Engagement is the meaningful involvement of community members, patients, caregivers, clinicians, and other partners to inform research design, implementation, and dissemination.
This collaborative work leads to studies that are more relevant, useful, and reflective of patient and community needs. The Engagement Voucher program offers funding to support activities that catalyze engaged clinical and translational research and advance the science of engagement.
Vouchers provide up to $3,000 in funding, as well as in-kind support from NC TraCS staff, to research teams proposing to engage partners:
- in projects that advance the science of engagement (e.g., those focused on developing or testing innovative or novel approaches that contribute to the evidence base related to the impact of engagement in research); and/or
- during the pre-award period to meaningfully inform the design and development of research questions and proposals.
Funds must be used to support engagement activities and to compensate partners for time spent collaborating on these activities. Funded projects will ideally lead to the pursuit and obtainment of future funding for engaged research and/or scientific products such as abstracts or manuscripts. All projects must be feasible to complete within a one-year timeframe.
In-kind staff support will be provided by NC TraCS to support project engagement activities. Applicants must propose collaboration with one or more NC TraCS engagement services, and coordinate with relevant NC TraCS staff prior to proposal submission to ensure appropriate scope (see Engagement Voucher RFA linked below for further details).
A pre-application consultation with the PaCER program is required. If you are interested in applying for a voucher, request a consultation.
Request for Applications
View the Engagement Voucher RFA (pdf) and Frequently Asked Questions (pdf) to learn more about the voucher program and application process.
Submission Due Date
July 6, 2026
Application Instructions
Applications should be submitted using the online Foundant system accessed at grantinterface.com.
After creating an account, click "Apply", then search on "Voucher" to find this funding opportunity within the online application system. A copy of the application is also available for downloading.
Questions?
For questions about applicant eligibility or the application process, submit a consultation request to PaCER.