The Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC) Pilot Study Program provides funding to investigators who show promise of developing a career in nonhuman primate biomedical research or to those who wish to add a nonhuman primate component to an existing research program.  The Pilot Study Program is also open to investigators with established nonhuman primate research programs who wish to develop substantially new research directions.  The direct cost for a single research project should not exceed $50,000.  Project duration will be of one year; no-cost extensions for one additional year may be permitted.  Pilot Study Program research funds will not provide interim support for an established project or for any project that qualifies for support from other sources.

Research may involve initial model identification, characterization, and development that may follow a case workup of a spontaneously occurring disease, evaluation of improved husbandry or animal management procedures, or more detailed examination of serendipitous laboratory findings.  Pilot Study Program support is typically for proposals that do not have sufficient preliminary data or results that are needed to obtain support from normal sources of funding. The overall purpose of the project must complement the objectives of the Center’s research programs, and the projects themselves must have the potential of leading to an extramurally funded grant application. The proposal must be substantially different from the applicant’s funded projects.

Investigators must be beyond the postdoctoral rank and based at any non-profit academic or research institution. If the applicant is not a TNPRC Core Staff Scientist, he/she must secure sponsorship from such a Core Scientist. The latter will assume responsibility for overall management, coordination and reports concerning the project. In general, all major activities related to the approved project must be conducted and carried out on site at the Center.

Application Process

The application process is two tiered, with an initial letter of intent followed by invitations for full applications. There are two submission deadlines per year.

A.  Letter of Intent

A one-page Letter of Intent summarizing the background, significance, specific aims, and experimental design of the proposed work must be submitted for consideration prior to submission of a full application.  Responses to Letters of Intent will be issued within four weeks of the submission deadline, and decisions are final. 

1.  February 1 – Letter of Intent deadline for the May 1st Pilot Study Program application date.

2.  August 1 – Letter of Intent deadline for the November 1st Pilot Study Program application date.

B.  Application

Applications for each of two yearly deadlines will be solicited following the acceptance of an applicant’s Letter of Intent. An investigator is allowed to apply for one proposal per funding period and can receive no more than one pilot project award every two years. Unsolicited applications will not be reviewed.

1.  May 1 - Pilot Study Program application submission deadline
July:  Application review by TNPRC Pilot Study Review Committee
August: Award announcement
September: Proposals funded

2.  November 1 - Pilot Study Program application submission deadline
January: Application review by TNPRC Pilot Study Review Committee
February: Award announcement
March: Proposals funded

Review

The TNPRC Pilot Study Program Review Committee will review all applications for scientific merit.  Committee members are appointed by the Center’s Director and include one member from each of the TNPRC’s seven research-based divisions.  Committee members will be permitted to seek verbal or written reports from colleagues if they have a need for outside assessment.  All outside assessments received, whether verbal or written, will be reported to the committee.  Ad-hoc members with particular areas of expertise may be appointed as needed. The recommendations of the Committee will be forwarded to the Center Director. It is the Director’s responsibility to make the final decision on which proposals are funded and at what budgetary level. In the event that overlapping funding is received at any time after a pilot study award is made, funding for the pilot study project will terminate. An application that is not funded may be resubmitted as a revised application one time only.

Review Criteria

The following criteria will be used to review the proposal:

•  Scientific merit (Significance, Approach, Innovation)
•  Complementarity between project’s goals and TNPRC’s scientific program
•  Likelihood of moving from the pilot study to a NIH-grant application or equivalent
•  Feasibility of project completion within the allotted time period
•  Budget
•  Availability of an approved IACUC protocol. To prevent delays, an IACUC protocol may be submitted at the same time as the application. An approved IACUC protocol is required prior to starting the project.

Progress Report

It is expected that one or more manuscripts and a NIH grant application or equivalent will be submitted while the pilot project is in progress or shortly after its conclusion.  If manuscripts or grant applications are not submitted within one year of the conclusion of the pilot project, a written statement must be provided to the Center’s Director explaining the reasons for this omission.  A report of progress on each pilot research project, including manuscripts and grants submitted, must be provided to the Center’s Director in March for inclusion in the Center’s annual progress report.  Failure to do so will result in termination of funding. 

Directions for Solicited Application

Title Page

The title page will include the following blocks of information:

•  Project Title
•  Principal Investigator-General information- name, title, affiliation, contact information
•  Budget – Time period of proposed project and funding requested
•  Authorizing Official  - Division Chair or Institution Official
•  TNPRC Core Scientist sponsor
•  Project Description/Abstract

Budget Page

(Use PHS398 application form page 4 and 5 format)

The budget period is for up to one year ($50,000 cap) and must include all costs for purchase of animals, per diem and veterinary technical support. For TNPRC Principal Investigators, the budget may include 2.5 to 5% effort with salary support. Other TNPRC faculty and staff scientists may serve as consultants at no cost to the grant. Principal Investigator’s salary at other institutions must show a percentage of effort but without salary support. The percent of effort for those investigators is unlimited. The following items will not be funded through the Pilot Study Project Fund: travel to scientific meetings, publication costs and salary for faculty-level investigators other than TNPRC Principal Investigators.

Biographical Sketch

(Use PHS398 format including other support)

Research Plan

Page limit for the Research Plan (NIH format) is eight pages excluding references. Attachments essential to the review of the application are permitted but should be kept to a minimum. The Research Plan should include the following:

•  Specific Aims
•  Background and Significance
•  Preliminary Studies
•  Research Design and Methods
•  Literature Cited
•  Appendix (if necessary)

Abstract of Funded or Submitted Proposals

This section should contain the abstract page or a brief summary of each grant and contract that is currently funded or submitted, including those funded or submitted elsewhere for pilot study support.

Relationship of Proposed Pilot Study to Funded or Submitted Proposal

Explain the relationship, if any, of the proposed study to funded or submitted proposals. If there is no relationship, a single sentence will suffice.

List of Previously Awarded TNPRC Grants

List each grant awarded internally at the TNPRC during the past five years, and identify any external grant(s) or contract application(s) that resulted from the internal grant whether or not they were funded.

Pilot Study Resulting in NIH-grant Application or Equivalent

Discuss the feasibility that funding of this pilot project will result in a larger, externally funded research program.

Submit Letter of Intent and Application

Attention: Pyone Aye, DVM, PhD
Tulane National Primate Research Center
18703 Three Rivers Road
Covington, LA 70433

E-mail:  paye@tulane.edu