Community Funding News  

Baylor College of Medicine Pilot and Feasibility Program

Program: Baylor College of Medicine

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1-2 years

Nuclear Receptors and Gut Microbiome

Start: January 1, 2013      End: December 31, 2013

It has become increasingly well-appreciated that the gut microbiome plays an integral role in the course of metabolic disease. Proposals for this topic investigate the role of NRs and NR signaling in mediating effects of the gut microbiome on intestinal physiology, barrier function, and inflammation. Integrate metagenomics, microbial metabolomics, gnotobiotic, and/or transgenic approaches to identify specific bacterial factors that act via nuclear receptors in the intestine and/or define NR-dependent changes in intestinal function due to alterations in the gut microbiome.

Program: NURSA

Award Amount: $150,000

Nuclear Receptors in ENCODE

Start: June 1, 2013      End: December 31, 2013

Nuclear receptors and their co-associated proteins regulate gene expression in a tissue, cell, ligand and time specific manner. NRs bind to DNA in the context of chromatin patterns and cell specific gene regulation is mediated through the use of different combinations of epigenetic features. The ENCODE project has assigned biochemical function to 80% of the human genome and the publically available database provides a rich source of integrative data. Applications for this topic combined nuclear receptor expertise with bioinformatics expertise for mining the datasets available from ENCODE, thus allowing the elucidation of NR-specific signaling in a context that is relevant to metabolic or reproductive disease.

Program: NURSA

Award Amount: $150,000

Duration: 1-2 years

Studies to advance and translate our understanding of nuclear receptor (NR) and coregulator biology and physiology to influence disease outcomes.

End: May 25, 2014

Program: NURSA

Award Amount: $150,000

Generation of potentially novel NR ligands that can be applied in chemical biology studies to better understand NR mechanism of action.

End: May 25, 2014

Program: NURSA

Award Amount: $150,000

Center for Alaska Native Health Research (CANHR) Pilot Project Awards

Start: May 1, 2015      End: June 29, 2015

Awards are intended to foster the development of outstanding research scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks working in research that addresses health concerns of Alaska Native people. Awards are also designed to support activities that will lead to a new competitive research proposal for sustainable, external funding, as well as to sustainability of existing CANHR core resources (see http://canhr.uaf.edu/ for a full description of the CANHR cores). It is expected that a competitive external proposal will be submitted within one year of the completion of the pilot project grant. Eligibility: The project leader must be a full time UAF tenure track faculty, research faculty or research associate, and be willing to submit their follow-on research project grant through CANHR.

Program: Center for Alaska Native Health Research

Award Amount: $30,000 - $70,000

Duration: 1 - 2 Years

University of North Carolina (UNC) Center for Diabetes Translation Research to Reduce Health Disparities Pilot Funding

Start: June 1, 2015      End: July 20, 2015

The goal of the program is to facilitate the success of Early Stage Investigators as they enter the field of diabetes translational research, with a focus on becoming independently funded diabetes researchers.The pilot and feasibility program also seeks to facilitate the success of more senior investigators as they change fields and enter the field of diabetes translational research.Each year, the CDTR will fund up to 3 awards, each for $20-40,000, for a period of one year. Eligibility: Primary Appointments from UNC-Chapel Hill or from our partnering institutions (examples inlcude UNC-Pembroke, East Carolina University, Wake Forest University, and Robeson County Health Department)

Program: University of North Carolina (UNC) Center for Diabetes Translation Research

Award Amount: $20,000 - $40,000

Duration: One Year

BIOCADDIE Pilot Project on Harvester for DDI Schema

Start: August 1, 2015      End: August 31, 2015

The biomedical and healthCAre Data Discovery Index Ecosystem (bioCADDIE) consortium announces a call for proposals for a Pilot Project Grant on developing a metadata harvester for the data discovery index (DDI). bioCADDIE is part of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) program, which is committed to building a prototype of a DDI to facilitate the search for datasets by researchers and provide them information about data objects available in major data repositories or aggregators, their associations,  and access conditions. Eligibility: Applications may come from any organization where a subcontract to the University of California can be executed.  All software and algorithms funded in the Pilot Project have to be open source [Apache License 2.0].

Program: The biomedical and healthCAre Data Discovery Index Ecosystem (bioCADDIE) consortium

Award Amount: $50,000

Duration: Six Months

NURSA Data Source Project (NDSP) RFPs

End: September 1, 2015

With this third NDSP announcement, we are soliciting applications that take an integrative physiology approach to address how nuclear receptor (NR) signaling mediates inter-tissue communication to regulate metabolic flow across multiple tissues (e.g. liver, adipose, gut, muscle). Many studies to date have investigated signaling and metabolic pathways at a tissue specific level. While these types of studies are clearly crucial to the understanding of metabolism in a specific cell or tissue type, we are looking for proposals that address the mechanisms by which tissues communicate with each other to regulate the homeostatic flow of nutrients. Numerous studies have demonstrated the integral role that NRs play in metabolic signaling; however, here we are challenging investigators to address the integrative physiology of NR signaling. As one of these projects will be funded by NICHD, your proposal could also address how inter-tissue NR signaling might impact reproduction. In both cases, we expect that these NDSPs would bring in new concepts and investigators to the NURSA Hub while leveraging the big data capabilities of the Hub with an influx of different data types. Funding Information: Total costs for each NDSP cannot exceed $150,000/year for 1-2 years. We expect to fund 3-4 NDSPs (for 1 year with additional years dependent on progress and availability of funds). Instructions: Letters of intent should be no more than one page in length and should be addressed to Dr. Neil McKenna no later than April 30th.

Program: Nuclear Receptor Signaling Atlas

Funding Amount: $150,000

Duration: 1-2 Years

UCLA GeroNet

Start: November 1, 2014      End: November 30, 2015

The UCLA Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC) and the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) are soliciting applications for the Rapid Pilot Grants Program for aging-related basic, clinical and health services research. Award size will range from $1,000 to $10,000, dependent on scope of work. A "rolling applications process" will be used. Applications will be accepted until the allocated funds for this program have been spent. Eligibility: UCLA faculty only

Eligibility: The UCLA Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC); UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI)

Award Amount: $1000-$10,000

Duration: Unknown

UCLA CHIPTS Pilot Program Domestic and international social and behavioral HIV research

Start: September 20, 2015      End: December 12, 2015

The Center for HIV, Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) is accepting pilot grant applications for domestic social, behavioral and policy research studies relevant to HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles County, from faculty investigators, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students at CHIPTS affiliated institutions (i.e., UCLA and Friends Research Institute). A total of $90,000 is available to fund Investigator awards up to $30,000 and postdoctoral and graduate student awards up to $15,000. It is anticipated that three to four proposals will be funded. Eligibility: Applicants must have a full-time faculty or postdoctoral appointment at a CHIPTS institution (UCLA or Friends Research), or be enrolled in a graduate program at a CHIPTS institution.

Program: UCLA CHIPTS

Award Amount: $15,000 - $30,000

Duration: One Year

UCLA Center for AIDS Research (CFAR)/AIDS Institute/ CHIPTS Domestic social and behavioral HIV research that includes biomarkers or other clinical interventions

Start: November 20, 2015      End: December 12, 2015

CHIPTS is also collaborating with the UCLA Center for AIDS Research (CFAR)/AIDS Institute to support a targeted call. Up to $20,000 is available for a domestic social and behavioral HIV research project that includes biomarkers. Research proposals could include biomarkers such as ARV levels or substance use in hair, nails, taggants, exhalants, or urine. Eligibility: Applicants must have a full-time faculty or postdoctoral appointment at a CHIPTS institution (UCLA or Friends Research), or be enrolled in a graduate program at a CHIPTS institution.

Program: UCLA Center for AIDS Research (CFAR)/AIDS Institute; CHIPTS

Award Amount: $20,000

Duration: One Year

Diabetic Complications Consortium (DiaComp) Preclinical Testing Program

Start: January 1, 2015      End: January 1, 2016

THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN DEFUNCT. APPLICATION NOTE: There is no formal deadline associated with Preclinical applications, but applications will be reviewed quarterly (March 1, June 1, September 1, December 1) and so should be submitted accordingly. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: T1D-RAID and NIH-RAID are cooperative programs designed to facilitate translation to the clinic of novel, scientifically meritorious therapeutic interventions. However, in some cases, additional preclinical testing is needed to validate potential therapies under disease-specific conditions and in multiple animal models before new therapeutics can progress along the drug development pipeline.In recognition of the compelling need to develop new therapeutics for several diabetic complications, the DiaComp has established a Preclinical Testing Program (DiaComp-PTP). The DiaComp-PTP will provide investigators with access to pilot funds to pursue additional preclinical studies of promising new therapeutics. The T1D-RAID and DiaComp-PTP are programs intended to remove the most common barriers to progress in identification and development of new therapies for complications of Type 1 Diabetes. The common goal of these programs is to support the preclinical work necessary to obtain "proof of principle" establishing that a new molecule or novel approach will be a viable candidate for expanded clinical evaluation. Eligibility:  Individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research are invited to work with their institution to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support. Young investigators are encouraged to apply.

Program: Diabetic Complications Consortium

Award Amount: $50,000 - $60,000

Duration: 1 Year

University of Kansas Alzheimer's Disease Center Pilot Grant Program

Start: December 6, 2015      End: March 4, 2016

The KU Alzheimer's Disease Center and the Landon Center on Aging administer a competitive grant program to support innovative pilot studies relevant to Alzheimer's disease and brain aging. Up to three awards of $30,000 are funded annually.Proposals designed to generate preliminary data or publications that help the investigator successfully compete for extramural grants are encouraged. Early-stage investigators and those not currently performing AD research will be given special consideration, but established AD investigators are also eligible. Any faculty with a KUMC affiliation is eligible to apply. Postdoctoral fellows with eligible faculty mentors may also apply.LETTER OF INTENT DEADLINE – JANUARY 29, 2016. Eligibility: Any faculty with a KUMC affiliation is eligible to apply. Postdoctoral fellows with eligible faculty mentors may also apply.

Program: University of Kansas Alzheimer's Disease Center

Award Amount: $30,000

Duration: One Year

Nuclear Receptor Signaling Atlas (NURSA) Hub Open Competition for NURSA Data Source Projects (NDSP)

Start: May 1, 2016      End: June 24, 2016

The nuclear receptor (NR) community has generated a large number of discovery-scale transcriptomic datasets that collectively document the tissue-specific regulation of gene expression by NR signaling pathways. Despite their potential for affording insight into unknown or unfamiliar NR signaling pathway biology, these datasets have been poorly exposed for re-use by the research community. In response to this, the NURSA Hub is aggregating, curating and processing these datasets to enhance their discoverability, accessibility and citability. The full current list of datasets can be browsed on the NURSA Dataset home page or the 30,000,000+ data points in the entire resource can be mined via the Transcriptomine search engine. To fully leverage this significant investment of knowledge and expertise, this fourth NDSP announcement solicits applications based on the existing collection of NURSA transcriptomic data points. Examples of responsive applications include: Demonstrating how the Transcriptomine knowledgebase can be leveraged to identify novel gene-tissue-NR signaling pathway relationships that have not been previously characterized in the published research literature, and that can be then validated in a bench research component. Development of data visualization and analysis tools that interface with Transcriptomine to extend its utility. Interoperability and/or integration between NURSA and external resources with complementary ‘omics-scale datasets, or biocuration activites to support such integration (e.g. integration of ChIP-Seq datasets).

Program: NURSA

Award Amount: $150,000

Duration: 1-2 Years

Nuclear Receptor Signaling Atlas (NURSA) Hub Open Competition for NURSA Data Source Projects (NDSP)

Start: October 19, 2016      End: November 20, 2016

The mission of the Nuclear Receptor Signaling Atlas (NURSA) is to accrue, develop, and communicate information advancing our understanding of the integral role of nuclear receptor signaling in physiology and metabolic diseases, including diabetes, obesity, and reproductive diseases and disorders. Currently, the central core of NURSA is a Hub that provides the integration and cohesion needed to aggregate, annotate, and present state-of-the-art data in a user friendly fashion. A web portal, www.nursa.org, interfaces with the broader scientific community. To achieve its goals, the NURSA Informatics Hub solicits Project applications to support innovative research to the Hub. Successful PIs will leverage their individual and collaborative resources to address the scientific goals of this Request for Applications. Three previous similar announcements resulted in 11 NURSA-funded projects that support high quality cross-cutting research. The NR community has generated a large number of omics-scale datasets that collectively document functional endpoints of NR signaling pathways throughout the body. Despite their potential in elucidating NR signaling in health and disease, these datasets have yet to be leveraged to their full potential.  Accordingly, the NURSA Hub has invested considerable effort in aggregating, annotating, curating, and processing these datasets to enhance their use. The full current list of datasets can be browsed on the NURSA Dataset home page, or the resource’s 40,000,000+ data points can be mined via Transcriptomine. To fully capitalize on this significant investment of knowledge and expertise, this NDSP announcement solicits applications based on the following goals:(1)Extend Transcriptomine by building new visualization and analysis tools. (2) Leverage the Transcriptomine API to build web applications that will reach research communities beyond the nuclear receptor field. (3) Improve the scope of Transcriptomine through biocuration of complementary ‘omics-scale datasets. Successful applications will have a substantial informatics focus and relevance to the physiology and/or pathophysiology of metabolic disease. Unlike previous solicitations, and recognizing integrative cross-talk between different signaling paradigms, applications need not themselves relate specifically to nuclear receptor signaling. Where appropriate, applicants are encouraged to use the Transcriptomine application programming interface (API). Applications that propose active collaboration with the NURSA Informatics Hub are particularly welcome, and discussions with the NURSA Project Scientist Dr. Corinne Silva (silvacm@niddk.nih.gov) or the NURSA Project Leader Dr. Neil McKenna (nmckenna@bcm.edu) prior to submission of proposals are strongly encouraged. Deadline for letter of intent: November 7, 2016.     

Program: NURSA

Award Amount: $150,000

Duration: 1 year

Immune Tolerance Network Clinical Trial Proposals

Start: January 1, 2015      End: December 31, 2016

The Immune Tolerance Network (ITN) accepts applications for novel clinical trials from all interested scientists from academia, industry and government, in the areas of: Allergy & Asthma, Autoimmune Diseases, Kidney & Liver Transplantation. Assays & Biomarkers: In addition, the ITN accepts applications for the development of novel tolerance assays or mechanistic studies for the purposes of establishing new surrogate markers of immune tolerance and investigating the mechanisms of clinical tolerance. For example, the ITN will consider proposals that seek to better understand clinical tolerance by utilizing ITN tolerance assay resources in existing or planned clinical trials that are funded through other sources.The ITN does NOT accept proposals for non-human or preclinical studies. NOTE: There is no specified application date for initial proposals which are referred to as Concept Proposals. You will be notified within 6-8 weeks of your application in regards to approval status. 

Program: Immune Tolerance Network

Award Amount: Unknown

The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Accelerating Medicines Partnership: Type 2 Diabetes Project (AMP T2D) Request for Proposals 5

Start: September 7, 2016      End: December 31, 2016

RFP Title: Call for Genotypic and Phenotypic Data related to Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) for Incorporation into the Accelerating Medicines Partnership Type 2 Diabetes Knowledge Portal. The open access AMP T2D Knowledge Portalhas been built to generate new biologic and disease state understanding by maximizing the ability to explore rare and common genetic variants across quantitative and qualitative phenotypes related to the many indications related to T2D and its complications. One such complication that has become of increasing interest is Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH). As such, FNIH is seeking proposals from organizations to contribute high-quality human genome sequence, clinical, and molecular phenotypic data for NASH to the AMP T2D Knowledge Portal. Proposals to contribute existing data sets as well as proposals to derive new genotyping data from readily available and appropriately consented samples will be considered. The consortium is expanding the KP to federated sites outside the U.S. in order to facilitate inclusion of global data in order to accommodate regional requirements. By participating in this global collaborative effort, awardees will help advance translational science and help identify new treatments for T2D and its complications. Data of interest include those derived from whole exome sequencing, whole genome sequencing, exome chip, or genome wide association analyses of large cohorts with corresponding and relevant individual level phenotypic data. Data from any and all geographic regions, races, and ethnicities are of great value to the knowledge portal and will contribute toward building the single most powerful resource for understanding the genetics of Type 2 Diabetes and its complications. In the interest of attaining critical scale, applications from consortia representing multiple cohorts are encouraged. Awardees will become active members of a growing AMP T2D collaborative group, which includes experts from multiple private, public, and non-profit institutions. Awardees will benefit from access to state of the art computational tools facilitated by harmonization and integration with extensive, well-phenotyped data from other sources. For more information, please contact Dr. Sanya Whitaker (swhitaker@fnih.org).

