Grant Eligibility Requirements

  • Research must address the mission and goals of the CCI Research Foundation— to advance the quality of patient care and contribute to the science of perioperative practice through research.
  • The principal investigator does not have to be a registered nurse, but an RN with current license, and a minimum master’s degree in nursing (or country equivalent), must be a co-investigator on the research team.
  • Doctoral students (including PhD and DNP) may seek funding for dissertation research or scholarly projects. Pilot projects are not permitted. Documentation of candidate’s successful defense of the dissertation/capstone proposal will be required from the Chair of the Capstone Committee.
  • Research must be completed within one year of funding. If the project extends beyond that time period, recipients must apply for an extension.

Application Requirements

Applications must be submitted online and include the following; only complete applications will be considered. View our glossary of terms for definitions of key components.

  • Research Team Resumes, CVs, and Narrative Biography
  • Human Subjects/IRB Approval Letter, as applicable (or anticipated approval date)
  • Research Proposal Narrative
  • Organization of Research Proposal (10 pages maximum)
    • Introduce the problem/problem statement
    • Statement of research purpose/hypothesis(es) or research question(s)
    • Further background (as needed)/significance
    • Theoretical/conceptual framework (brief)
    • Literature review
    • Methods
      • Study Design
      • Setting and Sample
      • Study Variables (including Reliability and Validity of Instruments Used)
      • Data Collection Plan/Study Procedures
      • Data Analysis(es)
    • Implications for Practice
    • Dissemination Plans
    • Research Timeline Table*
    • References*
    • Appendices*
  • Proposed Budget
    • Include direct costs or expenses essential to the conduct of the proposed.
    • Up to 10% of the total budget can be charged as Facilities & Administrative/indirect costs**.
    • Up to 5% may be used for Primary Investigator Salary
    • Tuition, computers, textbooks, editor and bindery costs will not be funded
    • Download the budget template for guidance
  • Additional Documentation
    • Letter of Agreement
    • Usage permission if applicable
    • Applicant’s Resume, Curriculum Vitae, and Biographical Sketch (one page with highlighted funded or unfunded studies)


All applications must be submitted online. Further details on required documentation may be found on the grant application.

Grant Proposal Evaluation Criteria

The grant evaluation process is conducted using review criteria and a standardized scoring system to rate each application against the selected criteria. Grant applications are assigned a score for each criterion, based upon the extent to which they meet the standard. Applications are evaluated based on the CCI Research Foundation Grant Proposal Review Rubric.