The CPH Office of Research partners with the CPH Biostat CIRCL to support CPH faculty in developing unfunded work that can lead to external funding. CPH faculty may request short-term biostatistical collaboration on an unfunded project by submitting a voucher application. Requests may include data analysis for a single manuscript, study design for a single grant, etc. Vouchers costs are covered by the CPH Office of Research.
To submit a voucher application for an unfunded project, go to: https://bit.ly/BiostatCIRCLproject
For brief statistical advice via a 30-minute consultation, go to: https://bit.ly/BiostatCIRCLconsult
To inquire about including a Biostat CIRCL member on a funded project, reach out to BiostatCIRCL@uky.edu
The Biostat CIRCL offers an established, centralized quantitative infrastructure that helps CPH investigators launch, strengthen, and sustain their research programs. Key advantages include:
Immediate access to expertise: CIRCL faculty and staff are already hired, trained, and mentored, allowing investigators to quickly engage biostatisticians without managing recruitment or onboarding.
Stronger, more competitive proposals: Investigators can incorporate ready-to-join analytical teams with appropriate expertise, improving rigor, feasibility, and responsiveness to tight deadlines for complex RFAs.
Elevating new research programs: CIRCL frequently partners with early career faculty and investigators expanding into new scientific areas, providing statistical leadership that helps shape emerging projects, refine grant proposals, and build new collaborative networks.
Continuity through funding gaps: When funding lapses or transitions, CIRCL provides stability by maintaining quantitative staff support, ensuring ongoing progress on analyses, data needs, or methodological work.
Capacity for large, complex initiatives: CIRCL has successfully led or contributed to major interdisciplinary efforts, such as developing analytic infrastructure, coordinating multi analyst teams, and guiding data harmonization across sites.
Is the Biostat CIRCL a service/technical core?
No, CIRCL biostatisticians are team scientists who work with investigators as research partners. We never analyze data without deeply understanding the research questions, how the data were collected, and what important information may not have been measured. Selecting and interpreting appropriate statistical analyses not only requires expertise in statistical methodology, but it also requires critical assessment of factors related to study design. In fact, the most successful projects include collaboration with biostatisticians in the study design phase as well as the analysis phase of the project.
Do voucher applications cover biostatistical needs on funded grants?
No, funded projects typically require long-term, ongoing effort by a biostatistician and thus should include and fund a biostatistician directly on the proposal. The voucher applications described in this document are intended to support short-term, unfunded phases of research such as a single manuscript or a single grant proposal and are not appropriate for long-term, ongoing collaboration.
Can CIRCL biostatisticians be included on grant proposals?
The capability for Biostat CIRCL faculty to join grant proposals as key personnel is subject to interest, expertise, and availability of the Biostat CIRCL faculty member, just as it would be for any other co-investigator. This should be requested and negotiated directly with the individual Biostat CIRCL faculty member. Requests for staff support to be written into grant proposals should go to BiostatCIRCL@uky.edu.
Can students utilize Biostat CIRCL resources?
No, the CPH Research Office has negotiated this agreement only for CPH faculty in order to grow the capacity for the CPH faculty to obtain external funding as principal investigators.
Should CIRCL biostatisticians be included as co-authors on manuscripts?
We follow the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)’s recommendation for criteria warranting authorship on scientific manuscripts which can be found at http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html . Brief statistical advice does not warrant authorship, but in most cases, contributions to projects including study design and/or data analysis would meet these criteria.
