Pilot Project Funding for Imaging Studies
Release date: July 15, 2019
Proposal deadline extended to August 19, 2019
Northwestern University’s Center for Advanced Molecular Imaging (CAMI) is offering pilot project funding for up to TEN projects/year during each of the next two years to researchers with nascent imaging projects that will benefit from CAMI expertise in imaging method development and refinement.
Selected projects will be funded for a period of one year and up to $5,000 (in very special circumstances, up to $7,500) direct costs for imaging studies performed in CAMI.
Eligibility:
- Applicant must be an independent investigator who is tenured, tenure track, a clinician investigator track, or research-track faculty with committed laboratory space.
- Proposals must represent new projects that are not currently funded by external grants. Currently funded projects lacking an in vivo imaging component may be considered. These pilot projects are expected to set the stage for more comprehensive imaging studies.
- Expected outcomes include initiation of new research projects that will likely lead to submission of new grant applications. Thus, the applicant’s track record of independent funding will be considered in the review process.
Application Components:
The body of the proposal may not exceed 3 pages, and must include: 1) Title Page with Project Title and names/titles of PIs, Co-PIs and co-investigators; 2) 1 Paragraph Abstract; 3) Statement of Need; and 4) Project Plan consisting of background, specific aims, research design and timeline. In addition to the 2-page research description, investigators should provide biosketches and a tentative budget.
Budgets are restricted to imaging services and must allocate funding for method development and data analysis. Funds can only be used for CAMI services, and may be not used to purchase drugs, animals, animal housing, or services from other cores. These internal awards do not include F&A.
Submission:
NITRO Competitions, managed by NUCATS, will be used for online application submission.
Evaluation:
All projects will be reviewed by the CAMI Advisory Board based on the following criteria: 1) scientific merit, 2) innovation, 3) feasibility, and 4) potential for larger scale studies based on the preliminary data provided by the pilot project.
Award Notification:
Awardees will be notified by email. The estimated start date for funding is August 14, 2019. Project chart strings will be managed within CAMI. Unexpended funds at the close of the project year will be reallocated by CAMI.
Responsibilities of Awardees:
Awardees are required to respond to requests to provide a written progress report for inclusion in the Center’s annual report to Office for Research and give a 15 min. oral presentation describing results and outline for applying for external funding (date TBD).