Frequently Asked Questions
What changes should we anticipate for the 2027 TRDRP grant competition?
On July 1, 2026, TRDRP will release a limited number of open calls for applications with an award start date of July 1, 2027.
- Predoctoral Awards
Support graduate-level research and help build a foundation for independent research careers or alternative careers in tobacco control. - Postdoctoral Awards
Support postdoctoral research and strengthen capacity for independent research or other tobacco control career pathways.
See Core Call for more details.
- Community Partnered Participatory Research Awards (CPPRA)
Support community-academic partnerships addressing tobacco-related health disparities.- Pilot CPPRA
Provides up to two years of support to test feasibility, strengthen partnerships, develop methods, and collect preliminary data. - Full CPPRA
Provides three years of support for well-integrated community-academic teams. While a prior pilot award is not required, pilot work is strongly recommended as preparation.
- Pilot CPPRA
See CPPRA Call for details.
- Smoke and Vape-Free Scholars Initiative
Supports California State Universities and California Community Colleges, in partnership with doctorate-granting institutions, to provide mentorship and training for undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and master’s-level students. The program prioritizes students from tobacco priority populations and integrates research experience with local tobacco control activities.
See SVFSI Call for details.
What changes are anticipated for TRDRP grant competitions in 2028 and beyond?
Beginning in 2028, TRDRP will adopt a Research Challenge Grant Competition model. Under this model, independent investigators must propose research that addresses the research challenge area for that year to be eligible to submit a full application. As a result, some research interests may not align with the designated research challenge area and may not be eligible to submit full applications. Additionally, not all award types will be offered every year.
What if the funding mechanism I previously applied to is not offered in the upcoming cycle?
If the topic of your application aligns with the priorities and funding opportunities available in our 2028 Call for Applications, you may submit an application on the same topic through an eligible funding mechanism. Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the new Request for Proposals (RFP) when it is released in July 2027 to determine the best fit for their project.
Why is TRDRP making these changes?
This shift represents the latest in a series of actions TRDRP is taking to better align its limited resources with the evolving needs of California’s tobacco control community. As commercial tobacco sales decline (a positive public health trend) the excise tax revenues that fund TRDRP also continue to shrink. Focusing future competitions on the most critical issues for California tobacco control will allow us to maximize impact while ensuring continued stewardship of these diminishing funds. For more information: TRDRP Grant Competition Changes
How do I determine if we are eligible to apply for a TRDRP grant mechanism?
Applicants responding to this 2027 Call for Applications proposing research in basic and preclinical science studies of tobacco-related diseases must study one or more of the commercial tobacco products or usage patterns listed under Eligibility Criteria to be deemed eligible for TRDRP funding. Similarly, clinical, translational, or implementation studies must involve human subjects that have a history of commercial tobacco product use. Eligible studies must have outcomes that can inform interventions aimed at preventing initiation of commercial tobacco product use and/or be informative or beneficial for current and prior commercial tobacco product users.
New changes and key requirements, including determining eligibility, are available within the 2027 Call for Applications. Link: https://www.trdrp.org/what-we-fund/
Where can I find specific instructions for each award type?
Specific instructions for each award type can be found within the 2027 Call for Applications Appendix E, and the 2027 CPPRA and SVFSI Call for Applications sections titled Detailed Description of Proposal Templates.
Visit https://www.trdrp.org/what-we-fund/ for more information
How do I ensure my application materials meet accessibility standards as required by the RFP?
All application materials are required to be uploaded in formats accessible to individuals with disabilities, including those using assistive technologies. If you are an applicant affiliated with a college or university, most campuses have digital accessibility information and resources available to affiliated researchers. Other resources include the UC Office of the President Electronic Accessibility website which contains tips and links to useful resources, as well as WebAIM’s Microsoft Word: Creating Accessible Documents and Converting Documents to PDF webpages. Both Microsoft Word and Adobe have built-in accessibility tools that can help you identify many accessibility issues in your documents. If you are a Google Documents user, you may find Stanford University’s Accessible Google Documents webpage helpful. A manual check, in addition to the software-specific tools, is strongly recommended. Compliance with this requirement is the responsibility of the submitting/Applicant PI on behalf of the entire proposal team. The Research Grants Program Office staff is not able to provide training or review of your documents to assist you
with compliance.
What are Tobacco Priority Populations?
Tobacco priority populations in California are those that use tobacco at higher rates, experience greater secondhand smoke exposure, are disproportionately targeted by the industry, and/or have higher rates of tobacco-related disease. Applicants may identify priority populations by applying the criteria above or using other health disparity indicators.
