CARE Program Guidelines

1. Colgate CARE Program

Colgate-Palmolive is proud to announce the evolution of the Colgate Award for Research Excellence (CARE), which has been unified into a multi-national research programme. The CARE program is a 1-year research grant to empower early-career researchers at academic institutions across Europe, US and Canada, accelerating innovations that advance global oral health. To ensure the highest level of scientific rigor, the program has the collaboration from the University of Manchester and the University of Pennsylvania. While Colgate provides the strategic vision and funding, the academic partners provide the essential scientific framework and administrative support to facilitate the program’s success. Applications must be submitted between March, 2026 to May 15, 2026.

2. Eligibility

• 2.1. Lead applicants must have a primary permanent appointment as permanent faculty at an accredited dental research/school in the UK, EU, USA or Canada.
• 2.2. Applicants must be in the first five (0 to 5) years of their initial academic appointment in their research career.
• 2.3. Applicants must provide documentation of additional sources of financial support for the proposed study if the project budget exceeds the grant amount (see sections 3.2 and 3.3 for further information).
• 2.4. Please note:
  1. Faculty or other academicians who are visiting, rotating, or on-sabbatical away from their home dental research institutions ARE INELIGIBLE.
  2. Faculty or other academicians who have been previously employed (0 to 5 years) at other research or dental institutions than the current one ARE INELIGIBLE.

3. Study Proposal & Application Guidelines

Your application must be submitted online (also see information below). Email or paper applications will not be accepted. The new online application system will guide you through the application process. You will be required to provide the following:

3.1 Structure:

1. Title and Duration

   • Clearly define the project name and the total timeline (e.g., 12 months).
   • Briefly state the Field and Research Scope.

2. Lay Summary (300 words max)

   • Should be easily understood by the non-expert. Focus on the "why" and the "so what."
   • Clearly outline the Objectives.

3. Project Description (500 words max)

   • Research Justification:
   • Hypothesis: What are you testing?
   • Specific Aims: What are the concrete steps?
   • Methodology: How will you do it?
   • Expected Outcomes: What will the data look like?

4. Study Timeline and Milestones (100 words max)

   • Timeline
   • Reports

5. Justification of costs (250 words max)

   • How will the funding be applied?

6. Expected Outcomes and Impact (250 words max)

   • List tangible products (e.g., publications, datasets, software, patents).
   • How does your study proposal improve oral healthcare?

7. Public Engagement and Innovation (250 words max)

   • Describe how the public have been/will be involved/benefited in your project?
   • Is your research innovative, distinct, creative or novel? If so, how?

3.2. Budget:

Applicant is to provide a detailed overview of the study budget.

3.3. Letter of additional financial support:

Should the study proposal budget exceed the total grant amount offered by Colgate, applicants must demonstrate that the study has additional financial support from other source(s). The source(s) of the additional funding must come from a non-competitor of Colgate.

3.4. Study Timeline:

Provide the study proposal projected timeline. Applicants must demonstrate that the study will be completed within the 1-year time period (with an optional no-cost extension) of the award being given (including designated 6 month interval and final study reports).

3.5. Mentor Letter of Support:

Applicant is to provide a letter from the mentor in support of this research proposal/project and his/her development. The letter is also to endorse the proposal and confirm the department’s support for the study proposal submitted.

3.6. Biographical sketches:

Applicant is to follow instructions as listed on the application form.

4. Grant Submission & Deadline

Applications can only be submitted through the online system available at www.dentalhealthunit.com/care. All proposals must be submitted in ENGLISH. The grant application must be submitted by Friday, May 15, 2026. The application system will automatically reject applications submitted after this time/date. In addition, applicants that do not follow the proposal guidelines or submit incomplete applications WILL BE REJECTED.

5. Conditions of the Grant

• 5.1. The grant per project will be up to $30,000 dollars.
• 5.2. The grants are offered for a period of twelve (12) months. However, at Colgate’s discretion an additional one-year no-cost extension can be considered.

6. Research Reports and other communications during the research grant study time period Recipients of the CARE grant must provide a progress report every 6 months after funds are released until the study or grant period has been completed. Templates will be provided to the grant recipients.

