Pilot Grants for Gastrointestinal Biology Research

A one-page letter of intent should be submitted by the date listed above and must include the following:

• Investigator’s name;
• Investigator’s rank/position;
• Investigator’s department and institutional affiliation;
• Investigator’s mailing address;
• Investigator’s e-mail address;
• Collaborators (if applicable);
• Proposed title of the project;
• Brief description of the project;
• Investigator’s eligibility criteria based on the following with preference given to those in Category 1 –
  • Category 1: New investigator without current or past NIH research project support,
  • Category 2: At risk investigators who will have no independent R01 or R01- equivalent grant support if they do not secure a substantial grant award in the near future,
  • Category 3:  Established investigators from other areas of biomedical research to apply their expertise to an area of need in digestive disease research.

A submission link for the above information can be found at the bottom of this page under Downloads.

The full application package is due by 5pm on the date listed above and should be submitted electronically at this address: PF Application Web page. This package must include the cover page, 4 pages of text material (references may be additional pages), line item and narrative budgets, and investigator’s biosketch and other support. Investigators may apply for funding up to a limit of $35,000 in total funds. Please note that there is one form that includes the proposal and budget.  All documentation must be submitted as a single PDF. The application form is available at the bottom of this page under Downloads.

Applicants are encouraged to call the Administrator at 919.966.8381 with questions about the process. An active log-in is required for submission.

When a research project is funded through the CGIBD Pilot and Feasibility Grant Program, a budget account is established at the CGIBD office for use by the PI. New awardees should contact the CGIBD P30 Administrator for precise instructions on how to access the funds. The awards are for 12 months, but awardees may request a no-cost extension if needed to complete the project.

Awardees will not receive funds until they have provided the CGIBD with documentation of approvals for animal or human subjects use, if either approval is required. In the case of human subjects, the CGIBD will also require assurances that all personnel have been trained in the use of human subjects in research.

In general, funds may be used for any purpose which directly supports the research proposed by the funded application. For example, an awardee may choose to pay some of an assistant’s salary from the funds or may use them to purchase research supplies, order services from any of the campus scientific support cores, or travel to a relevant meeting or workshop. However, funds may not be transferred to another project or to general departmental use. They may not be used to support an advisor or mentor or his/her research. They may not be used to support the general operation of a laboratory, except to the extent that the proposed research uses laboratory resources or to purchase laboratory equipment.

Pilot/feasibility proposals should be based on research in gastrointestinal biology and epidemiology. Preference will be given to proposals that (1) appear likely to result in findings that will allow the investigator to successfully compete for subsequent independent funding and (2) are related to research directions of the UNC Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease. The Center’s primary research theme is Bioresilience. Among the areas of special interest are: inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD); liver disease; intestinal water and electrolyte transport; gastrointestinal epithelial damage, growth, development and repair; intestinal stem cells; gut microbiome and the epidemiology of gastrointestinal disease. Applications investigating other aspects of gastrointestinal disease will be accepted.

Pilot/feasibility studies may not be used to supplement or extend ongoing funded research or as a general-purpose fund to compensate for errors in budgeting, overspending or unexpected loss of funds on established programs or to contribute to the costs of maintaining a laboratory or core (though funds may be used to pay service or supply fees directly related to the proposed project). If funds have not been fully expended at the end of the budget period or at the time the applicant receives NIH funding, these may be reclaimed by the CGIBD to support other pilot projects. Questions on the use of funding should be referred to the CGIBD P30 Administrator.

Current P/F recipients may apply for a second year of funding by competitive renewal. Previous P/F recipients may apply for a new award by submitting a new grant proposal that clearly represents a new research direction.

All investigators funded through this program must submit a 6-month progress report and an annual report for inclusion in the CGIBD’s submission to the National Institutes of Health for continuation funds. Any publications resulting from CGIBD support must credit the CGIBD grant number (P30 DK034987). Awardees should continue to report funding awards and/or publications resulting from their pilot awards as these occur in the future.

All applicants will be notified of the status of their application as soon as possible following review by the CGIBD External Advisory Board. Successful applicants will be asked to meet with the Center biostatistician and administrative staff before receiving funds. The CGIBD P30 Administrator will provide detailed instructions for using funds.

Applications for pilot/feasibility studies will be evaluated initially by the CGIBD Executive Committee. Members of the Executive Committee are Drs. Robert S. Sandler, Evan Dellon, Michael, Kappelman, Temitope Keku, Scott Magness, R. Balfour Sartor, Nicholas Shaheen, and Shehzad Sheikh from UNC-CH, Drs. John F. Rawls and Katherine Garman from Duke, and Drs. Anthony Blikslager, Liara Gonzalez, and Casey Theriot from NCSU. Each application will also be reviewed by one or more scientific content experts.  The Executive Committee will rank the applications on the basis of scientific merit, originality of the research initiatives, applicability to Center research directions and the potential to successfully compete for external funds. They will then review the requested budget and make recommendation for approval or disapproval. In general, preference will be given to junior investigators.

The Center’s External Advisory Board, comprised of clinical and basic scientists from outside the universities, will subsequently review approved applications. Members of the External Advisory Board are Kim Barrett, Ph.D., University of California, Davis; Lars Eckmann, MD, UC San Diego; Gail Hecht, MD, Loyola University; Richard Peek, MD, Vanderbilt University; and Gary Wu, MD, University of Pennsylvania. Pilot/feasibility applicants will give brief oral presentations before the committee. The External Advisory Board will decide on funding priority and select which of the approved applications will receive recommendation for approval or disapproval. In general, preference will be given to junior investigators.