When submitting an LOI for a TRDRP partnered award, the Principal Investigator field is auto filled in SmartSimple. Where shall I provide my Partner’s Co-PI information on the LOI form?
The LOI for partnered awards can be submitted by either of the Co-PIs (Academic Co-PI or Community Co-PI). Enter the name and institution for the identified Co-PI in the LOI form. After the LOI has been invited to the Full Application stage, the Applicant PI will be able to invite their partner Co-PI to contribute to the application in SmartSimple. The partner Co-PI will receive a “Collaboration Invitation” email from the Research Grants Program Office (RGPOgrants@ucop.edu) requesting them to complete their budget in SmartSimple. For additional information, please review the SmartSimple Instructions.
Who should I contact for general questions related to one of the award mechanisms?
After reviewing the Core Call, special initiatives, and included appendices, please send general questions or award specific questions to TRDRP@ucop.edu.
I am having a technical issue with my application in SmartSimple, who should I contact?
If you have technical issues with SmartSimple or questions after your LOI has been submitted, please contact RGPOgrants@ucop.edu.
I am interested in resubmitting an application. What should I do?
Please see our Resubmission Policy below and resubmissions may only be submitted for those award types being competed at this time. A resubmission is an unfunded application that was submitted to TRDRP as a new application in the previous cycle (i.e., 2026) and resubmitted under the current Call for Applications (i.e., 2027). Resubmitted applications are allowed to include a 2-page resubmission statement immediately preceding the Research Plan. TRDRP will accept only a single resubmission of the same or very similar project.
Any additional submissions of the same or similar topic are considered new applications and may not include a revision statement. Applicants are still required to inform TRDRP of their intent to resubmit through an LOI submission and must note it as a resubmission (please refer to the SmartSimple Submission Instructions for the specific award mechanisms). All other applications are considered new applications.
My grant application was waitlisted, what might I expect?
Waitlisted applications may be funded only if another award in the same category is declined. This is rare but possible. Final decisions on waitlisted proposals will be made in Fall 2026. In the meantime, we would encourage you to review the 2027 Call for Applications (expected to be released July 1, 2026) and submit an LOI if you are eligible for any of the funding mechanisms offered.
Where do I access the Templates that are required for the full application?
Templates can be accessed and downloaded via SmartSimple. For more information on what to include in these documents, please see the 2027 Call for Applications Appendix E. Please consult Detailed Description of Proposal Templates in corresponding Calls for awards that are not part of the Core Call. These templates will be made available for Letters of Intent that are invited to submit a Full Application.
What are the page limits for each document required for the Full Application?
Information on page limits can be found on each applicable template in SmartSimple at the Full Application stage. Please note, it is important to use the corresponding template as is, and not make modifications to margins, font, or text size. For instructions on completing templates, please see Appendix E of the Core Call. For instructions on completing templates for the 2027 partnered awards, please see the section titled Detailed Description of Proposal Templates. Access Calls for Applications here: https://www.trdrp.org/what-we-fund/
What should we do if we have multiple mentors?
When a predoctoral trainee application involves multiple mentors, one must be identified as the primary mentor for programmatic purposes. This individual will be designated as the Dissertation Advisor, while others are listed as research advisors in SmartSimple.
When a postdoctoral trainee application involves multiple mentors, one must be identified as the primary mentor for programmatic purposes. This individual should be designated as the Research Advisor, while others should be listed as mentors in SmartSimple.
How many letters of reference should be submitted for a postdoctoral or predoctoral application?
Predoctoral
A letter of support from the dissertation advisor/research advisor and a minimum of two additional references are required. Letters should address the candidate’s training and potential for independence in their chosen area of scientific research. The commitment of the dissertation advisor and the department to fostering the candidate’s career development should also be reflected in the letters. If an applicant has additional mentors (referred to as research advisors), they are not obligated to submit letters of support; however, such letters may strengthen the application.
Postdoctoral
A letter of support from the research advisor and a minimum of two additional references are required. Letters should address the candidate’s previous training and potential for future leadership of an independent research program. The commitment of the research advisor and the department to fostering the candidate’s career development should also be reflected in the letters. If an applicant has additional mentors, they are not obligated to submit letters of support; however, such letters may strengthen the application.
Am I able to submit more than one application?