6.1 In the 6 month report, you will be asked to include:

• Study progress and results to date
• Study timeline progress and projections to finish the project
• Challenges and obstacles
• Next steps in research study

6.2 In the final report, you will be asked to include:

• Lay Summary of findings
• Project description
• Study results
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• Key points
• Publication Plan
• Financial report

7. Other

In the event of any unforeseen circumstances that may adversely impact the research, including but not limited to the leave of absence, resignation or termination of the researcher from their permanent employer-research university, the grant recipient (synonymous with the term, “Principal Investigator”) shall immediately inform about the change in status of employment. In the case of the grant recipient having a limited leave of absence, the grant recipient shall inform about the date(s) of any absence and/or departure, and the Principal Investigator of whom is to be the interim or succeeding Principal Investigator during the leave of absence and/or departure. The grant recipient shall also inform when the Principal Investigator returns and resumes his/her role in the research project.

If the Principal Investigator permanently departs, the grant recipient shall immediately inform about the date of departure, the succeeding Principal Investigator and succession plans for the research project. The succeeding Principal Investigator shall be subject to the same CARE Program Guidelines and obligations as the original Principal Investigator.

If the grant recipient will present the Colgate supported research project at a dental or oral health related event or conference, then the grant recipient must send a copy of the presentation materials thirty (30) days prior to the date of the event for review and approval. If the grant recipient plans to publish the Colgate supported research project, then, the grant recipient agrees to provide a copy thirty (30) days prior to publication, and take any comments into consideration. Any presentation or publication must include the following, “This research project has been made possible through a grant from the Colgate-Palmolive Company.”

8. Presentation

After completion of the research project, grant recipients must present and share their research findings with the Colgate scientific community. These presentations will be scheduled as virtual sessions. If the meeting is to be in a Face-to-Face (F2F) format as determined by Colgate, the grant recipient may invite their research mentor to the event at Colgate’s Global Technology Center in the U.S. or in Switzerland (for European grant recipients). Travel and housing accommodation expenses for the grant recipient and research mentor will be covered by Colgate unless the grant recipient’s university or governmental agency forbids acceptance of such a benefit. These costs are handled separately and are not deducted from the grant award, provided that university or governmental policies do not prohibit the recipient from accepting such travel support.

9. Judging Criteria

Each application will be reviewed by the Scientific Expert Review Panel using the following criteria:

9.1. Study proposals making a positive impact in oral healthcare therapies in basic science, behavioral science, and clinical care.

9.2. Study proposals will be judged based on the following:

1. Innovation: proposals should be innovative, distinct, creative or novel.
2. Scientific quality: research proposals should be scientifically and technically sound, with a commitment to open and responsible research practices.
3. Proposed timeline/Scope: study timeline needs to be realistic. The research needs to fall within the expected scope of the call and fundable costs.
4. Sustainability Plan: the research should have a demonstrable plan for how the Research Grants will support and lead to future funding applications.

10. Review and Grant notification

10.1 The awarding of the research grants are made entirely based on merit after a thorough examination by the Scientific Expert Review Panel.

10.2 Notifications of winners will be sent out by June 2026. Additionally, the winners will be sent an Offer Letter for signature. Winners will be announced in a Press Release, and their name and likeness may be used in any and all media, without limitation.

10.3 Funds will be sent to the grant recipient’s research university for exclusive use for the research project. Grant recipients will be responsible for managing grant funding directly with the academic institution based on terms, requirements listed in the Grant Agreement.

10.4 Applicants are to identify a legal contact at his/her university and/or contract processing contact to assist with the Grant Agreement.

10.5 The actual award of the research grant is contingent upon a signed Grant Agreement negotiated between Colgate and the grant recipients' research institution.

10.6 All decisions of the Sponsor, Contest Administrator and the judges shall regarding the selection of winners and all other aspects of the Contest shall be final and binding in all respects.

Please note: For grant recipients, depending on the circumstances, funds may be released from 3 to 6 months after announcement of the winners. This timeline is contingent upon the processing speed of the formal grant agreement. Parties involved are encouraged to stay atop of the agreement communications so the CARE grant recipient has the opportunity to receive the grant funds as early as possible. For additional information, please see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

11. Contact

For general information please contact at contact@dentalhealthunit.com

FAQ