Safety Research Center
Proposal and funding requirements
2026 grant awarded to San José State University
Their project, "Physical AI for Musculoskeletal Disorder Risk Reduction in Office Work: Smart Sensing and Adaptive Ergonomic Interventions," will develop a smart workstation system that uses artificial intelligence and sensors to identify potential ergonomic risks and encourage healthier work habits.
Making workers’ comp work better means we conduct research to understand and reduce the probability of occupational injuries and illnesses.
Research grants are intended for investigations that will have a positive impact on workforce safety and health within all industries and sectors across the nation. Funding is available for higher education institutions within the United States and its territories.
Proposal Submissions for the 2026 grant are now closed. Thank you to all the teams and individuals who submitted a research proposal this year. The winning submission will be notified in May 2026, with an official announcement to follow in June 2026.
On this page, you will find information about the proposal requirement and submission process. You can also go directly to the Online Proposal Submission form by clicking the link at the top of the page.
Research grant projects must be completed within two years of receiving funds. Results must be disseminated through peer reviewed journals or through a published thesis or dissertation. Peer reviewed journals should be recognized within the field of research and indexed in PubMed®, NIOSHTIC-2, EBSCO, Embase®, Ovid, ProQuest®, MEDLINE®, or other well-known databases. Additionally, The MEMIC Group should be mentioned or be listed within the publication as a source of research funding.
Updates for research project progress must be provided on a semi-annual basis. Failure to fulfill the publishing requirements could affect the associated institution’s eligibility for future MEMIC Safety Research grant awards.
The institution’s indirect costs/facilities and administration rate should not exceed 10% of the awarded amount. Please note, funding is intended to provide resources and tools to complete research projects and is not intended to be used to pay faculty salaries.
Award recipients will also be asked to participate in MEMIC webinars, Safety Experts Podcast and/or Safety Net Blog to share details on the research and it’s impact on workplace safety with MEMIC’s policyholders and other stakeholders.
We will consider funding any research that could lead to the prevention, mitigation, and/or reduction of occupational injuries and illnesses.
Topics in which we have an interest include, but are not limited to:
- Preventing injuries through use of wearables or other interventional technologies.
- Preventing injuries through application of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, or predictive analytics.
- Understanding and preventing injuries from slips, trips, and falls.
- Reducing musculoskeletal injuries in hospitality, healthcare, construction, transportation, or manufacturing industries.
Proposals must clearly indicate the short- and long-term impacts to workforce safety and health, and be organized into the following labeled sections:
- Contact Information: Beginning with the primary contact/researcher, list the name; job title; institution; department; and the primary responsibilities for each of the team member(s) within the research.
- Scope: Provide a detailed description of the research objective, its significance, and any industries that could benefit(i.e., manufacturing, construction, healthcare). Please provide background information that helps to ascertain the gap in the knowledge intended to be filled with the investigation. For the award winner, information provided in this section will be used to inform the public about your research.
- Research Question: Describe the research hypothesis/question(s) to be addressed by your investigation.
- Research Methods: Provide a detailed description of your research methodology and estimated time frames. This section should be used to highlight the capability of the researchers to complete the proposed investigation within the estimated time frame.
- Budget: Provide a narrative, table or other method that appropriately describes how funds from the MEMIC Safety Research Center will be used. Please include the institution’s indirect cost/facilities and administration rate. Please note, any awarded funds are not intended to be used to pay for faculty salaries (see Funding Requirements).
- Human Subjects: If the research involves human subjects, indicate whether the proposed research has institutional approval, such as from an institutional review board (IRB). In this section, please also include the name and address of the reviewing entity, and a copy of the letter of approval (full review, expedite review or exempt review) with the submission. Submissions with pending institutional approval will not be accepted. If the research does not involve human subjects, please state it in this section.
- Dissemination of Findings: Provide a list of the peer reviewed journals to which you plan to submit your research findings, or whether the results will be included in a thesis or dissertation. Please note, peer reviewed journals should be recognized within the field of research and indexed in PubMed®, NIOSHTIC-2, EBSCO, Embase®, Ovid, ProQuest®, MEDLINE®, or other well-known databases (see Funding Requirements). Additionally, describe other methods in which you plan to share your research.
Proposals should be formatted into a single-spaced document with 1-inch margins using either Calibri, Helvetica, or Times New Roman font, size 11 or 12 pts. The document, organized into the sections previously described, should not exceed 8 pages (not including supporting documentation). The proposal and applicable supporting documentation must be submitted as a single PDF file.
A notification from the MEMIC Safety Research Center will be sent to the email address of the primary contact listed on the submission form once the proposal has been received and submitted into the review process. Notifications will be sent to all primary contacts once the grant award winner has been selected.