Program: The FNIH AMP T2D consortium

Award Amount: up to $500,000

Duration: 1-2 Years

The Foundation For The National Institutes Of Health (FNIH) Accelerating Medicines Partnership: Type 2 Diabetes Project (AMP T2D) Request For Proposals 6

Start: September 7, 2016      End: December 31, 2016

RFP Title: Call for Genotypic and Phenotypic Data related to Diabetic Nephropathy for Incorporation into the Accelerating Medicines Partnership Type 2 Diabetes Knowledge Portal. The open access AMP T2D Knowledge Portal has been built to generate new biologic and disease state understanding by maximizing the ability to explore rare and common genetic variants across quantitative and qualitative phenotypes related to the many indications related to T2D and its complications. One such complication that has become of increasing interest is Diabetic Nephropathy (DN). As such, FNIH is seeking proposals from organizations to contribute high-quality human genome sequence, clinical, and molecular phenotypic data for DN to the AMP T2D Knowledge Portal. Proposals to contribute existing data sets as well as proposals to derive new genotyping data from readily available and appropriately consented samples will be considered. The consortium is expanding the KP to federated sites outside the U.S. in order to facilitate inclusion of global data in order to accommodate regional requirements. By participating in this global collaborative effort, awardees will help advance translational science and help identify new treatments for T2D and its complications. Data of interest include those derived from whole exome sequencing, whole genome sequencing, exome chip, or genome wide association analyses of large cohorts with corresponding and relevant individual level phenotypic data. Data from any and all geographic regions, races, and ethnicities are of great value to the knowledge portal and will contribute toward building the single most powerful resource for understanding the genetics of Type 2 Diabetes and its complications. In the interest of attaining critical scale, applications from consortia representing multiple cohorts are encouraged. Awardees will become active members of a growing AMP T2D collaborative group, which includes experts from multiple private, public, and non-profit institutions. Awardees will benefit from access to state of the art computational tools facilitated by harmonization and integration with extensive, well-phenotyped data from other sources.

Program: The FNIH AMP T2D consortium

Award Amount: up to $500,000

Duration: 1-2 Years

The Foundation For The National Institutes Of Health (FNIH) Accelerating Medicines Partnership: Type 2 Diabetes Project (AMP T2D) Request For Proposals 7

Start: 05:01pm September 7, 2016      End: 03:59pm December 31, 2016

RFP Title: Call for Genotypic and Phenotypic Data related to Type 2 Diabetes and Complications for Incorporation into the Accelerating Medicines Partnership Type 2 Diabetes Knowledge Portal. The open access AMP T2D Knowledge Portal has been built to generate new biologic and disease state understanding by maximizing the ability to explore rare and common genetic variants across quantitative and qualitative phenotypes related to the many indications related to T2D and its complications. It is the vision of AMP that the AMP T2D Knowledge Portal will continually grow in content and in analytic capabilities. As such, FNIH is seeking proposals from organizations to contribute high-quality human genome sequence, clinical, and molecular phenotypic data for T2D, for T2D-related quantitative traits, and for T2D microvascular, cardiovascular, renal, and hepatic complications to the AMP T2D Knowledge Portal. Proposals to contribute existing data sets as well as proposals to derive new genotyping data from readily available and appropriately consented samples will be considered. The consortium is expanding the KP to federated sites outside the U.S. in order to facilitate inclusion of global data in order to accommodate regional requirements. By participating in this global collaborative effort, awardees will help advance translational science and help identify new treatments for T2D. Data of interest include those derived from whole exome sequencing, whole genome sequencing, exome chip, or genome wide association analyses of large cohorts with corresponding and relevant individual level phenotypic data. Data from any and all geographic regions, races, and ethnicities are of great value to the knowledge portal and will contribute toward building the single most powerful resource for understanding the genetics of Type 2 Diabetes. In the interest of attaining critical scale, applications from consortia representing multiple cohorts are encouraged. Awardees will become active members of a growing AMP T2D collaborative group, which includes experts from multiple private, public, and non-profit institutions. Awardees will benefit from access to state of the art computational tools facilitated by harmonization and integration with extensive, well-phenotyped data from other sources.

Program: The FNIH AMP T2D consortium

Award Amount: up to $500,000

Duration: 1-2 Years

Diabetic Complications Consortium (DiaComp) Collaborative Funding Program: Diabetic Foot Ulcers - Planning Activities for Clinical Biomarker Studies

Start: 12:01am November 3, 2016      End: 05:00pm March 10, 2017

The purpose of this program is to support planning activities for the development of a multi-center study for clinical biomarkers and outcome measures for diabetic foot ulcers. It is also part of an effort by the NIDDK to support clinical studies that involve two or more institutions to build a collaborative framework for ongoing research on diabetic wound healing. Applications should propose a future clinical study based on the criteria listed below. The application should include a rationale for the future clinical study, documenting significance and need, and describe the potential impact of the clinical study on biomarkers and research infrastructure. Preliminary results and background to support the study and an overview of the study design should be provided. The latter should include an estimate of the number of subjects, entry criteria, and outcome measures. In addition, the application should describe the planning activities proposed to be conducted during the single year of this program. These may include meetings to develop the protocol, focus groups for the patient-centered outcomes, clinical studies to obtain preliminary data, quality control testing of patient sample analysis, biostatistical analysis to develop sample size calculations, or analysis of databases to inform recruitment strategies. The goal of the planning activities is to develop a complete study protocol for the validation of a biomarker or outcome measure for diabetic foot ulcers. Individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research are invited to work with their institution to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support. Contact information: Richard McIndoe, PhD rmcindoe@augusta.edu

Program: DiaComp

Award Amount: up to $100,000

Duration: 1 year

Michigan Regional Comprehensive Metabolomics Resource Core Pilot and Feasibility Projects

Start: July 1, 2015      End: March 16, 2017

The Project/Feasibility program is intended to provide opportunities for investigators to advance basic, clinical and translational biomedical science by incorporating metabolomic technologies into their research program. The goal of this program is to enable investigators to generate a sufficient body of preliminary information for a successful application for major research funding from NIH or other national granting agencies. Faculty or equivalent eligible to apply for NIH funding. We especially encourage applications from junior faculty (Assistant Professor or below) and those who have not previously utilized metabolomics in their research. Note: Investigators who have extensive use of metabolomic technology in their research are generally ineligible for funding. 

Program: Michigan Regional Comprehensive Metabolomics Resource Core

Award Amount: $50,000

Duration: 1 year

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Pilot Projects for a Human Cell Atlas

Start: March 15, 2017      End: April 15, 2017

The goal of the International Human Cell Atlas project is to create a reference atlas of all cells in the healthy human body as a resource for studies of health and disease. As part of this effort, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative seeks applications to support the Human Cell Atlas community’s convergence around standards, protocols, and best practices for the creation of a freely and openly available reference database of healthy human cells and tissues. We expect the reference Cell Atlas to ultimately include a variety of data types, including single-cell RNA sequencing, in situ hybridization imaging, proteomics, metabolomics, epigenetic information, low- and high-resolution images of biological samples, and more. For the initial phases of the project, we are especially interested in groups that can help evaluate protocols and best practices for the collection of single-cell molecular data, ideally by directly comparing multiple approaches to tissue preparation, data generation, or data analysis. Eligibility: All applicants must hold a PhD, MD, or equivalent degree and have a faculty position or equivalent independent investigator status at a college, university, medical school, or other research facility. Applications may be submitted by scientists at domestic and foreign non-profit and for-profit organizations; public and private institutions, such as colleges, universities, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local government, companies, and eligible agencies of the federal government. 

Program: The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

Award Amount: An estimated budget is requested. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative will work closely with successful applicants to arrive at a suitable budget after review.

Duration: 1 year

Nuclear Receptor Signaling Atlas (NURSA) Hub: Consensome Validation NURSA Data Source Projects (NDSPs)

Start: 01:01am May 4, 2017      End: 05:00am June 19, 2017

The mission of the Nuclear Receptor Signaling Atlas (NURSA) Hub is to improve the accessibility and re-usability of publicly-archived datasets of relevance to the nuclear receptor (NR) signaling research community.  To arrive at consensus physiological system- and organ-specific transcriptomic signatures of NR pathways, the NURSA Hub has added a new module to its Transcriptomine data analysis platform, called Consensome. In this feature, genes are ranked according to the frequency with which they are significantly differentially expressed in publicly archived datasets involving manipulation of a given NR pathway in a specific organ or physiological system. The rankings, or Consensomes, are available at https://www.nursa.org/nursa/transcriptomine/index.jsf. In addition to validating well-characterized NR target genes, many Consensomes contain highly ranked genes that represent potentially important, but currently underappreciated, transcriptional targets of NR signaling pathways. In this NDSP solicitation, we invite applications proposing bench validation of relationships between NR signaling pathways and gene(s) predicted by the Consensomes, but that are previously unpublished in the research literature. Letter of Intent due date: May 31, 2017.

Program: NURSA

Award Amount: $75,000

Duration: 1 year

The Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) Request Research Proposals

Start: October 26, 2015      End: October 13, 2017

The Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) announces the availability of funds to support pilot/feasibility studies targeting research in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related disorders. The major objective of this program is to enhance novel AD-related research throughout the University of Wisconsin campus, and generate pilot data for larger peer-reviewed grants. Geriatric-focused applications are encouraged. 

Program: Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center

Award Amount: $30,000

Duration: 1 Year

Pennington Biomedical Research Center Nutrition Obesity Research Center Pilot and Feasibility Grant 2017 Special RFA on "Nutrition, Obesity, and Cancer"

Start: August 1, 2017      End: October 16, 2017

Approximately $60,000 is available to fund one or two P&F grants around the theme of nutrition, obesity and cancer. The major objective of this program is to provide research support to develop preliminary data and/or potential novel approaches (methods) from pairs of investigators with one investigator from LSU-HSC in New Orleans (cancer expertise) and the other from Pennington Biomedical (obesity expertise). The hope for a Pilot and Feasibility Award is that it will generate enough preliminary data for the investigator(s) to obtain research funding by conventional mechanisms (e.g., R01). This program needs to have at least one of the 2 investigators (either from LSU-HSC or from PBRC) to be a young investigator while the other can be more a mentor in the execution of the scientific proposal. Letter of intent: September 5, 2017. 

Program: Pennington Biomedical Research Center Nutrition Obesity Research Center

Award Amount: $30,000 - $60,000

Duration: 1 year

Joslin Diabetes Research Foundation Prevention Innovative Awards

Start: August 24, 2017      End: October 31, 2017

JDRF provides seed funding for highly innovative research with significant potential to accelerate the mission of JDRF. JDRF Priority Areas for FY2018 Prevention Innovative Awards (1) Discovery and validation of biomarkers (including imaging approaches) to monitor risk, stage progression and evaluate responses to interventions of human type 1 diabetes in the at-risk setting (2) Use of clinical biosamples or data from natural history studies to better characterize disease pathogenesis, heterogeneity, stages, risk scores of progression, and slow and fast progression in the at-risk setting (3) Secondary prevention clinical trials using repurposed or novel agents as well as establishment of cohorts in which to conduct prevention trials (4) Development of insights around microbiota-induced immunoregulation or viral-induced autoimmunity relevant to prevention of human T1D

Program: Joslin Diabetes Research Foundation

Award Amount: up to $100,000

Duration: 1 year

Human Islet Research Network (HIRN) New Investigator Pilot Award

Start: November 15, 2017      End: January 15, 2018

The goal of this award is to support a small number of new investigators of exceptional creativity who propose to apply bold and highly innovative new research approaches to biological problems under current investigation in HIRN. The HIRN New Investigator Pilot Award is designed to provide support for early career investigators who may need funding to explore feasibility of a new concept in support of an eventual R01 application. Research supported by these awards would be expected to address significant barriers in Type 1 Diabetes research.The research proposed must be relevant to the goals of HIRN consortia. Letter of intent due date: December 15, 2017

Program: The Human Islet Research Network (HIRN)

Award Amount: $150,000 direct costs over the lifetime of the award

Duration: Up to two years

"Exploration of the Diabetic Foot Ulcer Niche" - Collaborative Pilot Program

End: January 25, 2018

The purpose of this Pilot Program is to adapt and evaluate emerging techniques focused on defining cell types and subtypes and their three-dimensional context to the study of diabetic foot ulcers. This will be accomplished by funding pilot studies to conduct key establishing experiments that will be necessary to inform any future construction of an unbiased atlas of diabetic skin and foot ulcers. Pilot projects will be composed of multidisciplinary teams that consist of partnerships between: 1) clinical scientists with experience in diabetic foot ulcer biology and access to fresh human biopsies/surgical material for analysis, and 2) investigators with expertise in applying a diverse set of agnostic, medium- to high-throughput technologies with single cell-resolution to the systematic exploration of the cellular diversity of human tissues (e.g., CLARITY combined with highly multiplexed profiling of proteins and/or RNAs, imaging mass cytometry, etc.) or human tissue-derived cells (e.g., RNAseq, Dropseq, ATACseq, etc.). The objectives of the Pilot Program are to 1) establish protocols for the collection, preservation, storage, and processing of diabetic skin and foot ulcer tissue, 2) adapt and utilize agnostic, single cell-resolution technologies of tissues and tissue-derived cells to assess the cellular complexity of intact and wounded tissues in diabetic patients, and 3) critically evaluate limitations of current methodologies for their application to the context of diabetic foot ulcers and explore potential solutions to begin to bridge these gaps. Pilot projects should collect samples from routine clinical debridement that includes tissue at various locations in the wound and adjacent tissue. Samples for future analysis such as blood and microbiome/biofilms should also be collected and stored. It is expected that applicants will obtain appropriate consent to broadly share samples, de-identified patient information, and experimental data. Consent should also permit following the course of wound healing after sample collection in order to include that information in metadata associated with samples and their analysis.

Program: DiaComp

Award Amount: $750,000

Duration: 1 year

The NIH Eastern Regional Comprehensive Metabolomics Resource Core (ERCMRC) Pilot and Feasibility Project

End: March 16, 2018

The goal of the P&F Program is to increase the use of metabolomics in basic, clinical, and translational research, by collaborating with investigators who are new to the field of metabolomics, by developing teams and partnerships, and by conducting high-risks/high-impact research. The P&F program aims to form new multidisciplinary collaborations that will enhance the integration of new techniques to benefit multiple investigators. Applicants are encouraged to link basic, clinical, and translational research. Extending the collaborative nature of the research projects by matching funds from other mechanisms is encouraged. Eligibility: All basic, translational, or clinical investigators located at institutions within the United States who are eligible to apply as a PI for NIH grants (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/who-is-eligible.htm). Young investigators and investigators who are new to the field of metabolomics are especially encouraged to apply.

Program: The NIH Eastern Regional Comprehensive Metabolomics Resource Core (ERCMRC)

Award Amount: up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Resource Center for Stable Isotope-Resolved Metabolomics (RC-SIRM) Pilot and Feasibility Grant Program

End: March 16, 2018

The RC-SIRM at University of Kentucky provides extensive collaborative services and unique capabilities for metabolomics, with a strong emphasis on stable isotope resolved metabolomics (SIRM).The goal of the Pilot and Feasibility Program is to promote the use of metabolomics in translational research projects by providing analytical support for investigators – both new to and experienced in the metabolomics field – in the area of SIRM studies. SIRM requires experimental design, sample preparation, analyses, data processing, and biochemical interpretation that have unique challenges. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss potential projects with the RC-SIRM staff, in order to generate an appropriate study design that uses SIRM to address metabolic questions of pathways, networks, flux, apportionment of specific carbon, nitrogen, and other atoms (such as one-carbon metabolism, source of hydride in NADPH, etc.), and other areas that require SIRM technologies. Matching funds from other sources are encouraged. Data reduction and interpretation is usually extensive, and requires specialized knowledge and software tools. Various levels of assistance can be provided as appropriate. Eligibility: any researcher who is eligible to apply as a Principal Investigator (PI) for NIH funding may apply.

Program: Resource Center for Stable Isotope-Resolved Metabolomics (RC-SIRM)

Award Amount: up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Southeast Center for Integrated Metabolomics Pilot and Feasibility Projects

Start: January 1, 2016      End: March 16, 2018

ECIM is now seeking proposals for 12-month pilot projects in metabolomics. The goal of this initiative is to enhance metabolomics research by providing support for investigators new to the field, the development of new teams and partnerships, and high-risk/high-impact research. Awards are intended to support projects that will provide preliminary data for new extramural grant application submissions. The review process will emphasize innovation and the potential of the work to have a significant impact on an important research problem. While proposals of up to $50,000 in total costs will be accepted, SECIM is dedicated to funding as many unique and innovative projects as possible with goals of expanding the center's capabilities and enhancing metabolomics research capacity across the nation. Thus, applications requesting $20,000 or less will receive preference over those with higher budgets. Requests for salary for the Principal Investigator or personnel, laboratory costs or extramural services outside of SECIM are not permissible. All funds will be awarded in credit toward SECIM services, or in payment for the project's materials and supplies.

