UCSF Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center (DERC)
Pilot and Feasibility Awards

Submissions are invited only for the Spring RAP cycles.

Project Award Amount up to $50,000

Description
The DERC 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. Previous grantees that generate extramural grant applications within the initial funding period may apply competitively to the UCSF DERC Pilot & Feasibility Program for up to one additional year of bridge support which, provided funds are available, would maintain the research program until the completion of the extramural grant review process. Please ensure that your proposals represent one-year projects.

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.

All grantees will be expected to participate in quarterly meetings with DERC faculty and other grantees to provide advice for the successful completion of the studies. The aim is to provide sufficient financial support and mentoring to allow the seed research to continue as an enduring, extramurally-funded program.

Any resulting publication must directly acknowledge the DERC grant award

Eligibility
P&F support is intended to allow the development of entirely new and exciting directions in diabetes research. Applications are encouraged from UCSF Faculty who are:

• early stage investigators developing a diabetes research program.
• established researchers not currently conducting studies directly related to diabetes but who desire to translate their non-diabetes research programs into a bold, new diabetes-related direction.
• established researchers in diabetes who seek to develop entirely new research directions in diabetes.

Who's Eligible: Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, Professors.

Who's Not Eligible: Residents, Fellows, Post-Docs, Instructors, Specialists.

Criteria for Review
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.

The Diabetes Center also considers Pilot & Feasibility proposals in obesity research (see Diabetes Center Obesity Program Pilot & Feasibility Awards). The DERC and Obesity submissions will be reviewed simultaneously. This enables proposals relevant to both the DERC and Obesity mechanisms to be submitted only once to be eligible for funding under either award mechanism.

All DERC and Obesity Program Pilot & Feasibility applications will be pre-reviewed within the Diabetes Center. Selected applications will be sent out to 2-3 extramural reviewers. The UCSF board makes funding decisions based upon the extramural reviews and portfolio balance of the applications. Evidence of required approvals must be provided before any funding is released.

Contact:
Emanuela (Emy) Volpe
RAP - Program Manager
Ph.: 415-502-1674
E-mail: rap@ucsf.edu