Opportunity Overview
The Johns Hopkins University (JHU)-West Virginia University (WVU) Research Collaborative Awards are a joint internal research funding program designed to catalyze new cross-institutional research partnerships. The 2026 cycle supports collaborative projects led by eligible principal investigators from both institutions and encourages work addressing scientific, clinical, engineering, public health, social, and societal challenges.
Funding & Deadline
The 2026 cycle provides $600,000 in total funding, with awards of up to $150,000 per project for projects lasting up to two years. WVU proposal components must be submitted through the WVU Research Administration Portal (WRAP) by September 22, 2026 for institutional review. The complete joint application is due through JHU InfoReady on September 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. The controlling source does not state a time zone for the final deadline.
Eligibility
Each proposal must include one eligible lead principal investigator from Johns Hopkins University and one eligible lead principal investigator from West Virginia University. Additional collaborators may participate as permitted by the program rules. Dr. Miltie is not eligible to serve as the institutional lead applicant.
Geography & Priority Areas
The opportunity is institution-specific to Johns Hopkins University and West Virginia University. Current areas of shared strategic interest include opioid and substance use, mental health, dementia, neurosurgery, cellular and molecular neuroscience, environmental exposures and population health, artificial intelligence and related engineering, and urban-rural comparative health. Applications from all disciplines are considered.
Submission
The WVU principal investigator and research team must work with the WVU Office of Sponsored Programs and submit WVU proposal components through WRAP by September 22, 2026. After institutional review, the Johns Hopkins lead PI submits the complete joint application through JHU InfoReady by September 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
Budget & Procurement Rules
Allowable project costs include research personnel, graduate and postdoctoral support, supplies, equipment, pilot and data-collection activities, computational, data and artificial-intelligence costs, core and shared-facility fees, necessary JHU-WVU travel, and other justified research costs. External consultants, contractors, vendors and subawards combined are capped at 10% of the total project budget. At the maximum $150,000 award, that combined cap would equal $15,000. Indirect or facilities-and-administrative costs, overlapping funded work, construction or renovation, unrelated travel and other unallowable expenses identified by the program may not be charged. No matching requirement was identified in the controlling materials reviewed.
N9+ and Dr. Miltie Fit
Atlas assigns a conditional N9+ Fit Score of 74/100. A legitimate role for the Nonagon N9+ remote physical examination platform would require an actual JHU-WVU research team to design a study in which remote physical examination, telehealth, rural access, clinical outcomes, or a related research objective makes the platform necessary research equipment or technology. This is not a general equipment-purchase grant, and Atlas does not assume that N9+ is automatically allowable. Dr. Miltie direct-applicant fit is 0/100 because the required lead applicants must be eligible investigators from JHU and WVU. QC Healthcare fit is 30/100 conditional and would depend on a legitimate research-vendor or implementation role within the program’s external-party budget limits.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 95/100. West Virginia University Organization Opportunity Score: 99/100 because WVU is one of the two required partner institutions. This is a strong research-collaboration pathway, especially for West Virginia health, rural-health, mental-health, substance-use, neuroscience, population-health, telehealth, artificial-intelligence, and translational projects. Any vendor participation must remain subordinate to an investigator-led research design and the 10% combined external consultant, contractor, vendor and subaward cap.
High-Fit West Virginia Applicant
West Virginia University is the required West Virginia institutional partner and therefore receives an Atlas Organization Opportunity Score of 99/100. A real eligible WVU lead PI and a matched eligible Johns Hopkins lead PI are required before an application can advance.
Contacts
Johns Hopkins program questions: OVPRawards@jh.edu. WVU Office of Sponsored Programs: OSP_Help@mail.wvu.edu.
Official Sources
Johns Hopkins University JHU-WVU Research Collaborative
West Virginia University JHU-WVU Research Collaborative