ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PILOT GRANT PROGRAM – Proposals Due April 17, 2017

Proposals due April 17, 2017

The NIEHS Center for Environmental Exposures and Disease (CEED), in collaboration with the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI), is soliciting applications for its 2017-18 Pilot Project Program.  Pilot funding supports new environmental health research with the potential to improve human health.  CEED is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS, P30-ES005022).

The mission of CEED is to understand how environmental exposures are integrated with host and environmental factors to influence human diseases. Further, to use this information to improve human health through education, outreach, and mechanistically based intervention, prevention, and treatment modalities.

This year’s RFP encourages interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches to problems in the environmental health sciences, including involvement of community-based organizations and the CEED Community Outreach and Engagement Core (COEC).  Community organizations and Rutgers researchers may collaborate to co-lead investigations of community environmental health concerns. 

For examples of recent pilot projects, see: https://ceed.rutgers.edu/pilot-project-program/

Requirements of Pilot Program Project:

1. NIH Biosketch (see next page)
2. Preference will be given to projects that will be competitive for NIEHS grants
3. Pilot Project recipients must apply for NIH, and preferable NIEHS, grant funding by March 2018 or within 1 year following the end of the pilot project.

A maximum of $25,000 will be available for each grant; however, budgetary justification and potential for NIEHS funding will be significant factors in reviewing these grants.  The maximum may be exceeded only in exceptional cases.

The Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator must be a Rutgers faculty member, with special consideration given to new faculty members.  Membership in the NIEHS Center or in EOHSI is not required. However, collaborative projects with CEED/EOHSI members are strongly encouraged.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Each proposal must include the following components:

PROJECT NARRATIVE: up to four pages (single-spaced, 11 pt. font, 1” margins):

1. Title of Project
2. Investigators (include names, titles, addresses, e-mail and phone numbers)
3. Hypothesis
4. Background and significance
5. Specific Aims, with timeline
6. Methods and data analysis
   •        Human subjects: list and attach active IRB protocol that is appropriate or can be easily amended to include projected studies
   •           Animal subjects: list relevant IACUC protocol and attach approval letter  

7.Expected Results, Outcomes: **

• Enhance scientific discovery relevant to environmental health; publications;
• Grant applications to NIH, especially NIEHS 7. Relevance to CEED mission (see p. 1)

8. Planned Use of CEED Facility Cores

PROPOSAL APPENDICES:

1. References
2. Biosketch in NIH format; http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-15-032.html
3. Other Support Page in NIH format: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/othersupport.pdf
4. Budget and Budget Justification

Budget Considerations:

• Direct Costs only – Indirect costs are not permissible
• Undergraduate stipends up to $6,000/year ($3,000/semester) are allowable.
• No equipment, travel, graduate student stipends, or faculty salary will be supported.
• Awards will not be granted to the same investigators more than 2 consecutive years.

Review Process

Review of the Pilot Grant proposals will take place in April 2017.  The Director of the Pilot Project Program will first review all applications to determine if the application meets the basic criteria, and will triage any non-adherent applications immediately.  The Director may offer to assist in fine-tuning applications, at his discretion.  All eligible applications will be sent out for review by internal and external reviewers.  Applicants may be asked to give a 10-minute presentation of their project to the Review Committee.

 Awards and Reporting

Successful applicants will be sent award letters, including instructions regarding expenditure of funds, by May 15, 2017. All funds must be spent by March 1, 2018, at which time awardees must provide an interim progress report.  By one year post-funding, funded applicants will be required to give an oral presentation of the project outcome at an NIEHS Center members’ meeting, and provide evidence of grant submission.

DOWNLOAD A PDF VERSION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HERE