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PIMSA Binational Research & Student Awards on Migration and Health

The information below is from the 2021 request for proposals. Please see the opportunity website for updated information. 

The Programa de Investigacion de Migracion y Salud (PIMSA) issued a Request for Proposals for Research & Student (Graduate and Undergraduate) Awards on Migration and Health. PIMSA is a consortium administrated by the Health Initiative of the Americas (HIA) of the School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley.

PIMSA conveners

  • US-Mexico Border Health Commission, Mexican Section
  • National Council on Science and Technology of Mexico (CONACYT)
  • National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
  • University of California (all campuses)
  • University of Texas at El Paso
  • University of South Florida
  • Alianza UCMX

PIMSA Goals

  • Generating scientific knowledge by supporting multidisciplinary research and translating it into social and institutional public policy recommendations that contribute to guaranteeing access to the rights of persons and groups on the move.
  • Fostering of collaborative research among U.S. and Mexican research institutions in order to create long-term linkages between U.S. and Mexican institutions to research the theme of human mobility and health.
  • Support for community health and public and social action through the creation of health education materials and evidence-based policy and program fact sheets on health, with realistic, coherent, and viable solutions, for decision makers and health providers, in general terminology for the general public.

Research Priority Areas 

Research proposals should emphasize the context of human mobility from a binational perspective, and the impact that the problem or topic of interest has on health, although the methodologies and solution proposals can be focused on the local level, depending on the topic. Likewise, the research questions should focus on the expected impact of the results on public policies.

The following research areas will be given priority but are not exclusive. If your research does not fit in any of these categories but you feel that it will contribute to the field, please contact PIMSA administration.

  • The Impact of COVID-19 on Migrant Populations.
  • Mental health and its relationship with mobility, including depression, PTSD, domestic violence and violence from a public health perspective, alcoholism, and substance abuse.
  • Chronic diseases, including nutrition-related conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and obesity.
  • Infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
  • Occupational and environmental health, including injury and accident prevention, pesticide exposure, respiratory illness, heat-related illness; and worker’s rights.
  • Access to health care, including best practices for health prevention and promotion; strategies for expanding health insurance; legal aspects of access to health care; and the use of technology to reduce health disparities and health information technologies.
  • Health of returnees or people in transit, including offers or barriers of public and private health systems, patterns of search and demand for care and its relation to the social integration of mobile persons; and chronic, infectious, or emerging diseases related to return migration.
  • The health of migrant minors, including minors migrating and/or crossing the border unaccompanied, living in the U.S. or returning to their countries of origin.
  • The impact of climate justice on the health of migrant populations, including the climate change as a catalyst for climate migration due to sudden-onset or slow-onset climate disasters.

Note: For PIMSA research purpose the term “migrant” refers to international migrant, as someone who changes his or her country of usual residence, irrespective of the reason for migration or legal status.

Go to Application Home Page

Award Amount and Details

Award Details

Research Teams 

  • Up to $15,000 USD is available for binational research teams. 

Students (Graduate and Undergraduate)

  • Up to $2,000 USD is available for both graduate and undergraduate students.
  • Awards are for both graduate and undergraduate students to finance their undergraduate thesis, Master’s thesis, or PhD dissertation of students attending one of the PIMSA convening institutions in the United States (see PIMSA Conveners list below) or any university in Mexico. 

Deadlines and Date Information

Due Date
2021-06-01

The due dates listed below are the most recent due dates our office is aware of. Please see the opportunity home page for information about potential upcoming deadlines or other opportunities. 

  • Required LOI: Due Tuesday June 1, 2021 (5pm PST)
  • Full proposals: Due Sunday July 25, 2021 (5pm PST) 
  • Project Period: November 1, 2021 - October 31, 2021

Eligibility Information

Who's Eligible
Academic appointees
Members of the Academic Senate
Other
Student-graduates
Student-undergraduates
Eligibility Details

Researchers (Research Teams) 

  • Each research proposal must be co-directed by 2 Principal Investigators (one from the U.S., one from Mexico). 
    • To be eligible, each research team must include at least one principal investigator (PI) from a participating U.S. institution or university (see PIMSA Conveners list below) and one PI from either a CONACYT-accredited university or research institution in Mexico, or affiliated with UNAM.
  • U.S. PIs must be from one of the PIMSA convening institutions (see page 1).
  • Mexican PIs must meet CONACYT eligibility criteria
    • Must hold full-time academic/research appointments in a Mexican institution of higher education or conduct research that is part of the National Register of Scientific and Technological Enterprises and Institutions (RENIECYT—Registro Nacional de Instituciones y Empresas Científicas y Tecnológicas).
    • Must be members of the National System of Researchers (SNI), except researchers from UNAM.
  • PIs may only submit one proposal, however participation in other projects is allowed as an additional academic participant.
  • PIs that have an active, incomplete PIMSA award are ineligible to apply

Students (Graduate and Undergraduate) 

  • Undergraduate, Master’s, or Doctorate level students attending one of the PIMSA convening institutions in the United States or any university in Mexico may apply.
  • The awards are to finance undergraduate thesis, Master’s thesis, or PhD dissertation.
  • At the time of the LOI submission, student applicants must submit a letter of commitment from their advisor/professor. In this letter, the faculty member must commit to supervising the full execution of the student’s research project including writing how they plan to do this, acknowledging the project plan and timeline as being feasible, and they should mention the importance of the research project.
  • Student applicants must also obtain a document of institutional approval where their affiliation is verified (to submit when the full proposal is due).
  • Students receiving any other CONACYT support may not be beneficiaries of this program
Information Source
Information identified by Office of Research & Creative Activities staff

Administering Unit
UC Berkeley School of Public Health
Funding Type
Research
Changed
July 27, 2021
Important Note These opportunities have been collated for the benefit of the campus community, but in all cases viewers should refer to the pages of the hosting unit for the most current/accurate information.