Pilot Program Application Guidelines


Pilot Project Funding applications should be focused proposals, the aims of which can be clearly accomplished within one year of funding. Proposals should emphasize the extent to which research core laboratories of the Vanderbilt Digestive Disease Research Center are utilized.

VDDRC funding is limited to one year of support at approximately $40,000 for the 2024 cycle. Recipients who are productive on their projects may apply for a second year of funding through a competitive renewal.  

Exceptional applicants with a high likelihood for progression to extramural funding and a successful career in investigative gastroenterology are eligible to be named VDDRC Young Investigator. The Young Investigator will be awarded $25,000 annual salary support for a 12-month period.

The applicant should have at least 80% of their time protected for research. There is a five-page limit for the body of the application (specific aims, background/significance, preliminary studies, experimental design and methods).  

In addition to a research summary/abstract, we also require a lay summary suitable for review by our Community Advisory Board. The summary should be no more than 30 lines long. It should outline the background and rationale for the study, the work proposed, and the potential clinical relevance. This will contribute to the scoring of the application. Please be sure that it is understandable to a non-physician or non-scientist. 

Please send a PDF copy of the application to Maria Eckhardt. For additional information email Maria Eckhardt.

See the Pilot Project Funding overview page here.

Application Requirements 

The applications must contain the following, in order: 

  1. VDDRC Pilot and Feasibility Program Face Sheet, available as a PDF or Word document.
  2. NIH PHS 398 Page 2 (description, performance sites, and key personnel) NIH forms available for download here.
  3. NIH PHS 398 Page 4 (detailed budget for the one year budget period) NIH forms available for download here.
  4. The Pilot and Feasibility Program Projects should utilize VDDRC research core laboratories. Specific plans to use the cores on a fee-for-service basis should be included in the budget, where applicable. In general, core charges for new investigator applications will be waived. Identify any sources of funds currently available to support research on this or closely related topics by the applicant and/or senior investigator with whom the applicant is associated. If funds exist, clearly indicate why VDDRC Pilot and Feasibility Program funds are being requested. Duplication of funds will not be permitted. 
  5. Body of Application (maximum of five pages total for the below items)   
    • Specific aims (half page: remember this is a one-year pilot project) 
    • Background and significance (one to two  pages: include a thorough but concise description of the work leading to your current hypothesis review of the literature) 
    • Preliminary studies (one page: applicants are not required to have preliminary data since this is a pilot project. Briefly describe relevant preliminary work that has been done supporting this application) 
    • Research design and methods (one to three pages of study design, methodology, data analysis and any problems anticipated and potential solutions. Include rationale for experimental design and reasons for favoring one methodology over another. Describe how applicant will analyze data; identify potential problems and solutions.) 
  6. Literature cited: Provide full details of literature cited including full title and authors. 
  7. Brief description of long-term goals of the research project the applicant plans to develop. Include rationale for the planned research program based on prior experience. What are the plans for future funding if the line of investigation is successful? Describe how the project relates to one of the three categories within the research base of the VDDRC: 
    • Gastrointestinal Infections and Injury 
    • Progenitor Cells, Development, Regeneration, and Pre-malignant lesions 
    • Obesity, Metabolism, and Nutrition 
  8. Brief description of the use of VDDRC research cores: 
    • Biostatistics Component 
    • Cell Imaging Core 
    • Flow Cytometry Core 
    • Mass Spectrometry/Proteomics Core 
    • Preclinical Models of Digestive Disease (comprised of the GI Organoids subcore, Preclinical Imaging subcore and the Tissue Morphology subcore)
  9. Biosketch (NIH format) 
  10. Appendix materials 
  11. Approvals for use of human subjects or vertebrate animals.

    Signature and Recommendations

    Applications require the signature of the applicant’s department chair or division director on the VDDRC P/F Program Face Sheet. This signature confirms that all physician-scientists who are principal investigators will have protected time to perform research. If the applicant is the VDDRC Young Investigator, the requirement is 80% protected time. 

    Applications for the VDDRC Young Investigator Applicants require three letters of recommendation; one should be from the division director and one from the department chair documenting laboratory space and protected time commitment (80%). 

    Trainees in their last year of fellowship who are recipients of an NRSA individual award (F32) or an institutional training grant (T32) are eligible for P/F funds if they have had at least two years of research experience and have suitable expertise and independence to carry out the planned experiments. Trainee applicant must have a letter of commitment from a senior scientist to sponsor the project. 

    Applicants who have completed training within one year and remain affiliated with a mentor must have a letter stating the independence of the applicant. 

    Visit the Pilot Project Funding overview page.