SDRC Pilot and Feasibility Program 2023-24

Stanford Diabetes Research Center  
2023-24 Pilot and Feasibility Funding Opportunity

*Funding opportunity for Stanford and V.A. investigators (with UTL, MCL, NTLR, CE faculty appts or instructors) with M.D., M.D./Ph.D. or Ph.D. degrees. (see “eligibility” below).
 

TIMELINE:
Expression of intent (EOI) deadline: Mon., Jul. 31, 2023, 11:59pm (see "submitting an application" below)

Full Proposal Submission deadline:  Tue., Sep 5, 2023, 5 pm
Earliest Start date: Jan 1, 2024  
 

PURPOSE:
The Stanford Diabetes Research Center (SDRC) is soliciting new Pilot and Feasibility Projects. The focus of the SDRC Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) Program is to provide seed funds to help develop new investigators as well as support innovative and/or high-risk proposals from more senior investigators involved in any aspect of diabetes related research, including but not limited to basic sciences, economics, population sciences, translational research and clinical research.

The SDRC P&F program is primarily supported by the P30 center grant awarded by NIH/NIDDK and has supported 64 pilot projects since 2016. Institutional funds have also been used to supplement some of the projects. The approved P&F Project proposals will assist current and future applications to the NIH/NIDDK to support the Stanford Diabetes Research Center and this P&F program.

FUNDING: 
Applicants may request up to $50,000 in direct costs for one-year duration under this program. Continuation of a project beyond its first year will be contingent upon the success of the previous year.

Eligibility:   

• • Stanford or VA investigators (with UTL, UML, NTLR, CE faculty appts. or instructors) with M.D., M.D./Ph.D., or PhD. degrees. [Faculty PI waivers are required as per Stanford policy]
  • Each applicant must have at least two years of full-time laboratory/clinical research experience after receiving the advanced degree. 
  • Applications from established investigators new to diabetes research are also encouraged.
  •  

Preference will be given to:

1. younger investigators: Assistant Professors (with a UTL, UML, NTLR or CE faculty appts, or instructors.) who have a high potential for extramural funding in the near future and to become independent investigators
2. applications that will utilize at least one of the diabetes specific research cores supported by the Stanford Diabetes Research Center
3. applications that focus on translational studies of diabetes prevention and control; and
4. applications that involve a collaborative component between the laboratories of Stanford investigators.

SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION

Expression of Intent (EOI) Deadline: July 31, 2023, 11:59pm
A brief EOI due by midnight, July 31st. This EOI can be transmitted by email. The EOI should include the PI’s name, list of participating investigators, a non-binding proposal title, and 2-4 sentence description of the proposal. This will be used to facilitate review of the proposals.

Full application submission guidelines:

By Tuesday., Sept. 5, 2023, 5 pm, please submit one PDF containing the following in the order listed below via email attachment to: diabetescenter@stanford.edu

File name:    Last Name_DRC_P&F.pdf

Institutional representative: not applicable. You do not have to submit your internal proposals to your RPM/RMG* or your CGO/OSR for theirapproval. You can submit your proposals directly to the email listed above.

1) Title Page
Stanford Diabetes Research Center  
Pilot and Feasibility Projects
Project title:
Project leader and co-investigators’ name, title, department and complete contact information 
Type of Proposal: Basic/Clinical/Translational/Prevention and Control (may be multiple)

Topic: Diabetes/Obesity/Endocrinology/Autoimmunity/Transplantation/Related complications (may be multiple)
Impact of award: Please state how your work aligns with the goals of the SDRC P&F scheme and why this work cannot be funded from other sources.

List of potential reviewers: Name up to three potential reviewers outside of your host institution.

2) Research Proposal 
5 page* description of proposed research, including the following:
research plan with relevant illustrations
description of research subjects involved (both human or animal)
description of interdisciplinary characteristics of this project or if it utilizes Specialized Resources (SDRC has these 4 diabetes specific core services - Clinical and Translational Core, Immune Monitoring Core, Genomics and Analysis Core and Islet Research Core)
explanation of how the proposed research fits into Diabetes related research
(*note: references are not included in the 5 page limit)
Format: single-spaced, ½ inch margins, Arial or Helvetica font size 11 or larger  

3) Detailed budget for up to $50,000 excluding F&A costs
Use PHS 398 budget form available for downloading from this NIH webpage:
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html

4)  Budget justification 

5) Biosketches (NIH format) for the Project Leader and Co-Investigators
NIH biosketch webpage: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.htm

6)   Other Support (also NIH format*). Please include both active and pending support.
*Sample "other support" form available on this NIH webpage:
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html

7) Agreement to provide progress reports and required presentations on P&F Project Progress to the SDRC. 

INQUIRIES:

Applicants are welcome to discuss their plans in response to this solicitation. A letter of intent may be submitted, though this is not a requirement for selection. Please direct these inquiries/letters to diabetescenter@stanford.edu.

SELECTION PROCESS:
The SDRC P&F Review Committee will review and recommend action on all Pilot and Feasibility Project applications.