Program: Southeast Center for Integrated Metabolomics

Award Amount: $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Mayo Clinic Metabolomics Resource pilot projects and feasibility projects

Start: January 1, 2016      End: March 16, 2018

The goal of the Pilot and Feasibility Program is to enhance metabolomics research crucial to translational projects by providing investigators who are new to the metabolomics field the opportunity to explore the use of metabolomics in their research and support high-risk and high-impact research.The Mayo Clinic Metabolomics Resource Core Pilot and Feasibility Program aims to form new multidisciplinary collaborations that will enhance the integration of the techniques offered at Mayo Clinic and benefit multiple investigators.Potential applicants are encouraged to link basic, translational and clinical research. Extending the collaborative nature of research projects with funds from other mechanisms is encouraged.   

Program: Mayo Clinic Metabolomics Resource

Award Amount: $50,000

Duration: 1 year

West Coast Metabolomics Center - Pilot and Feasibility Projects

End: 11:59pm March 23, 2018

The WCMC provides extensive services for metabolomics research. The goal of the Pilot and Feasibility Program is to enhance metabolomics research crucial to translational projects by providing support for investigators new to the metabolomics field, the development of new teams and partnerships, projects that link genomics, proteomics and metabolomics, and high risk/high impact research. The Pilot and Feasibility Program aims to form new multidisciplinary collaborations that will enhance the integration of new techniques that benefit multiple investigators. Potential applicants are encouraged to link basic, translational, and clinical researchers. Extending the collaborative nature of research projects by matching funds from other mechanisms is encouraged.

Program: West Coast Metabolomics Center

Award Amount: $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Chronic Kidney Disease Biomarkers Consortium (CKD BioCon) Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: March 30, 2018

The Chronic Kidney Disease Biomarkers Consortium (CKD BioCon) Pilot and Feasibility Program is focused on the discovery, validation, or qualification of CKD biomarkers in adults and children. The program accepts applications from two focused areas: 1. Applications proposing studies of biomarkers that are measured in human blood, urine, or renal tissue, or extracted from radiographic/imaging data and that seek to address important research questions related to the occurrence, progression, and/or consequences of CKD. 2. Applications proposing the development and/or evaluation of new statistical methods relevant to biomarkers which are specifically related to CKD biomarkers.

Program: Chronic Kidney Disease Biomarkers Consortium (CKD BioCon)

Award: $75,000

Duration: 1 year

ReBuilding a Kidney (RBK) Partnership Project Program

Start: May 20, 2016      End: May 4, 2018

(Re)Building a Kidney is an NIDDK-funded consortium of research projects working to optimize approaches for the isolation, expansion, and differentiation of appropriate kidney cell types and their integration into complex structures that replicate human kidney function.Partnership Projects are requested to add value and complement ongoing studies in the RBK Consortium and must not duplicate ongoing studies. Each Partnership Project will receive funding for 1 year but may be renewed for a second year depending on progress and programmatic priority and need. 2018 subject areas of interest are LIMITED to Physiologic Function and Repair/Regeneration.

Program: (Re)Building a kidney

Award Amount: up to $150,000

Duration: 1-2 years

The New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center Pilot Feasibility Grant Program

End: May 11, 2018

Three types of applications will be considered:1. Proposals from Assistant Professors or Postdoctoral Fellows currently transitioning to FACULTY STATUS to carry out preliminary studies to be used for an NIH grant application.  Applicants with prior funding through this or similar programs, graduate students, or Postdoctoral Fellows (other than as above) are NOT eligible to apply; 2. Proposals for innovative/high-risk projects by established investigators in the field of obesity/ingestive behavior.  Support for current research is NOT eligible; 3. Proposals from established investigators, without prior funding in obesity, who wish to undertake an obesity-related project. Faculty members and postdoctoral fellow are encouraged to apply.

Program: The New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center

Award Amount: up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

University of Pittsburgh O'Brien Urology Research Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: May 31, 2018

The O’Brien Urology Research Centers request applications for pilot projects in urology research. Ideal projects will facilitate accumulation of preliminary data that can be used for future grant applications, and expand the scope of urology research under the auspices of the currently funded O’Brien Centers (see list below). Projects that support new investigators with a faculty appointment not already R01 or equivalently funded are especially encouraged. Established investigators not currently doing benign urology research in alignment with the funded centers are also encouraged to apply.

Program: University of Pittsburgh O'Brien Urology Research Center

Award Amount: up to $150,000

Duration: 1-2 Years

MMPC Mouse Microbiome Metabolic Research Program (MMMRP)

End: September 3, 2018

The mission of MMPC’s Mouse Metabolic Research Program is to support the development and application of mouse phenotyping technologies to advance microbiome-related research. A clear rationale for how/why the microbiome, such as gut microbiome, lung microbiome, etc, might be expected to impact metabolic phenotyping endpoints in mice must be provided in each proposal. Although there is no requirement for direct collaboration with an MMPC, expected project outcomes should have the potential to add value to the MMPC program. The Mouse Microbiome Metabolic Research Program (MMMRP) is a competitive grants up to $125,000 (total costs) for one year. The program supports for pilot and feasibility projects that incorporate microbiome research into mouse metabolic phenotyping studies. All studies should demonstrate clear potential to advance the mission of the MMPC (www.mmpc.org). Any independent investigator or post-doctoral fellow at a US institution is eligible to apply. 

Program: Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Center

Amount: up to $125,000

Duration: one year

Joslin Diabetes Research Foundation Beta Cell Replacement Innovation Awards

End: October 31, 2018

JDRF provides seed funding for highly innovative research with significant potential to accelerate the mission of JDRF. Proposals should address key outstanding questions and have the potential to lead to a change in the current paradigm or conventional wisdom and/or lead to a groundbreaking discovery. Preliminary data is not required in the proposal but the underlying premise, goal, or hypothesis must be plausible and testable and the proposal must be focused with a well- defined goal that is achievable within the timeframe of the award. The JDRF Beta Cell Replacement program strategy is designed to achieve the ultimate goal of creating a product with a safe renewable beta cell source capable of restoring glucose control and delivering long-term insulin independence without the need for chronic immunosuppression therapy. Priority areas include (1) Cell source: Identify the best cell source and composition;Reprogram somatic cells in vitro to functional insulin-producing cells;Leverage early clinical trial data to improve next-generation products (2)Cell survival and immune protection:Bioengineered delivery devices (encapsulation, scaffolds, hydrogels); Strategies to mitigate fibrosis and increase oxygenation; Beta cell survival agents to help preserve graft function; Device-less approaches include cell modification by genome editing and combination of immune and beta cell replacement therapies (3) Accelerate clinical translation: Standardize reagents: define preclinical animal models most predictive of human responses;Establish implantation site: engineer extrahepatic implantation sites to promote engraftment via scaffolds.

Program: Joslin Diabetes Research Foundation

Award Amount: $100,000

Duration: one year

Joslin Diabetes Research Foundation Beta Cell Replacement Innovative Awards

Start: August 24, 2017      End: October 31, 2018

JDRF provides seed funding for highly innovative research with significant potential to accelerate the mission of JDRF. JDRF Priority Areas in FY2018 (1) Development of novel and innovative encapsulation prototypes capable of supporting long-term allo- or xeno-geneic beta/islet cell survival with appropriate glucose regulation kinetics in an immune-competent host (2) Encapsulation device optimization and testing with hESC/iPSC-derived beta cell products that have demonstrated functional competence (3) Large animal and clinical testing of technologies that have robust pre-clinical proof-of-principle (4) Elucidation of mechanisms to improve durability and function of encapsulated beta cell sources, including but not restricted to: host recognition of materials leading to a foreign body/fibrotic response, oxygen limitation, glucose-stimulated insulin delivery kinetics, long-term cell density maintenance, optimal microenvironment at the implantation site to allow long-term cell viability and function, etc. (5) Modification of cells and/or associated materials to optimize local immune modulation for long-term beta cell/islet survival and function in open devices or bioengineered scaffolds without systemic immune suppression (6) Fostering standardization, head-to-head comparison of beta cell replacement systems, and sharing of data and reagents

Program: Joslin Diabetes Research Foundation

Award Amount: up to $100,000

Duration: 1 year

Joslin Diabetes Research Foundation Beta Cell Regeneration and Survival Innovation Awards

End: 11:59pm October 31, 2018

JDRF provides seed funding for highly innovative research with significant potential to accelerate the mission of JDRF. Proposals should address key outstanding questions and have the potential to lead to a change in the current paradigm or conventional wisdom and/or lead to a groundbreaking discovery. Preliminary data is not required in the proposal but the underlying premise, goal, or hypothesis must be plausible and testable and the proposal must be focused with a well- defined goal that is achievable within the timeframe of the award.? Specific information regarding JDRF’s Beta Cell Regeneration and Survival research priority areas include (1) Beta cell survival therapy (2) Beta cell regeneration therapy (3) Biomarkers and clinical path initiatives.? The proposal must not be related to existing JDRF-funded research unless it involves a novel concept or hypothesis.? The concept does not require preliminary evidence in T1D but must be applicable to T1D in the future.? The Innovative Grant Mechanism is not intended to support proposals aiming to incrementally advance existing hypotheses or ongoing areas of research, or proposals with the sole goal of generating novel reagents or resources.? Applications proposing novel strategies for targeted delivery of beta cell therapeutics are of particular interest.

Program: Joslin Diabetes Research Foundation

Award Amount: $100,000

Duration: one year

UCLA CURE: Digestive Diseases Research Center CURE/CTSI Pilot and Feasibility Grant

Start: August 20, 2015      End: December 15, 2018

The CURE: Digestive Diseases Research Center (CURE: DDRC) and the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) invite applications (new or second year renewal) for the 2017 academic year. Funding will be available for high quality and innovative research in the biology, function and diseases of the digestive system, which is of relevance to the overall CURE Research Program, with special emphasis on receptor and signal transduction mechanisms, brain-gut interactions, gastrointestinal and pancreatic physiology and inflammation, and mechanisms underlying diseases of the digestive system. Proposed projects should lead to peer-reviewed extramural funding such as NIH, VA or related agency research grants in which PFS awardees serve as Principal Investigators. Letter of Intent: September 25, 2017. Eligibility: Applicants must have a UCLA appointment (post-doc or beyond) by the time of the award.

Program: UCLA CURE Digestive Diseases Research Center; UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute

Award Amount: $20,000 to $35,000

Duration: One Year

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center Pilot Project Grant Proposal Opportunity

Start: December 1, 2015      End: February 1, 2019

The proposed research project must be relevant to clinical or basic research on Alzheimer’s disease, other dementias or cognitive aging. Frontotemporal degeneration, primary progressive aphasia and unusually successful brain aging are additional areas of emphasis. Proposals that are based on human subjects of the Northwestern Alzheimer’s Disease Center or its tissue resources (DNA, fixed brain, frozen brain) will be given priority. Eligibility: The principal investigator must hold a faculty appointment, or be a postdoctoral fellow at North- western University.

Program: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center

Award Amount: $35,000

Duration: One Year

University of Pennsylvania Institute on Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Core Center Pilot Study

Start: November 20, 2015      End: February 4, 2019

The University of Pennsylvania Institute on Aging (IOA) and Alzheimer’s Disease Core Center (ADCC) will fund up to six (6) one-year multidisciplinary pilot grants in the 2015-2016 academic year to support biomedical, epidemiological, behavioral or health services research, as well as basic science, clinical or psychosocial research. Two of the pilots, funded by Penn’s ADCC, will focus on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related neurodegenerative disorders as well as healthy brain aging. The remaining pilots, supported by funding from the Perelman School of Medicine at Penn (PSOM) to the IOA, will focus on aging and aging-related diseases as well as healthy aging. Eligibility: The Principal Investigator (PI) for each of these pilots must be a member of the University of Pennsylvania fulltime faculty from any of its 12 schools.

Program: University of Pennsylvania Institute on Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Core Center

Award Amount: $50,000

Duration: One Year

The Johns Hopkins University - University of Maryland (JHU-UMD) Diabetes Research Center (DRC) Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: February 22, 2019

 The Pilot and Feasibility (P and F) Program, directed by Dr. Sally Radovick, of the JHU-UMD Diabetes Research Center (DRC) is seeking applications to support new initiatives in diabetes-related biomedical, epidemiological or behavioral research. The JHU-UMD DRC is an NIH-funded joint-venture between the Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland and Howard University School of Medicine. It is composed of Cores that are designed to support research in diabetes and related endocrine and metabolic diseases. The JHU-UMD DRC is one of seven national centers. Application deadline will be the last Friday of the following February.

Program: Johns Hopkins Medicine - University of Maryland Diabetes Research Center

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Michigan Metabolomic and Obesity Center(MMOC) and Michigan Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (MNORC) Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: May 3, 2019

The purpose of the MNORC Pilot /Feasibility (P/F) Grant Program is to promote research on the biological and behavioral determinants of obesity, and to develop interventions to reduce obesity and its disease sequelae using basic, clinical, or population approaches. The P/F program’s aim is to enable both new and established University of Michigan investigators to generate sufficient preliminary information for a successful application for major research funding from NIH or other national granting agencies. Grant proposals may be in areas of basic biomedical research or in clinical, epidemiological, or translational research, e.g. interventions in clinical or population-based setting. Animal or human models may be considered. Grant proposals involving cross-disciplinary expertise, Faculty from different UM schools, and that utilize the core laboratories of the MNORC are especially encouraged. The MNORC 2017 Call for Proposals aims to foster research addressing key questions in the areas of: Pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention, or control of obesity; complications of obesity or related endocrine or metabolic disorders (e.g. counter-regulatory proteins, metabolic syndrome); neuro-peptides that may control eating behavior or energy expenditure; adipose tissue biology; influence of gut flora on nutrient absorption and cellular functions related to energy utilization. Translational research projects are encouraged and should focus on research advances into clinical practice or population-based interventions related to obesity, and include identification of barriers to widespread adoption of new science and the testing of interventions to overcome these barriers. Eligibility:  Individuals who have full-time instructional or research faculty positions at the University of Michigan are eligible to apply as Principal Investigators of P/F proposals.

Program: MMOC/MNORC

Award Amount: up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

University of Maryland Baltimore Polycystic Kidney Disease Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm July 22, 2019

The Pilot & Feasibility (P&F) Program will provide eligible investigators with support to embark on innovative lines of inquiry related to Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). We anticipate that these pilot awards will allow investigators to generate sufficient preliminary data to pursue additional external grant funding (e.g., NIH R01 grant). Letter of Intent Deadline: May 20, 2019.

Program: University of Maryland Baltimore Polycystic Kidney Disease Core Center

Award Amount: Up to $40,000

Duration: 1-2 years

Pediatric Center of Excellence in Nephrology (PCEN) at the University of Virginia (UVA) Pilot and Feasibility Project

Start: 11:59pm August 1, 2019      End: 11:59pm August 1, 2019

The Pediatric Center of Excellence in Nephrology (PCEN) at the University of Virginia (UVA) calls for applications for Pilot and Feasibility Projects (PFPs) within the general theme of the Center “Kidney Development: cell fate and precursors of disease in the young and adult”. The overall objective of the center is to improve the management of children with kidney diseases and hypertension. Although the central theme of the center is related to the developmental basis of kidney disease in children, applications proposing fundamental technological advances to solve major mechanisms or develop novel therapeutic strategies will be welcome. Letter of Intent Deadline: June 20, 2019.

Program: Pediatric Center of Excellence in Nephrology (PCEN) at the University of Virginia (UVA)

Award Amount: Up to $40,000

Duration: 1-2 years

University of Alabama at Birmingham Diabetes Research Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

Start: September 1, 2015      End: 11:59pm February 3, 2020

Research Focus:  The pilot and feasibility program is intended to provide seed support for new and innovative research projects directed at basic, biochemical, translational, clinical, and community-based research questions that broadly pertain to diabetes, diabetes complications, and cardiometabolic disease. Pilot projects should be designed to generate sufficient data as the basis for further extramural funding (e.g., R01 applications) in order to substantially pursue and expand the line of investigation.  In fact, in order to respond to NIH criteria for competitive renewal of the DRC, a key priority for your application should be to focus on subsequent extramural or R01 grant funding.  Thus, your application will be reviewed with this in mind so please provide a short paragraph indicating how the award will facilitate R01 application development and the submission of a proposal.  We will entertain 2 year projects if justification for the need is made in order to effectively develop an R01 (you will have to reapply in November of 2016 to get funded for your second year).Eligibility:  Funding will be available to full time UAB faculty members who must meet one of the criteria listed below.  Please note that applications from post-doctoral fellows will be considered if there is a clear plan and written documentation for transition to a faculty position at UAB before the initiation date of the pilot grant award.  Post-doctoral applicants will be asked to identify a faculty member who will provide research advice, but the work should support independent research and career development for the fellow/junior faculty member.1. Junior investigators (e.g., Associate Professors or below who have not been PI on a previous NIH R01 grant).2. Established investigators with no previous work in diabetes who wish to apply their expertise to a problem in this area.3. Established investigators in diabetes who want to pursue high impact/high risk projects to test truly innovative ideas that represent a clear departure from ongoing research interests.4. Note:  We will also consider multidisciplinary projects that involve both basic and clinical scientists who combine efforts in ‘translational’ research protocols, which could not be conducted by basic or clinical scientist(s) alone. Eligibility: UAB Faculty members who meet one of the criteria listed, post-doctoral fellows will be considered if there is a clear plan and written documentation for transition to a faculty position at UAB before the initiation date of the pilot grant award. 

Program: Diabetes Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Award Amount: $20,000 - $50,000

Duration: 1 Year

The Vanderbilt Diabetes Center Southeast Regional Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: April 15, 2020

The Vanderbilt Diabetes Center (NIH-funded Diabetes Research and Training Center and NIH-funded Center for Diabetes Translation Research) is soliciting Pilot and Feasibility proposals focusing on innovative ways to prevent or reduce the burden of diabetes and obesity particularly among high-risk populations and high-burden communities in the Southeastern United States (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). Letter of Intent Due Date: March 15, 2020 (required).

Program: The Vanderbilt Diabetes Center (NIH-funded Diabetes Research and Training Center and NIH-funded Center for Diabetes Translation Research)

Award Amount: $50,000-$75,000/year

Duration: 2 years

Michigan Diabetes Research Center (MDRC) and Michigan Center for Diabetes Translational Research (MCDTR) Pilot/Feasibility Grant Program

Start: June 5, 2015      End: May 11, 2020

The purpose of this Pilot /Feasibility Study (P/FS) Grant Program is to promote research in diabetes by new and established investigators at the University of Michigan. The ultimate goal of the program is to accelerate the pace of research and enable awardees to generate sufficient preliminary data for successful applications for major research funding from the NIH or other national granting agency.Grant proposals may be in areas of basic biomedical, clinical, behavioral, epidemiological, health services, or type 2 translational research and should address key questions regarding the pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of diabetes, its complications, or related endocrine or metabolic disorders (for example: obesity, metabolic syndrome, counter-regulatory proteins). Type 2 translational research projects should focus on the translation of research advances into clinical or community practice and include the identification of barriers to widespread adoption of new science and the testing of interventions to overcome these barriers. Eligibility: Individuals who have full-time instructional, research or clinical faculty positions at the University of Michigan

Program: Michigan Diabetes Research Center; Michigan Center for Diabetes Translational Research

Award Amount: $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Mid-Atlantic Nutrition Obesity Research Center Pilot & Feasibility Program

End: May 18, 2020

The aim of a P/F project is to provide convincing data for future proposals to the NIH or other national agencies. Investigators are encouraged to undertake high risk/high gain projects that have the potential to develop but for which no preliminary data of feasibility are currently available. Nevertheless, the capability of the PI (and his/her collaborators) to undertake such a project should be clearly outlined. P/F projects are strongly encouraged to take advantage of our Core laboratories. These are: 1) Administrative Core, including Biostatistics and Medical Informatics (BMI) Subcore; 2) Clinical and Translational Research (CTR) Core; 3) Biological Mechanisms and Functional Genomics (BMFG) Core; and 4) Molecular Genetics and Nutrigenomics (MGN) Core. Information on these cores can be found at our web site: http://medschool.umaryland.edu/norc/cores.asp. All applicants must be willing to actively participate in Mid-Atlantic NORC Center activities, including seminars, workshops, and symposia, and to present NORC seminars describing their work. Each P/F awardee will be assigned a working group and must be willing to meet regularly with the working group (2-4 times per year, depending on progress). Letter of Intent due by March 9, 2020. Applicants for these awards must be faculty at an academic institution affiliated with the Mid-Atlantic NORC.

Program: Mid-Atlantic Nutrition Obesity Research Center

Award Amount: up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Washington University In St. Louis Novel Studies in Diabetes and Obesity to Eliminate Disparities: Team Science Across the Translational Continuum

Start: February 24, 2020      End: May 18, 2020

The major objective of this rapid funding mechanism is to stimulate transdisciplinary team research to advance novel approaches in the prevention and treatment of diabetes/obesity with the goal of eliminating disparities. This opportunity will support novel research directions targeting the interaction of social determinants with biological and environmental mechanisms through which social disadvantage increases diabetes/obesity burden and inform new leverage points for intervention. Notification of Intent (optional) Due: May 4, 2020

Program: Washington University in St. Louis Center for Diabetes Translation Research

Award Amount: up to $60,000

Duration: 1-2 years

Massachusetts General Hospital Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm July 29, 2020

Now in its 29th year, the CSIBD promotes the research of both basic and clinical scientists in a wide range of areas. These include, but are not limited to: 1. Exploratory Studies for Delineating the Microbiome in Human Health (including bacterial-epithelial cell interactions and host responses to commensal versus invasive luminal flora) 2. Epithelial Cell Biology (including regulation of stem cells, epithelial cell polarity, and membrane biology) Tissue Immunity (including mucosal immunology, innate immune recognition, antigen presentation and adaptive immunity, fibrosis, and single-cell analysis) 3. Monitoring Effects of Immunotherapy and Biologic Therapy in Autoimmunity 4. Translational Human Immunology (including autoimmune diseases, GI cancers, and IBD) 5. Signaling Pathways in Gut-Brain Communication

Program: Massachusetts General Hospital Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Award Amount: Up to $35,000

Duration: 1-4 years

University Of Wisconsin-Madison—Washington University Diabetes Research Center Collaborative Pilot & Feasibility Awards

End: August 31, 2020

Funds from the Washington University Diabetes Research Center are dedicated to supporting Pilot & Feasibility Awards through a collaborative program with University of Wisconsin-Madison. The goal of these funds is to develop preliminary data leading to the submission of new applications for independent (NIH, JDRF, or ADA) research grants. Faculty members from any department at University of Wisconsin-Madison are encouraged to apply.

Program: University Of Wisconsin-Madison—Washington University Diabetes Research Center

Award Amount: contact program

Duration: 1 year

MMPC MICROMouse Program

Start: September 1, 2015      End: September 1, 2020

MICROMouse will fund high impact technology-, physiology-, or biology-based projects conceived through interaction with, or between MMPCs. Proposal objectives should take clear advantage of collaborations with MMPCs to address questions that would be otherwise difficult to answer. Objectives of the MICROMmouse initiative encompasses pilot and feasibility projects for the development of new mouse phenotyping tests, as well as research-driven projects that investigate biology and physiology of disease.The aim of the MICROMouse program is to promote the development of mouse phenotyping technology and encourage collaborative relationships between the MMPC and its users. These are 1 year awards intended to fund the development of research opportunities that may arise during the course of a service provided by the MMPC or to expand on research interests common to a MMPC user and a MMPC principal investigator. These awards cannot be used simply to purchase services from an MMPC. There is no formal deadline associated with MICROMouse applications, but applications will be reviewed quarterly (March 1, June 1, September 1, December 1) and so should be submitted accordingly. A letter of intent with a brief (2-3 sentences) description of the proposed project must be sent to Dr. Richard McIndoe at rmcindoe@gru.edu at least two weeks prior to submission of an application. 

Program: MMPC

Award Amount: $75,000

Duration: 1 year

University of Chicago Digestive Diseases Research Core Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: September 14, 2020

The overarching theme of the DDRCC is research in Digestive Health and Disease, including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and related areas of intestinal inflammation, immunology, the gut microbiome, metabolism, and epithelial biology/cancer of the GI tract.  Pilot and Feasibility applications focused on these “mission” areas will receive higher priority. Broad aspects of basic and translational/clinical research related to enteric microbiology, inflammation, and immunology of the digestive tract and pathogenesis, genetics, pathophysiology, and bench-to-bedside aspects of inflammatory bowel diseases will be given higher priority.  In addition, proposals focused on the examination of growth and differentiation, cancer biology, intestinal epithelial biology and pathobiology of the gastrointestinal tract (including the luminal GI tract, liver, pancreas, biliary system, etc.), as well as basic or clinical research in the areas of nutrition, metabolism, and digestive diseases are appropriate topics for Pilot & Feasibility studies. 

Program: University of Chicago Digestive Diseases Research Core Center

Award Amount: $25000-$37000

Duration: one year

UCSF Diabetes Research Center (DRC) Pilot and Feasibility Awards

Start: January 29, 2018      End: 11:59pm September 21, 2020

The DRC Pilot & Feasibility Program is funded through a Center grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to stimulate new directions in diabetes research regardless of a laboratory's traditional focus. Pilot funding of up to $50,000 per application is available for a duration of 12 months from the time of award. Enhanced Pilot & Feasibility Awards of up to $100,000 for each of one or two years will be considered for highly exceptional proposals in clinical and translational research studies, innovative partnerships between clinical and basic research or in development of broadly useful and innovative technologies. Projects initially selected for Enhanced Pilot & Feasibility awards only will be offered after approval by NIDDK officials. Enhanced Pilot & Feasibility award holders also will be eligible to apply competitively for further bridge funding.The reviewers will examine the proposals for innovative research that will generate, within one year, seed data sufficient for future NIH grant applications in any aspect of clinical or basic research directly related to type 1 or type 2 diabetes. One year projects that create new knowledge or capabilities that can be used widely throughout the local and extramural diabetes research community also may be submitted in response to this RFA. Collaborative efforts with UCSF faculty currently engaged in diabetes-related research may better enable the successful completion of the approved research programs. Eligibility: UCSF faculty

Program: UCSF Diabetes Research Center

Funding amount: $50,000

Duration: 1 year

UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute Seed Grant

Start: September 10, 2015      End: October 1, 2020

The UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute (CDI) Seed Grants provides awards of up to $30,000 for one year for junior faculty conducting child health research to generate preliminary data needed for subsequent applications to federal and private funding agencies. Eligible faculty for Principal Investigator must hold a primary or secondary appointment in the Department of Pediatrics at the level of Clinical Instructor, Assistant Professor, or Associate Professor. At least one Co-Investigator must be a faculty member whose primary appointment is outside the Department of Pediatrics. Substantive collaboration with multiple UCLA schools and departments is emphasized for this award. The CDI, established in 2013 at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, encourages innovative and multidisciplinary child health research and research training at UCLA across the spectrum of basic, translational, clinical, and health services research. Eligible faculty for Principal Investigator must hold a primary or secondary appointment in the Department of Pediatrics at the level of Clinical Instructor, Assistant Professor, or Associate Professor. 

Program: UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute

Award Amount: $30,000

Duration: One Year

Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: October 22, 2020

The mission of the NIDDK-funded Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center (BNORC) is to facilitate and support the conduct of cutting edge basic and translational research in the fields of nutrition and obesity science in the Boston area. BNORC’s Pilot and Feasibility Program provides funding on a competitive basis for new investigators who are transitioning to an independent line of research or established investigators with novel ideas in the area of nutrition and obesity research. Applications that address the themes of the Center will be given higher priority. These themes are: Nutrient Metabolism in Health and Disease, Brain Control of Feeding Behavior and Metabolism, Environmental and Genetic Influences on Obesity and Related Chronic Diseases. 

Program: Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center

Award Amount: up to $25,000

Duration: 1-2 Years

Boston Area Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center Pilot Grants

End: December 9, 2020

 The Boston Area Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center is funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Diseases (NIDDK) to support research in Diabetes and its complications. Letter of Intent: November 1, 2019

Program: Boston Area Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center

Award Amount: Up to $30,000

Duration: unknown

University of Alabama at Birmingham Cystic Fibrosis Research Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm January 22, 2021

The Gregory Fleming James Cystic Fibrosis Research Center is soliciting applications for pilot and feasibility projects to support new research initiatives in cystic fibrosis pathophysiology and intervention. The pilot and feasibility mechanism is designed to provide support (two years, up to $75,000/year direct costs for translational research) that can lead to subsequent external funding. Projects should test innovative hypotheses that may have significant impact on basic or clinical aspects of the disease and lead to preliminary data for independent grants in the broad area of cystic fibrosis science. Letter of Intent due October 25 2020.

Program: University of Alabama at Birmingham Cystic Fibrosis Research Center

Award Amount: Up to $75,000

Duration: 2 years

Dartmouth Cystic Fibrosis Research Center Pilot Project Program

Start: 11:59pm February 1, 2021      End: 11:59pm February 2, 2021

The Dartmouth Cystic Fibrosis Research Center (DartCF) Pilot Project Program (P3) seeks innovative pilot projects that address important issues in CF disease progression and treatment. Topics of interest for this RFA will focus on any topics related to CF with relevance to airway disease, intestinal disease or whole body disease. The goal of these awards is to attract Dartmouth researchers to the field of CF-related research. Faculty at all levels are eligible. Including those with current extramural funding. Successful applications will propose high-impact basic, translational, or clinical research with the ultimate goal to leverage extramural funding opportunities.

Program: Dartmouth Cystic Fibrosis Research Center

Award Amount: $80,000

Duration: 1-2 years

Stanford University Diabetes Research Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm February 8, 2021

The Stanford Diabetes Research Center (SDRC) is soliciting new Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) Projects. The focus of the SDRC P&F Program is to provide seed funds to help develop early-stage investigators as well as support innovative and/or high-risk proposals from established investigators involved in any aspect of diabetes related research, including but not limited to basic sciences, translational research, clinical research, economics and population sciences. The SDRC is committed to supporting diabetes research within and beyond Stanford University. Applicants must be UC Berkeley or UC Davis investigators (with faculty appts.) with M.D., M.D./Ph.D., or PhD. degrees.

Program: Stanford University Diabetes Research Center

Award Amount: up to $40,000

Duration: One Year

Hopkins Conte Digestive Diseases Basic and Translational Research Core Center Pilot and Feasibility Projects

End: 11:59pm February 15, 2021

The Pilot/Feasibility Projects (P/FP) are key components of core activities. The goal of this program is to provide seed money for projects, eventually leading to successful competition for funding at the national level. The P/FPs provide $10,000-$25,000, typically given each year to up to 4 investigators/projects. Alternatively, up to $50,000 can be awarded for collaborative projects between a new investigator and a more senior investigator. There is no requirement for permanent residence status or US citizenship. Preference is given to young investigators (see criteria of eligibility below); funding is usually for one year. All recipients of P/FP project funding are required to submit a yearly update on their progress for 5 years and formal presentation of progress after the second year.

Program: Hopkins Conte Digestive Diseases Basic and Translational Research Core Center

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1-4 years

Medical University of Southern California (MUSC) COBRE in Digestive & Liver Diseases (MUSC CDLD) and the MUSC Digestive Diseases Research Core Center (MUSC DDRCC) Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm March 1, 2021

The primary objective of the P/F Program is to support junior and new MUSC investigators who are interested in pursuing basic, clinical or translational research of diseases that affect the liver and/or gastrointestinal system. Applications that develop or strengthen collaborative interactions amongst the MUSC digestive disease research community are highly encouraged. Proposed projects must have a high likelihood for progression to extramural funding and directly utilize one or more of the CDLD and/or DDRCC Core Resources. Letter of Intent Deadline: Jan 31, 2021.

Program: Medical University of Southern California (MUSC) COBRE in Digestive & Liver Diseases (MUSC CDLD) and the MUSC Digestive Diseases Research Core Center (MUSC DDRCC)

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1-2 years

University of Michigan Center for Gastrointestinal Research Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm March 10, 2021

The University of Michigan's Digestive Disease Center is focused on fundamental, mechanism-based, basic, translational and clinical research relevant to gastroenterology. The mission of the UMCGR is to study cell signaling and communication which spans the continuum from basic mechanisms of disease to disease-oriented investigations, with the ultimate goal of identifying molecular targets and treatments. UMCGR research is organized around three focus areas, and applications are welcome that address these areas: 1) Metabolism, inflammation, and barrier disruption wound repair 2) Metaplastic and dysplastic cell transformation 3) Gut-brain axis in pain, motility and obesity. Letter of Intent Due February 19, 2021

Program: University of Michigan Center for Gastrointestinal Research

Award Amount: $30,000

Duration: 1-2 years

Yale Liver Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

Start: 11:59pm March 15, 2019      End: 11:59pm March 25, 2021

The NIH P30 Liver Center grant provides for the annual submission of pilot projects (up to $25,000 direct costs each) from both Yale and non-Yale Liver Center investigators as approved by the Executive Committee. The purposes of the pilots are to fund new initiatives, not ongoing research, and to support new investigators to pursue liver related research that should lead to future R01-type funding or other support. Projects utilizing Core Facilities and supporting young investigators or applying new methodologies or approaches to the study of liver pathophysiology are given priority if the science is equally meritorious. Projects that will not make use of the Liver Center Core Facilities will not be considered. Clinical trials are not allowed. Letter of Intent Deadline: February 25, 2022

Program: Yale Liver Center

Award Amount: Up to $40,000

Duration: 1 year

Vanderbilt O’Brien Kidney Center (VOKC) Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm April 1, 2021

The Vanderbilt O’Brien Kidney Center (VOKC) is seeking applications for pilot project proposals with a deadline for submission of April 1, 2021. This request for applications is open to investigators within or outside of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Pilot and feasibility (P&F) studies in any aspect of kidney disease research are supported by the VOKC. Such funds must be used for new investigators, investigators from other fields willing to bring their research expertise to nephrology, or for investigators currently in the nephrology area whose proposed research would constitute a totally new direction. Pilot support is not intended for established investigators with ongoing research. Pilot support is intended to provide support allowing an investigator the opportunity to develop preliminary data sufficient to provide the basis for an application for independent research support through conventional granting mechanisms. Applicants should include how O’Brien center cores will be utilized.

Program: Vanderbilt O’Brien Kidney Center (VOKC)

Amount: Up to $40,000

Duration: 1 year

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Pediatric Center of Excellence in Nephrology (PCEN) Pilot/Feasibility Program for Clinical Trials in Pediatric Kidney Disease

End: 11:59pm April 16, 2021

CHOP’s Pediatric Center of Excellence in Nephrology (CHOP PCEN) aims to break down barriers to implementing clinical trials in childhood kidney disease. Each year the Center seeks applications to support at least one pilot and feasibility research project. Maximum funding is $50,000 for one year. Applications must include human subjects research in pediatric nephrology. Basic science research or diseases outside pediatric kidney disease are not accepted. Proposals must focus on research that will directly lead to clinical trials in pediatric nephrology and utilize at least one of the CHOP PCEN Cores including a new collaboration with the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) study (see the Call for Proposals for more information). Eligibility: Junior and mid-career investigators with human subjects research interests related to kidney disease in children. The pilot application itself does not have to be a clinical trial. Letter of Intent Deadline: February 3, 2021.

Program: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Pediatric Center of Excellence in Nephrology (PCEN)

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

DiaComp Pilot and Feasibility Program

Start: January 12, 2017      End: 11:59pm April 16, 2021

This program solicits and funds small Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) projects in high impact areas of complications research. Specifically, this program aims to support discovery (hypothesis generating) and innovative (high risk/ high reward) research that is increasingly difficult to support through standard NIH mechanisms. Basic, translational and clinical research proposals are encouraged. Research involving human subjects is limited to observational studies with non-invasive or minimally invasive testing and must have IRB approval that includes the collection and use of human samples for research purposes. Interventional clinical trials are beyond the scope of this program. Awards are expected to prepare the applicant(s) to submit a future investigator initiated project (e.g. NIH R01). Lower priority will be given to applicants who have received DiaComp support in the past three years. Foreign applications are NOT allowed.

Program: DiaComp

Award Amount: $100,000

Duration: 1 Year

Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA) at Yale University Pilot Project

Start: July 23, 2015      End: 11:59pm April 30, 2021

The Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA) at Yale University seeks letters of intent for its annual Pilot Projects in HIV/AIDS Prevention Research program. The goal of the program is to provide pilot funding that will result in additional externally funded research projects.  We will consider letters of intent for applications for short-term funding support for preliminary, formative, or feasibility studies that will inform the development of larger, peer-reviewed research that can compete successfully for NIH or other funding. Applicants may propose to collect new data or to analyze data from completed R01, R03, R21 grants, other externally-funded projects, or previous CIRA pilot projects for the purpose of developing a new research agenda and funding. Eligibility: The program is open to full-time faculty and postdoctoral fellows and associates at Yale University, The Institute for Community Research (ICR), and the Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention (CHIP) at UConn.  Investigators from other universities or colleges and community-based organizations are eligible to apply in collaboration with a Principal Investigator based at Yale, ICR, or CHIP. It is our expectation that awardees will hold an appointment at one of these institutions for at least one year past the award date. Letter of intent: March 30, 2021

Program: Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA) at Yale University

Award Amount: Up to $25,000

Duration: One Year

UCLA AIDS Institute / UCLA CHIPTS / UCLA Pediatrics AIDS Coalition Pediatric HIV Research

End: 11:59pm May 10, 2021

The UCLA AIDS Institute is accepting applications for seed grants to fund basic and clinical pilot research studies relevant to pediatric HIV infection. The grants will be funded by the Pediatric AIDS Coalition at UCLA, through proceeds from the annual Dance Marathon. Letter of Intent due March 15, 2021.

Program: UCLA AIDS Institute

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 2 years

Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Diseases Pilot and Feasibility Grant Program

Start: 11:59pm January 1, 2016      End: 11:59pm May 21, 2021

The purpose of the Center is to unite investigators with interests in digestive and liver physiology and disease and to stimulate others in the biomedical community to enter this area of research. One of the most important aspects of this effort is the funding of Pilot/Feasibility Projects. The Pilot/Feasibility Project should be related to the focus of the Center, which encompasses molecular studies on the biology or disease of the alimentary tract, pancreas, and liver. Relevant investigations include those in developmental biology, nutrition, regulation of gene expression, growth, differentiation and carcinogensis, the biology of stem cells, molecular genetics, gene therapy, and immunology, including growth factors and cytokines. Eligibility: All faculty members of the University scientific community who meet the eligibility requirements below are invited to submit proposals.

Program: Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Diseases

Award Amount: $20,000

Duration: 1 Year

Michigan Nutrition and Obesity Research Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm May 28, 2021

The purpose of the MNORC Pilot /Feasibility (P/F) Grant Program is to promote research on the biological and behavioral determinants of obesity, and to develop interventions to reduce obesity and its disease sequelae using basic, clinical, or population approaches. The P/F program’s aim is to enable both new and established University of Michigan investigators to generate sufficient preliminary information for a successful application for major research funding from NIH or other national granting agencies. Grant proposals may be in areas of basic biomedical research or in clinical, epidemiological, or translational research, e.g. interventions in clinical or population-based setting. Animal or human models may be considered. Grant proposals involving cross-disciplinary expertise, Faculty from different UM schools, and that utilize the core laboratories of the MNORC are especially encouraged. The MNORC 2020 Call for Proposals aims to foster research addressing key questions in the areas of: Pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention, or control of obesity; complications of obesity or related endocrine or metabolic disorders (e.g. counter-regulatory proteins, metabolic syndrome); neuro-peptides that may control eating behavior or energy expenditure; adipose tissue biology; influence of gut flora on nutrient absorption and cellular functions related to energy utilization. Translational research projects are encouraged and should focus on research advances into clinical practice or population-based interventions related to obesity, and include identification of barriers to widespread adoption of new science and the testing of interventions to overcome these barriers.

Program: Michigan Nutrition and Obesity Research Center

Award Amount: up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Washington University in St. Louis, Nutrition Obesity Research Center

Start: January 1, 2014      End: 11:59pm June 7, 2021

The major objective of this program is to provide research support to test innovative hypotheses involving nutrition/metabolism-related research. This research should involve some aspect of nutrient absorption, metabolism, or cell signaling or genetic aspects that are nutrition-related.  It is hoped that a Pilot and Feasibility Award will generate enough preliminary data for the investigator to obtain research funding by conventional mechanisms (e.g., R01).  We also hope this program will encourage young investigators and more established investigators in other fields to approach problems which are relevant to our understanding of nutrient metabolism and function and increase our understanding of the basic and clinical aspects of nutrition in the prevention, etiology, pathophysiology, and therapy of disease.

Program: Washington University in St. Louis, Nutrition Obesity Research Center

Amount: Up to $30,000

Duration: 1 Year

University Of Wisconsin-Madison‚ Washington University Diabetes Research Center Collaborative Pilot & Feasibility Awards

End: 11:59pm July 12, 2021

Funds from the Washington University Diabetes Research Center are dedicated to supporting Pilot & Feasibility Awards through a collaborative program with University of Wisconsin-Madison. The goal of these funds is to develop preliminary data leading to the submission of new applications for independent (NIH, JDRF, or ADA) research grants. Faculty members from any department at University of Wisconsin-Madison are encouraged to apply.

Program: University Of Wisconsin-Madison‚ Washington University Diabetes Research Center

Award Amount: Contact program

Duration: 1 year

Pennington Biomedical Research Center Nutrition Obesity Research Center Supplemental Pilot And Feasibility Grant

End: 11:59pm September 4, 2021

In accordance with NIH’s interest in diversity, inclusion, and equity within the biomedical research workforce the Pennington/Louisiana NORC recently received $100,000 in funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to establish opportunities designed to increase the number of investigators from underrepresented groups and/or disadvantaged backgrounds as well as individuals with disabilities. To achieve this critical goal, we will fund 2-3 Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) grants for 1 year. The major objective of this program is to provide research support to develop preliminary data and/or novel methods to early career scientists (including senior post-doctoral fellows; >1.5y) from underrepresented groups involving nutrition/obesity-related research. The NORC will give highest priority to research related to nutrition/obesity throughout the lifespan. The P&F awards are intended to generate preliminary data for the investigator to obtain extramural research funding from the NIH (e.g., R01). We encourage investigators to approach problems relevant to our understanding of metabolism and function while increasing our understanding of the basic and clinical aspects of nutrition in the etiology, pathophysiology, therapy, and prevention of diseases. Letter of Intent due Sept. 17, 2021.

Program: Pennington Biomedical Research Center Nutrition Obesity Research Center

Award Amount: Up to $100,000

Duration: 1 year

Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) Request for Proposals: Team Science Awards

Start: August 19, 2014      End: 11:59pm October 6, 2021

Awards for team science are designed to foster a collaborative research process and promote transformational melanoma research advances with the potential for rapid clinical translation. Multidisciplinary teams of two or more established Principal Investigators and a Young Investigator with complementary expertise will receive up to $900,000 total over 3 years, to support projects with the potential to lead to transformative advances in prevention, detection, diagnosis, staging and/or treatment of melanoma. Letters of Intent (LOIs) are due on October 6, 2021. Team Science Award Full Proposals Due (from invited applicants) on January 19, 2021.

Program: Melanoma Research Alliance

Award Amount: Up to $900,000 total over 3 years

Duration: 3 years

North Carolina Diabetes Research Center (NCDRC) Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm October 20, 2021

The goal of the North Carolina Diabetes Research Center (NCDRC) is to increase the impact of the already important diabetes research ongoing at Duke University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), and Wake Forest School of Medicine (WF). Each has rich resources and outstanding investigators, and the NCDRC represents a timely opportunity to enhance interactions among these research communities and expand unique capabilities at each site to their neighboring campuses. The mission of the NCDRC is to provide investigators, both established in or new to diabetes research, with access to powerful research technologies to enhance the impact of their work, as well as to connect investigators with collaborators, both at intra - and inter-institutional levels, to broaden the scope of their projects. Eligibility: Independent investigators holding faculty appointments at the participating NCDRC institutions. Required Letter of Intent Deadline: August 25, 2021

Program: North Carolina Diabetes Research Center (NCDRC)

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Polycystic Kidney Disease Research Resource Consortium Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm November 19, 2021

The PKD RRC Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) program will provide funds to eligible investigators for the development of innovative and high impact projects broadly related to the study of polycystic kidney and liver disease. Projects focusing on discovery (hypothesis-generating) and/or innovative (high-risk/high-reward) research are highly encouraged. The program will support basic, translational and clinical research proposals. Research involving human subjects is limited to observational studies with non-invasive or minimally invasive testing. Clinical trials are beyond the scope of this program. Letter of Intent: Sept. 20, 2021.

Program: Polycystic Kidney Disease Research Resource Consortium

Award Amount: Up to $63,500

Duration: 1 year

Yale School of Medicine Diabetes Research Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

Start: November 9, 2015      End: 11:59pm December 1, 2021

The DRC Pilot and Feasibility Study Award is intended to provide modest support that will allow an investigator the opportunity to develop sufficient preliminary data to provide the basis for an application for independent research support. Pilot and Feasibility Study support is not intended for large projects by established investigators which would otherwise be submitted as a separate research grant application. Pilot and feasibility funds are also not intended to support or supplement current ongoing funded research by an investigator. Eligibility: Yale Faculty at the time of appointment

Program: Yale School of Medicine Diabetes Research Center

Award Amount: $35,000

Duration: One Year

Autoimmune Liver Diseases Pilot Research Award

End: 11:59pm December 2, 2021

The purpose of this one year, $20,000 award is to provide supplementary funding during the pilot phase of basic, translational or clinical research projects in autoimmune liver disease (e.g. autoimmune hepatitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, primary biliary cholangitis) in preparation for future grant applications by the recipient. Projects should address focused research questions pertaining to the pathogenesis, diagnosis, management or outcome of autoimmune liver diseases in children and adults.

Program: American Association for the Study of Liver Disease

Award Amount: $20,000

Duration: one year

AASLD Pilot Research Award

End: 11:59pm December 2, 2021

The American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) Foundation Pilot Research Award supports highly innovative research ideas that have a clear potential to produce high-impact results, but have little or no preliminary data to successfully compete for funding from other sources. Applicant must be at the post-doctoral level (MD, PhD, PharmD or equivalent), or faculty at or below the rank of Associate Professor in an accredited North American (US, Canada, or Mexico) academic institution at the award start date.

Program: The American Association for the Study of Liver Disease Foundation

Award Amount: $50,000

Duration: one year

The University of Pennsylvania Diabetes Research Center Pilot and Feasibility Grant Program

Start: 11:59pm April 1, 2020      End: 11:59pm December 6, 2021

The P&F program is particularly directed at new investigators and established investigators new to diabetes research. Established diabetes investigators pursuing high impact/high-risk projects or projects that are a significant departure from their usual work are also eligible for support under the DRC P&F program. Applications are welcome from basic, clinical and translational investigators. Eligibility: Applications are invited from the Penn DRC community each fall.

Program: The University of Pennsylvania Diabetes Research Center

Award Amount: $50,000

Duration: One Year

UNC Nutrition Obesity Research Center Pilot & Feasibility Program

Start: 11:59pm April 1, 2014      End: 11:59pm January 7, 2022

The primary objective of the Pilot & Feasibility Grant Program is to support the development of innovative research in nutrition and obesity. The program is specifically designed to help investigators collect preliminary data sufficient enough to support a grant application for independent research support and published work. Project Criteria: Pilot & Feasibility projects may be biomedical, epidemiological, clinical or translational. They may include laboratory or non-laboratory research projects that focus either on human nutrition or on animal work that could be translated to human nutrition. Human nutrition projects may focus on inpatient or outpatient studies or on epidemiological/community-based research that is social or behavioral in nature. Applicant Eligibility: The applicants must be a faculty member at UNC-CH who is a (1) new investigator without current or past NIH research support (R01, P01, or R24) as a PD/PI, or (2) an established, funded investigator with no previous work experience in nutritional sciences, and/or obesity who wishes to test the applicability of their expertise to a nutritional science and/or obesity-related problem. Funding: The NORC funds 1-year grants up to $20,000. The actual amount of the award and number of awards made will depend upon the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funding. Expenditures may begin at any time after the project’s start date (April 1st); however, the entire award should be expended within one year of receipt. Renewal for a second year of funding is possible for meritorious projects that have made appropriate progress during the first year. P&F funding is not intended for the extension of projects for which it would be appropriate to submit a research project grant application. Funds are also not intended to support or supplement ongoing research projects. Pre-Application Proposal: November 1, 2021.

Program: UNC Nutrition Obesity Research Center

Amount: $20,000

Duration: 1 year

University of Washington Cystic Fibrosis Research Development Program

Start: 11:59pm February 16, 2021      End: January 24, 2022

The University of Washington Cystic Fibrosis Research Development Program is seeking applications for Pilot and Feasibility projects AND pre- and post-doctoral fellowship positions in laboratory-based research. Investigators eligible for pilot and feasibility funding must hold a faculty position, be independent investigators, and be (1) new investigators without major (e.g. R01-level) current or past NIH research support as a principal investigator; (2) established investigators not previously focused on CF; or (3) established CF investigators proposing innovative ideas that represent a clear departure from their previous research.

Program: University of Washington Cystic Fibrosis Research Translation Center

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 2 years

Chicago Center for Diabetes Translation Research (CCDTR) Pilot and Feasibility Grants Program

End: 11:59pm January 31, 2022

Chicago Center for Diabetes Translation Research Pilot and Feasibility Grants Program aimed at: 1) Attracting more junior investigators of the faculty into the area of type II diabetes-related translational research; 2) Allowing more established investigators who are not currently engaged in type II diabetes translational research to extend their investigations into this important area; or 3) Permitting any investigator to test a novel hypothesis of relevance to diabetes type II translational research which might not yet meet NIH requirements for R01 or R18 funding. Applicants must be CCDTR members to apply. Letter of Intent Deadline: January 3, 2022. 

Program: Chicago Center for Diabetes Translation Research

Award Amount: up to $25,000

Duration: 1 year

UAB-UCSD O'Brien Core Center for Acute Kidney Injury Research Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: February 25, 2022

The UAB-UCSD O'Brien Core Center for Acute Kidney Injury Research (P30 DK079337) invites proposals for participation in the pilot and feasibility (P&F) studies involving the pathophysiology, basic mechanisms, therapeutic approaches, translational studies, and clinical outcomes related to acute kidney injury (acute renal failure). The intent of this pilot program is to provide seed monies for researchers to obtain subsequent extramural funding. If funded, the proposed start date for the P&F grants will be August 1, 2021. Four to five pilot projects may be funded based on merit and availability of funding. Applicants of the first application may be invited to submit an expansion by 5 PM, May 25, 2022. 

Program: UAB-UCSD O'Brien Core Center for Acute Kidney Injury Research

Award Amount: Up to $40,000

Duration: 1-2 years

dkNET New Investigator Pilot Program

Start: 11:59pm November 1, 2019      End: 11:59pm February 28, 2022

Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field that applies quantitative sciences concepts and computational methods to advance our understanding of biological data and principles. Acquiring bioinformatics expertise will be important for many new DEMD investigators who need to manage large datasets and to leverage associated databases and analytical pipelines to solve contemporary biomedical problems. On the other hand, investigators with existing bioinformatics expertise will need to develop an in-depth knowledge of the biological systems and disease processes that underlie the data to design relevant and practical approaches. In the future, having cross-disciplinary expertise in both laboratory and quantitative biology will be important for formulating relevant questions, for developing, choosing, and assembling the proper analytical techniques, and for interpreting and presenting the outcomes in a meaningful and impactful way. The goal of the dkNET Pilot Award program is to provide support for Early Stage and New Investigators seeking to apply computationally-intensive methods to important questions in diabetes, endocrinology and metabolic diseases research. These awards will provide funding for preliminary studies that can serve as a foundation for the development of future grant applications in DEMD-focused topic areas.

dkNET Pilot Award applications should focus on applying computational and/or modeling approaches, whether data-driven, mechanism-driven, or integrated, to compelling research problems in diabetes, endocrinology and related metabolic disorders. Consistent with these goals, this program will support projects focused on a wide array of topics including, but not limited to:

• Metabolic modeling of known and unknown pathway kinetics and compartmentalization in diabetes and/or endocrine or metabolic disorders;
• Network and systems biology of intra and intercellular regulation and inter-tissue and organ homeostasis focused on etiology, diagnosis, prognosis or responses to treatment, including computational approaches to identify biomarkers capable of tracking disease process or progress;
• Structural biology/informatics and chemical informatics of endocrine and metabolic pathways in diabetes, endocrinology and related metabolic diseases;
• AI-assisted image analysis and spatial omics of organs or tissues of relevance to diabetes or metabolic disease;
• Computational characterization of the normal or abnormal development of involved organs such as the formation of pancreatic islets;
• Innovative approaches to characterize and understand type 2 diabetes heterogeneity;
• Clinical informatics including curation, modeling and integration of data from EHR, medical devices, wearables and smartphone apps in diabetes prevention, care and management;
• Data science approaches to understand, reduce, and prevent diabetes-related health disparities, including new analysis through social networks and structure;
• The mechanisms for dysregulated glycemia, or diabetes in increased susceptibility or altered course of COVID-19 infection, and for metabolic dysfunction, diabetes, or other endocrine diseases that result from COVID-19 infection.

Of particular interest are projects that can leverage and expand the utility of existing large datasets developed in NIDDK projects and programs. For examples, see the dkNET webpage at NIDDK-specific-repositories. Research designed to address important research questions through the development of new analytical tools, or through novel secondary analyses of existing datasets are encouraged. Letter of Intent Due Date: January 28, 2022

Program: The NIDDK Information Network (dkNET), University of California San Diego

Award Amount: Limited to $225,000 direct costs over the lifetime of the award (Up to 2 years)

Duration: Up to 2 years

Stanford Diabetes Research Center Collaborative National DRC/CDTR Pilot & Feasibility Applications

End: 11:59pm March 1, 2022

This award is intended to foster collaborative efforts between investigators from two or more Diabetes Research Centers (DRCs) and/or Centers for Diabetes Translational Research (CDTRs) at different institutions. For example, applications can be between two DRCs, two CDTRs or projects between a DRC and CDTR member investigators. However, a DRC and CDTR collaboration from the same institution is not allowed, unless another DRC or CDTR key collaboration is part of the application. The initial round of applications must be related to aspects of COVID-19 disease related to diabetes, obesity or metabolism at the basic, clinical or community levels. 

Program: Stanford Diabetes Center

Award Amount: Up to $100,000

Duration: 1 year

University of Pittsburgh Center for Kidney Research Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm March 1, 2022

Our Center supports Pilot and Feasibility projects that are either basic science or translational in nature. Three general categories of investigators are considered for Pilot and Feasibility funding: (1) newly independent investigators without current or previous R01 or VA Merit Review support; (2) established investigators with limited previous kidney-related research; and (3) established renal investigators proposing innovative ideas that represent a clear departure from ongoing research directions.

Program: University of Pittsburgh Center for Kidney Research

Amount: N/A

Duration: 1-2 years

UT Southwestern Medical Center George M. O’Brien Kidney Research Core Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

Start: 11:59pm November 5, 2020      End: 11:59pm March 14, 2022

The UT Southwestern O’Brien Kidney Research Core Center announces the availability of the Pilot and Feasibility Grant (P&F) to support studies on the kidney and renal disease. The P&F grant provides 1-2 awards up to $35,000 support for one year, depending on availability of funds. No more than 10 percent of the grant may be used to support the principal investigator’s salary and fringe benefits. The grant is designed to support the generation of preliminary data that will lead to subsequent NIH funding. Projects must be in one of the following areas: 1) Kidney Development and Genetics, 2) Renal Physiology and Pathophysiology, and 3) Chronic Kidney Disease. Projects that are focused on the pathogenesis or treatment of kidney cancers are not eligible for funding. Letter of Intent Due January 7, 2022.

Program: UT Southwestern Medical Center George M. O’Brien Kidney Research Core Center

Award Amount: Up to $35,000

Duration: 1 year

Nutrition Obesity Research Center at University of California San Francisco Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm May 1, 2022

The Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) at UCSF is sponsoring an open Request for Applications (RFA) for Pilot and Feasibility Grants, which provide funding for investigators to pursue novel and promising ideas broadly relevant to nutrition, obesity, and metabolism research. The NORC Pilot and Feasibility Program is funded through a Center grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to facilitate the engagement of junior faculty and encourage new directions in NORC related research, regardless of a laboratory’s historical research focus.

Program: Nutrition Obesity Research Center at University of California San Francisco

Award Amount: up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Yale George M. O’Brien Center for Kidney Research Pilot and Feasibility Program

Start: June 4, 2018      End: 11:59pm May 2, 2022

The goal of the Yale Kidney Research Center is to foster translational and clinical research relevant to kidney disease by use of animal models or patient studies. Applications from a broad range of laboratory and clinical areas of investigation are encouraged. P&F applications should seek to fund new initiatives rather than ongoing research. We specifically encourage the development of research programs that will lead to translational and clinical studies in kidney research. Applications from under-represented minority and women applicants are also particularly encouraged. Optional Letter of Intent Deadline: April 1, 2022. 

Program: Yale George M. O’Brien Center for Kidney Research

Amount: Up to $40,000

Duration: 1-2 years

University of Kentucky/University of Cincinnati Collaborative Grant

End: 11:59pm May 9, 2022

The research award is designed to stimulate collaboration between the respective campuses. Specifically, this joint award aims to catalyze the development or enhance the maturation of multi-institutional research teams capable of performing highly innovative, extramurally fundable research that will continue to contribute to the health and wellbeing of Appalachia. The research topic must be related to clinical and translational science and can be any health-related topic that addresses a significant health issue identified by the community. Research activities may include but are not limited to: conducting community assessments, analyzing existing data, pilot testing data collection instruments or procedures, conducting formative research on intervention strategies or messages, and testing intervention feasibility. Letters of Intent Due: March 30, 2022. 

Program: University of Cincinnati CCTST and University of Kentucky CCTS

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

New York Regional Center for Diabetes Translation Research Pilot and Feasibility program

End: 11:59pm May 16, 2022

The New York Regional Center for Diabetes Translation Research (NY-CDTR) announces the availability of Pilot and  Feasibility (P&F) funding for preliminary studies to support planned extramural funding applications (NIH preferred) for diabetes-related translational research. This program is designed to support primarily early-stage investigators (ESIs), but also established investigators in other fields to conduct research in diabetes, obesity and related cardiometabolic disorders. The program supports the generation of new ideas, approaches, and areas of inquiry. Proposals that investigate health disparities related to diabetes and obesity, and these areas as they relate to COVID-19, are encouraged. (1) To conduct annual P&F grant competitions. (2) To increase P&F awardee and early-stage investigator use of CDTR resources (Core services and Enrichment programming). (3) To objectively evaluate P&F awardee progress (4) To increase P&F applications from URiM investigators and evaluate relevant funding metrics. Letter of Intent Deadline: April 11, 2022.

Program: New York Regional Center for Diabetes Translation Research

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1-2 years

Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard Pilot and Feasibility Program

Start: January 1, 2015      End: 11:59pm June 1, 2022

We are currently seeking applications for Pilot & Feasibility Grants related to Nutrition, Obesity, and Metabolism. The award is up to $30,000 over 1 year, with possibility for up to $30,000 additional funding during year 2 via a competitive renewal if good progress is achieved. Eligible applicants fall into one of 3 categories: (1) Early career investigators in nutrition, metabolism, or obesity; (2) established investigators new to the field of nutrition, metabolism or obesity research; or (3) established investigators in the field looking for funding for a new direction in nutrition, metabolism or obesity research.  Investigators from any Harvard institution are eligible to apply. 

Program: Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard

Amount: up to $30,000

Duration: 1-2 years

UK/Washington University Collaborative Diabetes Research Pilot

End: 11:59pm June 30, 2022

The Washington University Diabetes Research Center (DRC) anticipates funding new Pilot & Feasibility Awards through an ongoing collaborative program with the University of Kentucky starting 12/1/22, pending competitive renewal of NIDDK funding in 2022. The contact Principal Investigator of this program at University of Kentucky is Dr. Philip Kern. The goal of this program is to develop preliminary data leading to the submission of new applications for independent (NIH, JDRF, or ADA) research grants.

Program: Washington University Diabetes Research Center and University of Kentucky

Award Amount: Up to $40,000

Duration: 1 year

University of Kentucky—Washington University Diabetes Research Center Collaborative Pilot & Feasibility Awards

End: 11:59pm June 30, 2022

The goal of this program is to develop preliminary data leading to the submission of new applications for independent (NIH, JDRF, or ADA) research grants. This funding opportunity is available to: 1) New faculty members involved in diabetes-related research who have not yet obtained independent funding. 2) Established investigators not involved in diabetes-related research who propose feasibility studies related to diabetes. 3) Established investigators involved in diabetes-related research who propose feasibility studies clearly not related to previously supported research.

Program: University of Kentucky—Washington University Diabetes Research Center

Award Amount: up to $40,000

Duration: 1 year

The University of Arizona Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center Pilot Projects

Start: 11:59pm August 10, 2015      End: 11:59pm July 15, 2022

The Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center (SWEHSC) announces the following funding opportunity through its Pilot Project Program funded by the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The goal of the SWEHSC is to facilitate and implement innovative research aimed at understanding the mechanisms underlying the modulation of human disease risks due to environmental exposures among populations living in arid environments. Pilot Project funds are awarded to provide short-term support for innovative projects aimed at exploring new areas of environmental health research and acquiring preliminary data necessary to pursue long-term extramural funding and to support the Career Development of new investigators and highly successful senior investigators who wish to redirect their research to include environmental health.

Program: The University of Arizona Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center

Award Amount: Up to $40,000

Duration: No time frame specified.

Illuminating the Druggable Genome (IDG) Program Pilot Projects Investigating Understudied G Protein-Coupled Receptors, Ion Channels, and Protein Kinases

Start: July 10, 2019      End: 11:59pm July 15, 2022

The goal of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for the Common Fund Program "Illuminating the Druggable Genome" (IDG; https://commonfund.nih.gov/idg/index) is to solicit applications for pilot projects on IDG-eligible understudied proteins (non-olfactory GPCRs, protein kinases, and ion channels) in order to study them beyond what the IDG’s Centers can accomplish and to validate and demonstrate the utility of IDG-generated reagents, data, and approaches. Awards will support the generation of additional data and tools around understudied protein(s) identified by the IDG Program to elucidate the function of these proteins in the context of human disease. Outcomes such as generated tools and data collection by these projects will enhance the overall goals of the IDG Program by expanding the resources available for the scientific community, increasing awareness of the IDG Program through use of IDG-generated resources, and/or extending the characterization of IDG-eligible proteins. The overall goal of the IDG Program is to catalyze research in areas of biology that are currently understudied but that have high potential to impact human health by (1) identifying biochemical, cellular, or animal model phenotypes for understudied proteins from druggable gene families, (2) enabling further investigation of those proteins by providing reagents and tools, and (3) generating, maintaining, and facilitating the use of a minable knowledge base. Letter of Intent Due Date: June 15, 2022

Program: Illuminating the Druggable Genome (IDG) Program

Award Amount: Up to $100,000

Duration: 1 year

University of Utah—Washington University Diabetes Research Center Collaborative Pilot & Feasibility Awards

End: 11:59pm July 30, 2022

The Washington University Diabetes Research Center (DRC) anticipates funding new Pilot & Feasibility Awards through an ongoing collaborative program with the University of Utah starting 12/1/21. The contact Principal Investigator of this program at University of Utah is Dr. Simon Fisher. The goal of this program is to develop preliminary data leading to the submission of new applications for independent (NIH, JDRF, or ADA) research grants.

Program: University of Utah—Washington University Diabetes Research Center

Award Amount: Up to $40,000

Duration: 1 year

The Michigan George M. O'Brien Kidney Translational Core Center Pilot/Feasibility Study Grant Program

End: 11:59pm September 16, 2022

The George M. O'Brien Kidney Translational Core Center at the University of Michigan (P30 DK081943) invites proposals for pilot and feasibility (P&F) grants involving the pathophysiology, basic mechanisms, therapeutic approaches, translational studies and clinical outcomes of chronic kidney diseases.  The intent of this pilot program is to provide seed monies for researchers to obtain subsequent extramural funding. If funded, the proposed start date for the P&F grants will be January 1, 2023. Eligibility: Newly independent investigators (at the Clinical Lecturer, Instructor or Assistant Professor levels) without current or past NIH research support at the R01 level. This funding opportunity is open to investigators from all institutions in the U.S. Established investigators who want to explore a novel idea related to chronic kidney diseases that represents a clear departure from the investigator's ongoing research efforts.

Program: The Michigan George M. O'Brien Kidney Translational Core Center (MKTCC)

Award Amount: Up to $40,000

Duration: 1 year

The Jackson Laboratory Diversity Outbred Pilot Grant Program

Start: 11:59pm October 1, 2021      End: 11:59pm December 2, 2022

The purpose of the Diversity Outbred Pilot Grant Program is to explore new uses for genetic diversity in biomedical research. This program aims to enable a greater understanding of the impact of genetic diversity on experimental outcomes and to assess its contribution to phenotypic variability across a range of research areas. Applicants must be affiliated with an academic, government, or nonprofit institution in North America to be eligible for award. 

Program: The Jackson Labratory

Amount: Up to $10,000

Columbia University Medical Center Diabetes Research Center Pilot Feasibility Grants

End: 11:59pm December 15, 2022

The Columbia Diabetes Research Center (DERC) offers Pilot and Feasibility grants to support diabetes-related research at Columbia University. New awards will be funded in March of each academic year. The Diabetes Research Center funds Pilot Feasibility projects related to diabetes for up to $50,000 per year. Projects are generally funded for a year, but can be extended for a second year, based on progress. The Pilot Feasibility Program solicits applications from qualified investigators, ensures prompt peer-review, oversees grant administration, monitors funded investigators’ records of productivity, and integrates sponsored research with other programmatic enrichment activities. Letter of Intent deadline: October 15, 2022.

Program: Columbia University Medical Center

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1-2 years

CureGN Pilot Grant

End: 11:59pm December 23, 2022

This solicitation aims to provide one-year pilot funding to investigators working in areas of high relevance to the overall aims of CureGN (Cure Glomerulonephropathy Network). The program is open to all scientists, within or outside of the CureGN consortium. Projects can include, but are not limited to, those that can be used to generate feasibility data to support future studies, projects to develop clinical assays or projects that generate new data. Innovative projects that expand the areas of scientific inquiry of CureGN are invited.

Program: Cure Glomerulonephropathy Network (CureGN)

Award Amount: up to $75,000

Duration: 1 year

University of Chicago Diabetes Research and Training Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

Start: October 15, 2015      End: February 1, 2023

The Pilot and Feasibility (P and F) programs at the University of Chicago DRTC support new initiatives in diabetes related biomedical, epidemiological or behavioral research. The program is designed to provide limited support to develop preliminary data sufficient for funding of a research grant application or to test an innovative hypothesis which might have important implications or yield significant results for diabetes related research. Eligible investigators should hold a PhD, MD or MD/PhD degree and have a full time appointment at a research university or medical center in the Chicagoland area.  Postdoctoral and MD Fellows are not eligible to appy, while faculty of paranthetical rank are eligible to apply.  Applicants include new investigators without current or past NIH support as principal investigators, establish grant supported investigators who have not previously worked in diabetes related areas, or established investigators in diabetes related areas with a proposal for testing the feasibility of a new or innovative idea that is diabetes related and represents a clear and distinct departure from his/her ongoing research interests. The P and F programs at the University of Chicago provide a mechanism to foster the broad participation of investigators at various levels within the academic community and with highly varied training and experience in diabetes related research. Eligibility: University of Chicago Faculty

Program: University of Chicago Diabetes Research and Training Center

Award Amount: $40,000

Duration: One Year

Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center Pilot Grant Program

Start: July 1, 2015      End: 11:59pm February 1, 2023

The Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center (BU ADC) is soliciting  proposals for pilot and feasibility Studies. New proposals or initiatives for biomedical, epidemiological behavioral, legal, ethical, health systems or other research in Alzheimer’s disease are encouraged. Two NIH funded proposals for $25,000 in direct costs for one-year non-renewable studies will be awarded. The Pilot Grant funding mechanism is intended to support new investigators from other fields eager to bring their research expertise to bear on Alzheimer’s disease, as well as feasibility testing of innovative drug and management approaches. Pilot study support is not intended for large undertakings by established investigators, or to enhance ongoing research projects, which are already funded.

Program: Boston University

Award Amount: $25,000

Duration: One Year

Georgia Center for Diabetes Translation Research: Pilot & Feasibility Pilot Award Program

End: 11:59pm February 15, 2023

The Pilot and Feasibility (P and F) Program of the Georgia Center for Diabetes Translation Research is a center-wide activity designed to support investigators in conducting studies that address the priority focal areas of GDTRC’s Cores: Design and Evaluation for Equity, Engagement and Behavior Change for Equity, and Technologies Advancing Translation and Equity. This program serves a pivotal role in catalyzing high-return investments by helping develop junior investigators, attracting transitioning investigators, and significantly growing the breadth and depth of NIH-funded collaborative interdisciplinary diabetes translation research in the Southeast region. The integration across GCDTR’s Cores and the P and F Program ensures that pilot study investigators will be supported by Core Faculty –nationally-recognized experts in their fields– in conducting innovative studies using state-of-the-art technologies, innovative design, and multi-disciplinary evaluation approaches. Letter of intent:  November 30, 2022. 

Program: Georgia Center for Diabetes Translation Research

Award Amount: up to $30,000

Duration: 1 year

Environmental Health Sciences Research Center (EHSRC) Pilot Grant Program

Start: December 15, 2015      End: 11:59pm February 15, 2023

The EHSRC Pilot Grant Program seeks innovative, environmental health-related research proposals from University of Iowa researchers eligible to apply for K or R01 grants from NIH. Proposals for laboratory and/or field research will be accepted. Areas of EHSRC interest for funding include, but are not limited to, the following: Studies of susceptibility to environmentally induced disease (gene/environment interactions), Nanotoxicology, Environmental risk factors for disease, Fundamental biology with environmental relevance, Environmental and mammalian toxicology, Occupational and environmental medicine, Assessment of exposures to environmental agents, and Environmental remediation and control.All University of Iowa researchers eligible for apply for K or R01 grants from NIH are invited to apply. This specifically includes Post-doctoral Fellows, Post-doctoral Scholars, Faculty (all ranks) and Research Scientists, Research Engineers, Associate Research Scientists, Associate Research Engineers, Other categories of individuals; students and staff may not be investigators but may be designated to receive salary support and should be listed in the budget. Eligibility: Post-doctoral Fellows, Post-doctoral Scholars, Faculty (all ranks) and Research Scientists, Research Engineers, Associate Research Scientists, Associate Research Engineers at the University of Iowa. February 1, 2023:  Preliminary communications as outlined.

Program: Environmental Health Sciences Research Center

Award Amount: $40,000

Duration: One Year

Washington University Digestive Diseases Research Cores Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm February 17, 2023

The overall objectives of this program are to provide support for the purposes of testing innovative hypotheses which may have significant impact on digestive diseases research. Our hope is that the investigator can then develop enough preliminary data sufficient for funding of a research grant application by conventional mechanisms (e.g. R01). This program hopes to encourage young investigators and more established investigators in other field to approach problems which are relevant to our understanding of normal intestinal, liver and pancreatic function and to digestive diseases. We are particularly interested in projects that address issues in mucosal immunity, epithelial injury/repair, microbial interactions with intestinal, hepatic and pancreatic tissues. We would like to encourage efforts addressing intestinal motility and the application of novel genetic models (e.g. C. elegans, Drosophilia, etc) to address questions in GI tract development. Letter of Intent Deadline: January 27, 2023

Program: Washington University Digestive Diseases Research Cores Center

Award Amount: Up to $30,000

Duration: 1-2 years

University of Washington Nutrition Obesity Research Center, UW Diabetes Research Center (DRC), and UW Medicine Diabetes Institute (UWMDI) Joint Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) Program

End: 11:59pm February 24, 2023

The Diabetes Research Center (DRC) is collaborating with the UW Medicine Diabetes Institute (UWMDI) and UW Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (NORC) in a joint Pilot and Feasibility Research Program. The program collectively offers multiple awards of $50,000/year for up to 2 years to promising investigators from any disciplinary background performing research in the fields of nutrition, metabolism, diabetes, and obesity. Proposals may include basic, clinical, translational, or population-based studies that align with one or more of the institutions’ respective research themes. Letter of Intent due January 19, 2023

Program: University of Washington (UW) Nutrition Obesity Research Center, UW Diabetes Research Center (DRC), UW Medicine Diabetes Institute (UWMDI)

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 2 years

Einstein-Sinai Diabetes Research Center (ES-DRC) Pilot and Feasibility Study Program

End: 11:59pm February 28, 2023

The Einstein-Mt. Sinai Diabetes Research Center (ES-DRC) announces the availability of Pilot and Feasibility awards (up to $50,000 for one year) for new projects that explore a diabetes-related concept. Basic and translational projects related to diabetes are eligible. These funds are intended to enable investigators from Einstein, Mt. Sinai, and other affiliated NYC Institutions to generate preliminary data so as to provide the basis for seeking extramural funding of their project. Pilot and feasibility funds are not intended to support or supplement ongoing diabetes research programs. Recipients are required to hold a faculty rank of Instructor or higher at the time of the award. 

Program: Einstein-Sinai Diabetes Research Center (ES-DRC)

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

UCSD - UCLA Diabetes Research Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

Start: March 2, 2020      End: 11:59pm March 15, 2023

The DRC P&F mechanism will fund innovative new projects that will explore the feasibility of novel testable concepts and enhance the endocrine/diabetes research scope within the institutions. A special emphasis on promoting promising junior faculty involved with diabetes research is key to the UCSD/UCLA P&F mission. It is expected that P&F studies will generate preliminary data that will be used by these investigators in diabetes/endocrinology-related R01 applications in the years following their award.The DRC is also pleased to partner with the CTSIs at UCLA, Cedars and UCSD to specifically support clinical and/or translational research relevant to diabetes. The DRC strongly encourages submission of pilot and feasibility proposals in this area.

Program: UCSD - UCLA Diabetes Research Center

Award Amount: $40,000 - $50,000

Duration: 1 Year

University of Colorado Nutrition and Obesity Research Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm May 22, 2023

The Colorado Nutrition and Obesity Research Center is requesting applications for pilot and feasibility projects to support new investigators with projects relevant to nutrition or obesity who have no independent NIH (or comparable) funding. The goal of the program is to help junior investigators perform studies that will help them build their independent research program and support their efforts to acquire a career development award (K01, K08, K23, VA CDA2 or similar award) or their first independent R01 award. The program supports a broad range of research on nutrition and obesity.

Program: University of Colorado Nutrition and Obesity Research Center

Award Amount: Up to $40,000

Duration: 2 years

Integrated Islet Distribution Program (IIDP) Islet Award Initiative

Start: January 7, 2020      End: 11:59pm May 31, 2023

The IIDP Islet Award Initiative is intended to advance research in human islet biology by facilitating the ability of researchers to access human islets for high impact and novel research studies. The number of IIDP Islet Awards funded under this initiative will be determined in any single year based on available resources but will average 3-4 awards per submission date.

Program: Integrated Islet Distribution Program

Award Amount: Undetermined. The number of IIDP Islet Awards funded under this initiative will be determined in any single year based on available resources.

Duration: 2 years

UCLA Center for HIV, Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) Mentored Pilot Program

End: 11:59pm June 30, 2023

The Center for HIV, Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) is proud to announce our 2021 mentored pilot grant program for emerging and new investigators (ranging from Doctoral Students to Assistant Professors). Through this grant program, applicants will obtain individualized, mentored research from engaged and committed faculty mentor/sponsors while conducting a well-defined research project. The successful completion of the proposed mentored research project is expected to enhance emerging and new investigators’ potential to develop into productive, independent research scientists. We are committed to increasing the diversity of the health-related research workforce, and strongly encourage proposals led by individuals with backgrounds that are underrepresented in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research workforce, including underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, gender and sexual minorities and those with disabilities. 

Program: UCLA Center for HIV, Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services (CHIPTS)

Award Amount: Up to $45,000 direct cost

Duration: 1 year

IIDP The Data Resource Trainee Scholar Award (DRTSA)

Start: 11:50pm May 16, 2023      End: 11:50pm July 17, 2023

The Data Resource Trainee Scholar Award (DRTSA) is intended to advance research in human pancreas biology by providing trainees with support and access to detailed donor and islet data contained within the IIDP’s Research Data Repository (RDR) that will enable important secondary analyses to explore the relationships among donor characteristics, islet phenotyping, and genetic risk. The Integrated Islet Distribution Program (IIDP) announces a new funding initiative, the 2023 IIDP Data Resource - Trainee Scholar Award (DRTSA), that is intended to advance research in human pancreas biology by providing trainees with support and access to detailed donor and islet data contained within the IIDP’s Research Data Repository (RDR) that will enable important secondary analyses to explore the relationships among donor characteristics, islet phenotyping, and genetic risk. Studies supported by these awards should focus on key questions in pancreatic research. IIDP data, including detailed donor, islet isolation, and post-shipment phenotyping data, will be made available to award recipients via the IIDP’s Research Data Repository (RDR). A comprehensive list of data points available via the IIDP’s RDR can be viewed here: https://iidp.coh.org/Investigators/Research-Data-Repository. Upon conclusion of the project, all award recipients will be asked to provide feedback on the design and functionality of the RDR to assist the IIDP in improving the RDR’s future functionality and utility. Letter of Intent: June 15, 2023. 

Program: Integrated Islet Distribution Program (IIDP)

Award Amount: $10,000

Duration: 1 year

IIDP Technology Resource Award (TRA)

Start: May 16, 2023      End: 11:59pm July 17, 2023

The Integrated Islet Distribution Program (IIDP) announces a new funding initiative, the 2023 IIDP Technology Resource Award (TRA), that is intended to advance human islet research by providing support for high-impact studies that will enhance services provided by IIDP to the research community. Studies supported by these awards should focus on exceptional ideas and projects that will enhance the ability of IIDP to provide new resources and services to the IIDP community of scientists. Emphasis of proposals should be on the exploration of novel assays or unique technologies that could contribute to and augment IIDP programmatic objectives to support studies of the human pancreas in states of disease and health. Current areas of emphasis include, but are not limited to: (1) Resources for exploring the human islet niche: Development and validation of standardized protocols and assays to measure quality, viability, and function of islet-associated biomaterials and tissues that may be provided by the IIDP to interested researchers. Examples of potential projects could include (but are not limited to) methods to study unique aspects of human islet with a focus on islet interactions with vasculature, neural tissues and the extracellular matrix or projects focused on endocrine exocrine interactions or pancreas immune interactions. (2) Beyond islets: Collaborative studies with IIDP Islet Isolation Centers (IICs) to explore and validate procedures for handling and defining quality control metrics for non-islet pancreatic and pancreas-associated biomaterials to be provided through the network, including acinar and ductal tissues, pancreatic lymph nodes and duodenum. Letter of Intent: June 15, 2023.

Program: Integrated Islet Distribution Program

Award Amount: $150,000

Duration: 1 year

Michigan Diabetes Research Center (MDRC) Regional Pilot/Feasibility Grant Program

End: August 2, 2023

The Regional Pilot/Feasibility (P/F) Grant Program is sponsored by the Michigan Diabetes Research Center (MDRC). Its purpose is to promote research in diabetes by new and established Wayne State University, Michigan State University, and University of Toledo faculty, and to promote collaboration among investigators at these regional institutions and MDRC members at The University of Michigan. The ultimate goal of the program is to enhance regional communication and collaboration among diabetes investigators, accelerate the pace of research, and enable awardees to generate sufficient preliminary data for successful applications for major research funding from the NIH or other national granting agency.

Program: University of Michigan Diabetes Research Center

Award Amount: Up to $60,000

Duration: 1 year

Michigan Diabetes Research Center (MDRC) Pilot/Feasibility Grant Program

End: 11:59pm August 2, 2023

The Pilot/Feasibility (P/F) Grant Program is sponsored by the Michigan Diabetes Research Center (MDRC). Its purpose is to promote research in diabetes by new and established investigators at the University of Michigan. The ultimate goal of the program is to accelerate the pace of research and enable awardees to generate sufficient preliminary data for successful applications for major research funding from the NIH or other national granting agency. Grant proposals may be in the areas of basic biomedical or clinical research and should address key questions regarding the pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of diabetes, its complications, or related endocrine or metabolic disorders (for example: obesity, metabolic syndrome, counter-regulatory proteins).

Program: University of Michigan Diabetes Research Center

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Clinical Pilot and Feasibility Award

Start: February 10, 2020      End: 11:59pm August 8, 2023

Clinical Pilot and Feasibility Awards are offered to support projects involving human subjects (see 45 CFR§46.102(f)) that will develop and test new hypotheses and/or new methods (or those being applied to the problems of cystic fibrosis for the first time), and to support promising new investigators as they establish themselves in research areas relevant to cystic fibrosis. The intent of these awards is to enable investigators to collect sufficient preliminary data to determine the best strategies and methods for approaching a major question that ultimately will require assessment through a larger-scale research and/or multi-center, collaborative trial. Letter of Intent Deadline: March 22, 2023.

Program: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Award Amount: Up to $80,000

Duration: 1-2 years

Center for American Indian and Alaska Native Diabetes Translational Research Pilot Project

Start: January 1, 2015      End: 11:59pm September 18, 2023

The CAIANDTR Pilot & Feasibility Program provides support for ESIs committed to conducting translational research related to diabetes in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. During this 18-month research and training program, funded investigators will: (1) complete and publish a secondary analysis project relevant to diabetes in AI/ANs (Months 1-12) and (2) develop a grant application seeking larger-scale funding for their research efforts (Months 13-18). This funding opportunity provides 18 months of support. The budget should not exceed $37,500 in direct costs. Successful applications will be those that hold promise of benefiting Native people, are scientifically meritorious, are feasible within the time and resources available, and represent an early step in an innovative line of inquiry that can continue beyond this initial investment. Interest Form Deadline: September 5, 2023. 

Program: Center for American Indian and Alaska Native Diabetes Translational Research

Award: $37,500

Duration: 1-2 years

San Diego Digestive Diseases Research Center (SDDRC) Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm October 2, 2023

The pilot/feasibility grants of the San Diego Digestive Diseases Research Center (SDDRC) for the 2021-22 academic year are now available to foster innovative research in the field of digestive diseases. We anticipate that five total awards of $40,000 each will be made in one of two categories: 1) Innovative Research Award (4 x $40,000): These awards will focus on highly innovative research in the broad field of digestive diseases. Studies can be in basic science, translational research, or clinical studies. 2) Jon I. Isenberg Endowed Award (1 x $40,000). The area of research should be broadly related to Dr. Isenberg's lifelong research interests including intestinal epithelial ion transport mechanisms, mucosal defense, peptic ulcer disease, and cystic fibrosis, as applied to the intestine, liver, or biliary system. This award stresses the application of basic science to develop new insights into the mechanisms of human gastrointestinal disease. Eligibility: Investigators must have a faculty position (including Adjunct, Project and Research Scientist positions), at the time the award is made, at one of the four academic institutions that participate in the SDDRC (UC San Diego, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, and The Salk Institute for Biological Studies).

Program: San Diego Digestive Diseases Research Center (SDDRC)

Award Amount: $40,000

Duration: 1 year

University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Center for AIDS Research International Pilot Grants Available for HIV/AIDS Research

Start: August 14, 2015      End: 11:59pm October 2, 2023

The UC San Diego Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) International Core offers Pilot grants to investigators in seven countries. Preference will be given to supporting projects based in Mexico and Mozambique, and funds are also available to support meritorious projects in Brazil, India, Kenya, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Our focus countries offer the potential for long-term collaboration between investigators at UC San Diego and one or more academic or government entities. The list of eligible countries is reviewed annually by the International Core Advisory Board.The maximum award is US$50,000 in direct costs for one year. From 2006-2023, the Core awarded 71 Pilot grants representing more than $4 million in funding. Applications must adhere to several criteria and must undergo a rigorous, objective review process.Pilot grant recipients gain financial support for their studies and discounts on many CFAR resources. In return, the International Core expects grant recipients to successfully apply for subsequent grant funding and to publish manuscripts related to their CFAR-supported research. Continued NIAID funding of the International Core will be primarily determined by the subsequent scientific productivity of pilot grant recipients. As of 2023, more than $53 million awarded in subsequent grants. To be eligible for our Pilot grants, you must possess a doctoral-level degree, and you must be affiliated with an academic or government institution in one of our seven focus countries. Visit website for more details.

Program: University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Center for AIDS Research

Award Amount: $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Vanderbilt Diabetes Research & Training Center Grant

Start: July 1, 2015      End: 11:59pm October 11, 2023

An individual must be a member of the Vanderbilt or Meharry faculty (Instructor or above) and must fit within NIH Guidelines for eligibility. DRTC P&F grants, up to $45,000 for one to two years, are intended to provide support for studies that allow an investigator to develop preliminary data sufficient to prepare an application for independent research support through conventional granting mechanisms. P&F support is targeted to any investigator, new or established, from other fields willing to bring their research expertise to diabetes-relevant research, for investigators currently in the diabetes area whose proposed research would constitute a totally new direction, and for clinical and basic researchers who propose a joint research project. An investigator is eligible for DRTC P&F support only once.

Program: Vanderbilt Diabetes Research & Training Center

Award Amount: Up to $45,000

Duration: 1-2 years

Vanderbilt Diabetes Center Discovery Program Grant

Start: November 21, 2016      End: 11:59pm October 11, 2023

An individual must be a member of the Vanderbilt or Meharry faculty (Instructor or above) and must fit within NIH Guidelines for eligibility. This support is targeted to any investigator, new or established, proposing to utilize the VICB High-Throughput Screening Facility, BioVU, the Vanderbilt Mass Spectrometry Research Center Cores, or other new technologies available through VU/VUMC core facilities to launch new research programs in drug, gene, or biomarker discovery related to diabetes, obesity, or the complications thereof. The grants are intended to provide support for studies that allow an investigator to develop preliminary data sufficient to prepare an application for independent research support through conventional granting mechanisms. This grant mechanism is intended to support one year of research, up to $50,000 per year.

Program: Vanderbilt Diabetes Center

Award: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Texas Medical Center Digestive Disease Center Pilot project

Start: September 25, 2015      End: 11:49pm October 13, 2023

The Texas Medical Center Digestive Diseases Center provides support to pilot/feasibility (P/F) projects in the area of GI-related research each year. These funds specifically support projects related to the theme for the DDC. The overall theme of the DDC is “Molecular mechanisms and outcomes of injury, infection, or metabolic dysfunction of the digestive system” with digestive-disease-related subthemes centering on: 1) Infection (including host-microbe interactions and microbiome) 2) Injury (including tumorigenesis and stem cell response) 3) Metabolism (including diseases associated with obesity and the gut-brain axis). GI is defined as the gastrointestinal tract, liver and pancreas. Injury is defined as drug, genetic, ischemic, inflammatory, surgical, nutritional, or stress-induced injury to the gastrointestinal tract. Injury also includes gastrointestinal adaptation and stem cells. Proposed projects must fall within one of the above mentioned subthemes. Awards range between $35,000 to $50,000 for a period of one year. Notice of Intent deadline: Sep. 8, 2023.

Program: Texas Medical Center Digestive Disease Center

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Pittsburgh Liver Research Center (PLRC) Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm October 13, 2023

The PLRC P&F grants are one-year awards for liver-related research. The grants will fund new initiatives and/or support new investigators who are pursuing liver related research that should lead to K/R type funding or other extramural support. Funds can be used for reagents, animals, and core services, but not for equipment or travel. Eligibility: All academic full-time faculty (including Instructors, Research Assistant Professors, and Assistant Professors) and senior Post-Docs who are eligible to apply as PI for extramural NIH funding and who are affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh and/or UPMC are eligible to apply. Letter of Intent Deadline: September 1, 2023.

Program: Pittsburgh Liver Research Center

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

University of Utah, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of Kentucky Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm October 31, 2023

The Washington University Diabetes Research Center also leads a Shared National Resource Core Pilot and Feasibility Program with the University of Kentucky, University of Utah, and University of Wisconsin-Madison. The goal of this program is to support the generation of preliminary data leading to the submission of new applications for independent (NIH, JDRF, or ADA) research grants. Faculty members from any department at the University of Kentucky, the University of Utah, and University of Wisconsin-Madison are encouraged to apply.

Program: University of Utah, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of Kentucky

Award Amount: Up to $40,000

Duration: 1-2 years

Washington University in St. Louis Diabetes Research Center Pilot and Feasibility Grant Program

End: 11:59pm October 31, 2023

The Washington University Diabetes Research Center anticipates awarding new Pilot & Feasibility Grants starting 04/01/24. Funding should support the generation of preliminary data leading to the submission of new applications for independent (NIH, JDRF, or ADA) research grants. Faculty members from any department at Washington University are encouraged to apply. Applicants must hold a faculty appointment and be independent investigators. Postdoctoral Fellows or their equivalent are not eligible.

Program: Diabetes Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis

Award Amount: up to $50,000/year

Duration: 1-2 Years

Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) Request for Proposals: Awards for Young Investigators

Start: August 19, 2015      End: 11:59pm November 3, 2023

Young Investigator Awards aim to attract early career scientists with novel ideas into the field of melanoma, thereby recruiting and supporting the next generation of melanoma researcher leaders. Awardees will be provided up to $75,000 per year for 3 years to accomplish innovative, translational research projects. Eligibility: Applicants must be within 4 years of their first independent, full time academic faculty appointment at the time of application at the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent position). Letter of Intent deadline: September 20, 2022. Young Investigator Award Eligibility Checklist deadline: October 20, 2023.

Program: Melanoma Research Alliance

Award Amount: Up to $85,000 per year

Duration: 3 years

Washington University in St. Louis Center for Diabetes Translation Research Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm December 1, 2023

The purpose of the Washington University Center for Diabetes Translation Research (WU-CDTR) pilot and feasibility program is to promote innovative and transformative research to advance health equity in diabetes. The program focuses on T2-T4 translational research defined as ‘translating interventions and approaches that have demonstrated efficacy into real-world healthcare settings, communities, and diverse populations with an emphasis on reach, sustainability, and potential for widespread implementation’.

Two levels of funding are available for applicants:

1) Pilot Grants: provide up to $75,000 direct costs for up one or two years to facilitate the planning of a new clinical and/or translational research project. Pilot grants are typically used to fund developmental or early stage work, including collection of pilot data, and proposals should describe a concrete plan for further steps beyond the pilot grant. Letter of Intent Due: November 1, 2023.

2) Small Projects (accepted on a rolling basis): This $5,000 funding opportunity will support well-focused data collection, secondary or other analysis relevant to the WU-CDTR mission. 

Program: Washington University in St. Louis Center for Diabetes Translation Research

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

University of Colorado Denver Diabetes Research Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: January 16, 2024

The Colorado DRC P&F Program funds diabetes researchers distributed across spectrum of basic science, translational, clinical and health disparities research who investigate T1D, T2D, and/or diabetes complications and is a key element in recruiting and training promising diabetes research scientists. Applications will be considered from both junior and established investigators. Letter of Intent due: December 8, 2023.

Program: University of Colorado Denver Diabetes Research Center

Award Amount: $50,000

Duration: 1-2 years

The HuBMAP JumpStart program

End: 11:59pm January 26, 2024

The HuBMAP JumpStart program offers junior investigators working on human atlasing projects the opportunity to take a leadership role in conducting synergistic, collaborative research projects within the HuBMAP consortium. These projects will build on work that already exists in HuBMAP by either extending aims of current awards or as a new but related research project. The goal of this program is two-fold: 1) create a mentored, career development opportunity for promising junior researchers, and 2) promote collaboration among HuBMAP and the atlas building community. 

Program: The Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP)

Amount: Up to $50,000 total cost

Duration: 1 year

Joslin Diabetes Center Pilot and Feasibility Studies

End: 11:59pm January 26, 2024

 As part of the NIH grant that supports Joslin Diabetes Center’s Diabetes and Research Center (DRC), the Pilot & Feasibility (P&F) Program offers funding each year for two studies in the areas of type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes or their complications. The P&F awards may be from basic, translational or clinical perspectives.  The goal of the P&F Program is to encourage research on diabetes and its complications by two target groups: young diabetes researchers who recently became independent and have not yet received significant NIH or other funding, and seasoned investigators either entering the diabetes field for the first time or exploring a completely new direction. Letter of Intent: December 11, 2023

Program: Joslin Diabetes Center

Award Amount: $50,000

Duration: 1-2 years

Vanderbilt Digestive Disease Research Center Pilot Project

Start: January 5, 2015      End: 11:59pm February 12, 2024

The Pilot and Feasibility Project Program (P/F) is designed to provide Vanderbilt investigators the opportunity to explore nascent, meritorious hypotheses related to digestive diseases with the ultimate goal being acquisition of external funding. The Vanderbilt Digestive Disease Research Center (VDDRC) plans to fund pilot projects annually. Awards will be made for 1-2 years in duration. Letter of Intent deadline: December 15, 2023

Program: Vanderbilt Digestive Disease Research Center

Award Amount: $40,000

Duration: 1 year

University of Alabama at Birmingham Nutrition Obesity Research Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

Start: January 17, 2020      End: 11:59pm February 26, 2024

P/F studies provide 1-2 years of support to enable eligible investigators to explore the feasibility of a nutrition or obesity-related concept and acquire sufficient data to pursue extramural funding opportunities. P/F funding generally supports full-time faculty members or post-doctoral researchers who are new investigators (usually below the rank of Associate Professor) and without current or past NIH R01 equivalent NIH funding research project support. Less frequently, we fund established investigators for whom the topics of nutrition and obesity represent a substantial departure from their current work. Solicitation of applications occurs annually, with the intent to support 3 P/F Study projects at a level of up to $50,000/year.

Program: University of Alabama at Birmingham Nutrition Obesity Research Center

Amount: $50,000

Duration: 1 year

The University of Washington Medicine Diabetes Institute (UWMDI), Diabetes Research Center (DRC), and Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (NORC) Joint Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm February 28, 2024

The University of Washington Medicine Diabetes Institute (UWMDI), Diabetes Research Center (DRC), and Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (NORC) are jointly soliciting applications for Pilot and Feasibility Research Awards. Proposals may include basic, clinical, translational, or population-based studies with a focus on nutrition, metabolism, diabetes, and/or obesity.

Purpose: Pilot and Feasibility Research Awards are funded by the National Institutes of Health and UW. Their purpose is to foster development of new investigators, particularly junior faculty, in the fields of nutrition, metabolism, diabetes, and obesity research at the UW. LOIs and reviewer nomination forms are due by January 12, 2024.

Program: University of Washington (UW) Nutrition Obesity Research Center, UW Diabetes Research Center (DRC), UW Medicine Diabetes Institute (UWMDI)

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 2 years

University of California San Francisco Liver Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm March 8, 2024

The Pilot/Feasibility Award Program provides seed money to investigators who are attempting to launch new liver-related research projects. The program supports both clinical and basic research relevant to the liver. The goal of the program is to enable investigators to test new hypotheses and obtain preliminary data that can ultimately be expanded into a larger grant application. The expectation is that awardees will utilize the resources of the Liver Center to move their research forward. Letter of Intent deadline: January 5, 2024. 

Program: University of California San Francisco Liver Center

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Harvard University Digestive Disease Center Pilot and Feasibility Program

End: 11:59pm March 8, 2024

The HDDC is focused on the study of epithelial cell function and mucosal biology in inflammation, host defense, and cancer of the gastrointestinal tract and related mucosal surfaces. Pilot & Feasibility projects will be considered for support if they relate directly or indirectly to this mission. Letter of Intent Deadline: February 2, 2024.

Program: Harvard University Digestive Disease Center

Award Amount: $25,000

Duration: 1 year

Michigan Center for Diabetes Translational Research Pilot/Feasibility Grant Program

End: 11:59pm April 3, 2024

The purpose of this Pilot and Feasibility Grant Program is to promote research in diabetes by new and established investigators. Eligibility: Faculty at the University of Michigan and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. New investigators beginning careers in diabetes-related research, established investigators who have not previously worked in diabetes-related research but who wish to focus their expertise on diabetes, or established diabetes investigators who propose innovative research in diabetes that represents a clear departure from their ongoing research.

Program: University of Michigan Center for Diabetes Translational Research

Award Amount: $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Pennington Biomedical Research Center Nutrition Obesity Research Center Pilot And Feasibility Grant

End: 11:59pm April 5, 2024

The major objective of this program is to provide research support to develop preliminary data and/or novel methods from individuals or multidisciplinary teams involving nutrition/obesity-related research. The NORC will give highest priority to translational research related to nutrition/obesity throughout the lifespan. The hope for a P&F award is that it will generate enough preliminary data for the investigator to obtain extramural research funding from the NIH (e.g., R01). We encourage investigators to approach problems relevant to our understanding of metabolism and function while increasing our understanding of the basic and clinical aspects of nutrition in the etiology, pathophysiology, therapy, and prevention of diseases. Letter of Intent Deadline: Feb. 2, 2024. 

Program: Pennington Biomedical Research Center Nutrition Obesity Research Center

Award Amount: Up to $100,000

Duration: 1 year

University of North Carolina Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease Pilot Grants for Gastrointestinal Biology Research

End: 11:59pm April 11, 2024

The Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease (CGIBD), a joint program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, awards pilot/feasibility grants each year in a competitive application process. Pilot/feasibility grants are one-year awards of up to $30,000 total costs. The overall purpose of this program is to provide support for investigators to pursue new and innovative research ideas leading to independent funding. We are particularly interested in projects related to our theme of homeostasis, injury and repair as it relates to digestive and liver diseases. Priority is given to new investigators and investigators who use our core facilities. Letter of Intent Deadline March 11, 2024

Program: University of North Carolina Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease

Award Amount: Up to $30,000

Duration: 1 year