Pilot & Feasibility Awards

Pilot Funding Available for
Research in Sex Differences or Women’s Health in Brain Gut Microbiome Disorders and/or Metabolism

November 25, 2020 Announcement

 

The UCLA Specialized Center of Research Excellence (SCORE) in brain-gut microbiome interactions (uclacns.org/score) and the UCLA SCORE in metabolism (sexdifferencesinmetabolism.ucla.edu) in collaboration with the G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience uclacns.org) invite applications for funding of a Pilot and Feasibility Project during the academic year 2021-2022.

Funding will be available for high quality interdisciplinary basic, translational or clinical research proposals addressing sex differences or women’s health in brain gut microbiome disorders and/or metabolism.

ELIGIBILITY:

  1. Applicant must hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree and have at least 2 years of postgraduate research training and have permanent visa status.
  2. Postdoctoral fellows without current or past NIH or related agency research support (including career developmental awards) as principal investigators, and who are in the process of establishing an independent research program are encouraged to apply.
  3. Established investigators with existing grant support, who have not been involved in research related to the main themes of the two SCOREs (brain-gut microbiome interactions and metabolism), and who want to enter this field of research, especially those who bring novel expertise to the field, should also apply.
  4. Highly innovative, translational proposals related to the mission of the UCLA SCOREs will be viewed favorably.

 

UCLA SCORE IN METABOLISM, UCLA SCORE IN BRAIN-GUT MICROBIOME INTERACTIONS AND THE G. OPPENHEIMER CENTER FOR NEUROBIOLOGY OF STRESS AND RESILIENCE

PILOT SUBMISSION TIMELINE AND SELECTION PROCESS

 

Submit a one-page Letter of Intent (LOI) and full CV for review by email to Melenie Rosales at MRosales@mednet.ucla.edu.

A. All LOI submissions from interested UCLA applicants must be received by December 11, 2020

The letter should indicate:

  1. Abstract of proposed pilot research project
  2. Relationship of planned project to the two UCLA SCORE’s mission (see websites uclacns.org/score and sexdifferencesinmetabolism.ucla.edu)
  3. Long range research goals for this pilot work for future research, particularly how the proposed projects should lead to the submission of a NIH grant (e.g. R01, K award), VA Merit Review or other Career Development Award
  4. Budget amount requested (funding available up to $30,000 for one year period)
  5. CV and NIH biosketch of Principal Investigator

The Review Committee will evaluate letters of intent and invite selected investigators to submit full pilot proposals by December 31, 2020.

B. Full pilot proposals (5 single-spaced pages in length, NIH format) will be due by February 15, 2021

C. Criteria for selection include:

  1. Quality and originality of the proposed research
  2. Eligibility and credentials of PI and Co-investigators (if included)
  3. Relatedness to the SCORE themes and mission (interface of brain-gut interactions or metabolism with an emphasis on sex-related differences).
  4. Likelihood to lead to R01s (or equivalent level funding from extramural sources)

D. Funded projects will begin April 15, 2021 through April 15, 2022