The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funds the Prevention Research Centers Network (PRCs) to conduct research on significant chronic diseases in the U.S. The PRCs work as an interdependent Network of community, academic, and public health partners to study how people and their communities can avoid or reduce their risk for chronic diseases. Researchers at PRCs can also apply for funding to conduct Special Interest Projects (SIPs) to enhance research in specific areas and fill gaps in science identified by the CDC.

Some SIPs collaborate with other PRCs to work together building communities of practice, known as Thematic Research Networks, that advance science in specific topic areas. In 2024, the CDC funded 10 SIPs, including six Thematic Research Networks, across the United States. Mountain West Prevention Research Center (MW-PRC) researchers were awarded two of the ten SIPs in the nation. Each of these SIP projects operates within a Thematic Research Network, which are the Arthritis Management and Wellbeing Research Network and the Center Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN), respectively.

Through the MW-PRC, researchers at the University of Utah are eligible to apply for SIPs Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs).