The Pilot & Feasibility (P&F) Program provides funding to new and established investigators who are developing cutting-edge nutrition and obesity research. The program is designed to assist investigators in collecting preliminary pilot data to support future independent grant applications to the National Institutes of Health and other major funding sources.

Eligibility

Applicants must be UNC-CH faculty members who are:

• New investigators without current or past NIH funding (R01 or P01) as a PI, or
• Established investigators whose expertise and research lie outside the area of nutrition and obesity, but have developed a new or innovative idea in a research area of direct interest to the NORC. 
  

P&F projects may focus on biomedical, epidemiological, clinical, behavioral or model translational (demonstration and education program development) research.   

Application Process

Interested investigators are asked to submit a one-page letter of intent describing their proposed project and a NIH-style biosketch. The letter of intent must include a brief overview of the nature, significance and experimental approach of the proposed research. Applicants must also describe what they will do with the pilot data generated and where the research study will lead.   

Selected applicants will be asked to submit full proposals (no more than 5 pages) for review following the general format of a NIH research pilot/planning project application. The proposal must include:

• Specific aims
• Background and significance
• Previous studies
• Research plan
• Protection of human subjects and animal subjects (if applicable)
• Collaborators, and references.
  

Other required attachments include a budget, budget justification, lay and scientific abstracts, and letter(s) of support from one of the Core Directors. Applicants are required to use at least one of the NORC research cores for their projects.
 
All proposals must be reviewed by the NORC Biostatistician, Joseph Galanko prior to submission to ensure that appropriate power calculations have been done and that the projects are statistically valid. Proposals are evaluated by the Internal Advisory Committee and selected external reviewers based on:

• Scientific merit
• Relevance to nutrition and/or obesity research
• Qualifications, experience, and productivity of the applicant; and
  
• Potential of the proposed project to generate significant data to support a future R01 application or equivalent grant.   

 
Funding  

Awards up to $25,000 (direct costs only) are funded for first year P&F projects. A second year of funding is available for awardees who have made satisfactory progress during the first year of their projects. Funds may not be used for travel expenses, equipment or salary support for the principal investigator. Projects are funded for no more than 2 years.         

Requirements of Awardees

Awardees are required to submit progress reports twice per year and cite the grant (P30DK056350) in all publications related to their pilot studies. Awardees may also be asked to present their work at committee meetings and NORC sponsored events periodically during the funding period.   

Application Deadlines

We are accepting applications for 2012 funding cycle. Letters of intent for the are due on October 28, 2011.  

Contact Information

For specific questions about submitting a letter of intent for consideration, please contact:
Rosalind Coleman, MD  
Director, Pilot & Feasibility Program  
Phone: (919) 966.7213