Applicants may submit LOIs for no more than two projects as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator, provided that the proposed research topics and aims are significantly different for each project. No changes to PI or Co-PI may be made after LOI submission. In the event that more than 2 LOIs are submitted, the program reserves the right to decide which, if any, LOIs to consider for invitation to FA. Predoctoral and Postdoctoral applicants may submit an LOI for only one project.
How do I determine whether the sex of an animal model or human subject should be considered as a biological variable in my research?
Consistent with NIH, we now require applicants proposing experiments with biological endpoints to determine whether the sex of an animal model or human subject should be considered a biological variable in designing their experiments.
As explained in “Applying the new SABV (sex as a biological variable) policy to research and clinical care,” Physiology & Behavior 187 (2018) 2–5 “Sex originates from an organism’s sex chromosome complement – XX or XY chromosomes in in humans, and is reflected in the reproductive organs. Considering SABV is not the same as looking for sex differences, but it is about exploring the influences of sex as a biological variable and revealing the “data hiding in plain sight.” Applicants can review the paper in Physiology & Behavior here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031938417302585
The following points are taken verbatim from the article:
First, before conducting research, find out whether there are known sex differences in the area of study by adding the terms sex, gender, male, and female to your literature search. In addition to PubMed, use the GenderMed database.
Second, randomize and balance the sexes in the study and control groups. If you are testing a pharmaceutical, consult the FDA snapshot page, which provides information about sex differences in drug metabolism and effects for recently approved drugs.
Third, if sex differences are suspected, e.g., from the literature search, conduct pilot studies to determine whether powering the study to detect sex differences is warranted.
Fourth, in the analyses of the data, regardless of whether the study was powered to detect sex differences, disaggregate the data to see if there are differences that are hidden when data from males and females are pooled. Analyze key relationships for males and females separately.
Applicants should clearly state the method that was used to determine whether sex should be used as a biological variable in their study.
Am I allowed to submit an LOI as a researcher at an institution outside of the State of California or outside of the United States?
TRDRP awards are only available to applicants located in the State of California.
Am I allowed to add out of state expenditures to my budget?
Prop 56 does not allow funding for out-of-state research, while Prop 99 does, if justified. However, Prop 99 funds are very limited. We therefore recommend against adding out-of-state research expenditures, such as sub-contracts with collaborators, to your budget. If you include such an out-of-state expenditure that you feel is critical to your research, and your award is selected for funding, funding of your entire award depends on availability of very limited Prop 99 funds, and you may not be funded at all.
What resources are available to help me engage State policy makers?
If you are interested in engaging State Government, please consider partnering with the UC Center Sacramento (UCCS). UCCS is a system-wide program of the University of California. One of the Center's core missions is to share knowledge in the interest of better, more evidence-based public policy. UCCS can help TRDRP investigators address the broader impacts and policy implications of their tobacco-related research. Specific services available include evaluating dissemination strategies; helping to arrange meetings with policymakers within the Sacramento-based governmental apparatus; convening panels and conferences at the UCCS facility near the Capitol; preparing policy briefs; and assisting with op/eds for local, regional, and national news outlets.
These services are available to both UC- and non-UC-affiliated investigators. TRDRP investigators interested in collaborating with UC Center Sacramento should contact UCCS Director John Marx as early in the proposal-writing process as possible.
How do I design a Community Engagement Plan for a biomedical research grant?
TRDRP believes that it is critical to engage the community in understanding research into tobacco disease prevention, tobacco use prevention, and cessation. We require a community engagement plan to encourage investigators to think creatively how they could include community residents in their research process. Community members or community organizations could be involved at various stages of research (e.g., development, implementation, dissemination).
A few examples of how a biomedical scientist might consider including community members in their research include: community presentations of research findings in an accessible manner for a general audience; holding a community forum to better understand intended and unintended downstream effects from the community perspective; holding laboratory educational sessions to discuss the importance of bench-level science for scientific discovery that will eventually improve health at the community level. Suggestions on designing your community engagement plan will be shared during the upcoming webinars.
Scientists planning to engage community residents in their research should set aside funds in their budget to compensate residents for their time and involvement, as appropriate.
How is community defined?
Community is a multifactorial social construct and is defined as a group of people who share one or more common characteristics.
TRDRP defines community members as individuals with lived experience or meaningful connections to the population of interest who contribute perspectives, priorities, and insights from the broader community.
Can’t find the answer to your question? For programmatic questions, please contact TRDRP Program Officers or send questions to TRDRP@ucop.edu. For questions about SmartSimple, please contact our Contracts and Grants Colleagues at RGPOGrants@ucop.edu.
