IHQSE Clinical Effectiveness and Patient Safety (CEPS) Grant Program

CEPS 2025-2026 Grant Schedule
April 14, 2025	Letter of Intent Due Click here to apply.
End of April	CEPS Committee Review of LOI Applicants selected to submit full grant proposals will be notified within 1-2 weeks after review.
May 27, 2025	Full Grant Proposal Due
June 2025	CEPS Committee Review of Grant Proposals Applicants selected for grants will be notified within 1-2 weeks after review.
July 2025	Grant Awardees Announced
August 2025	Grant Award Funding Begins
February 2025	6-month Reports to CEPS Committee
August 2025	12-month Reports to CEPS Committee & Extension Requests

 

• Eligibility is open to faculty, trainees and staff at CHCO and UCH, but a SOM faculty member must be on the project team.  
• Projects must involve CHCO or UCH clinical programs (inpatient or outpatient) and applicants must obtain approval from managers/practice directors in clinical areas where the project will be conducted.  
• Projects requiring changes to Epic must obtain an Epic letter of support to be included in the submission. 
• Projects should utilize multidisciplinary approaches and make use of QI methodologies (e.g., DMAIC, LEAN, PDSA cycles).  For more information on quality improvement methodologies, visit the American Society of Quality’s website or the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s website.   
• This program is meant to fund quality or process improvement efforts (e.g., science of implementation), not clinical or translational research (e.g., science of discovery). Please view the COMIRB Research/QI/Program Evaluation Definitions.  

Resident & Fellow applicants should consider the following additional guidelines: 

• Must be a resident or fellow in good standing in a CUSOM/GME residency or fellowship.  
• Must provide a letter of support from a SOM faculty member with privileges at CHCO/UCH who is willing to serve as a mentor for the project. The letter must include:  
• Relationship to resident/fellow applicant (project mentor, program director, etc). 
• Description of how faculty will provide support to applicant (e.g. plans for regular meetings, etc). 
• Commitment to attend work-in-progress meetings. 
• Provide a copy of the faculty mentor’s CV. Mentors should have demonstrated experience in quality improvement. 

Please click here to view a PDF version of the Letter of Intent application.

LOI’s will be rated on the following criteria:  importance (magnitude/scope, alignment with institutional goals), impact (expected outcomes, processes and cost, reducing disparities), feasibility (PI and project team, resources, timeframe), approach (QI methodology, multidisciplinary, innovative), and funding need. Projects that clearly delineate iterative improvement processes (e.g. PDSA cycles) are preferred. 

The IHQSE CEPS Grant Program may award up to $25,000 to CUSOM faculty and up to $10,000 for CUSOM/GME residents and/or fellows conducting QI work aimed at improving patient safety, and/or enhancing the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care delivery. 

In addition to following the spending guidelines of the CU Procurement Center, the IHQSE CEPS Grant Program has additional guidelines based on recommendations from the IHQSE CEPS Grant committee and the SOM Dean’s Office.    

Allowed Expenses: 

• Professional Research Assistant (PRA) / Data Manager / Student 
  • Typical rates are $25-30/hr 
  • Add approximately 35% fringe for PRA/DM time 
  • Students are typically paid via stipend, you must agree on the total stipend amount prior to the student’s work (e.g., $5,000 for two semesters) 
• Consultant (e.g., Statistician, Analyst, Contractor, Designer, etc.) 
  • Typical rates are $120-160/hr for consultant time + 35% fringe 
• Tool Development (e.g., Epic changes, database development, computer training, mobile apps, video development/training). 
• Materials/Equipment (e.g., Printed materials, iPads/tablets, equipment integral to performance of project, etc.) 
• Dissemination (e.g., posters, conference registration, academic journal submissions) 

Not-Allowed Expenses: 

• Incentives (e.g., gift cards, survey participation) 
• Faculty, fellow or resident salary support 
• UCH only: UCH staff support  
• Travel or lodging 
• Outside marketing 
• Food/Meetings 
• Materials/Equipment or other operational costs that should be funded by the department (e.g., computer equipment for PRA, clinical care equipment)  

Expenses may be approved or waived at the discretion of the committee based on project need.