12pm-1pm.
3. Team Building + Proposal Development: Interested applicants begin to build teams, prepare internal pitch proposals, etc. RAC Leadership team are available to assist in team building, finding collaborators, and other proposal development needs.
4. Pitch Proposals Submitted to VPR Office: Applicants must submit their internal pitch proposals to the VPR Office for review. 2025 RAC Deadline is 11:59pm on Thursday, November 14^th, 2024.
5. Pitch Proposals Reviewed: All received proposals will be reviewed by an intramural team of subject matter experts to select the top teams. Proposals will be reviewed on their innovation, scientific merit, potential impact, feasibility, and alignment with the RAC Grand Challenge’s theme/goals.
6. Pitch Finalists Selected: The VPR Office will notify pitch teams selected to compete in the RAC Grand Challenge and provide logistical details for the 2025 pitch competition.
7. Pitch Coaching and Preparation: Selected pitch teams will work with dedicated, professional pitch coaches/mentors to design/refine pitches for presentation.
8. RAC Grand Challenge: Selected pitch teams will present to a panel of judges at the RAC Grand Challenge. The 2025 RAC Grand Challenge will take place March 5-7, 2024.

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.

The following are example categories and topics pertinent to remote, rural, and/or austere conditions to assist teams in preparing a RAC Grand Challenge application. This list is not exhaustive, and no preference will be granted to these categories or topics in review.

 Health: A research project where the primary contribution is medical or healthcare advancement. Examples include, but are not limited to, development/refinement of:

• Mobile health units
• Medical diagnostic tools
• Medical interventions
• Healthcare optimization
• Medical engineering
• Management of critically ill patients
• Telehealth/remote health/digital health
• Life-cycle management of toxic chemicals

Technology: A research project where the primary contribution is technology or technological advancement.  Examples include, but are not limited to, development/refinement of:

• Detection/diagnostic tools
• Mobile/remote energy solutions
• Advanced arial mobility technology
• Light weight or durable robotics
• Communication technology
• Wireless technology
• Power generation
• Critical technologies that can operate in extreme temperatures
• Remote sensor technologies for environmental or biological hazards
• Technologies for water generation, storage, and/or transfer

Society: A research project where the primary contribution is social impact or societal advancement. Examples include, but are not limited to, development/refinement of:

• Programs/tools to enhance and augment skills of workers in RAC conditions
• Policy and/or legal frameworks
• Educational tools/modules
• Social/Behavioral Interventions
• Innovative organizational approaches
• Structural optimization
• Economic revitalization

RAC Grand Challenge Leadership will conduct two virtual informational sessions on the 2025 RAC Grand Challenge application process:

• Tuesday, October 8^th from 12pm-1pm | RSVP Here
• Friday, October 18^th from 12pm-1pm | RSVP Here

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.

RAC Leadership is also interested in helping assemble teams. Therefore, any interested participants with a specific idea who need assistance identifying possible collaborators are urged to contact the planning committee at RACGrandChallenge@Utah.edu.

• Faculty members at the University of Utah with at least a 0.5 FTE.
• Postdoctoral students, graduate students, and undergraduate students are encouraged to work within a faculty-led team.
• All teams are encouraged to be composed of at least three faculty or research scientists from at least two colleges on campus.
• Must be available for the Grand Challenge event on March 5-7, 2025.

1. Applicant Information/Cover Page: To be collected by InfoReady directly
2. Problem Statement (500 words): Please provide a brief problem statement that identifies the problem you are attempting to solve.
3. Research Narrative (500 words): Please provide the "solution" to your problem statement via a research narrative. The research narrative must provide a succinct overview of the proposed project/solution. Please address the feasibility of this project with the resources currently available at the University of Utah and how this project aligns with RAC Grand Challenge.
4. Impact and Innovation Statement (500 words): Please briefly outline the impact of your solution. For example, this can focus on the number of people affected by the solution, the cost savings compared to alternative solutions, or the potential market for a device that would be sold. Describe how the proposed solution is innovative, or novel compared to current best practices. This could include a competitive analysis briefly demonstrating what alternative solutions exist and how this solution is better than those alternatives.
5. Timeline (500 words): Please provide a succinct timeline of your proposed project with defined quarterly milestones that can be clearly measured. If funded, these milestones will be the basis for the quarterly reports required during the funding period.
6. Team (500 words): Please highlight the unique qualifications of the team that make you ideally suited to carry out this work. Every member of the team does not need to be mentioned, but a description of how key personnel will contribute to the project is important.
7. Budget: Please briefly outline your anticipated budget for this project/solution. Budget outlines do not need to be formal and should not exceed $250,000 total.
8. References: This section is for references that were included in the problem statement or research narrative. There is no word limit for this section.

Internal pitch proposals will be reviewed based on the proposal’s innovation, scientific merit, potential impact, feasibility, and alignment with the RAC Grand Challenge’s theme/goals.

• RFP Release Date: Tuesday, October 1, 2024
• Information Sessions:
  • Tuesday, October 8^th from 12pm-1pm | Zoom
  • Friday, October 18^th from 12pm-1pm | Zoom
• Internal Application Due: Thursday, November 14, 2024 (by 11:59pm MST)
• RAC Grand Challenge: March 5-7, 2024

Internal proposal submissions will be due on Thursday, November 14, 2024 at 11:59 pm (MST). Must be submitted using InfoReady.

APPLY HERE

Awardee information for the inaugural RAC Grand Challenge (July 19, 2024) can be found HERE.

For more information or questions regarding the RAC Grand Challenge, please contact: RACGrandChallenge@Utah.edu. For questions about using InfoReady, please contact: vprgrants@utah.edu.