Deadlines
- Letters of Intent are due November 1, 2024 @ 11:59PM
- Full applications are due December 8, 2024 @ 11:59PM
Guidelines
CBI Pilot Awards fund teams of investigators to develop pilot data in pursuit of impactful, extramurally-funded research projects and collaborative publications. Successful proposals will feature new teams that can leverage pilot funding to secure extramural grants, publish high-quality collaborative papers, and increase Ohio State's national reputation for excellence in research.
Projects
Pilot projects are one-year collaborative research studies that generate data, publications, or other preliminary outcomes leading to successful capture of target individual or team extramural grants.
Scope
Projects must address chronic brain injury topics in CBI's key research areas.
Applicants
All proposals must feature an interdisciplinary team of researchers and/or clinicians. Applicant teams must be led or advised by a faculty member with a current appointment at The Ohio State University. All Ohio State researchers with PI status are eligible to apply. Applicant teams must feature one of the following types of collaborations:
- cross-disciplinary collaboration among researchers with appointments two or more Colleges
- translational collaboration among researchers and clinical faculty
- transdisciplinary collaboration involving an industry, government, or community-based partner.
Additional consideration will be given to teams featuring junior faculty. Nationwide Children's Hospital faculty are considered to represent a college separate from the Ohio State College of Medicine. Department Chairs and Center/Institute Directors are not eligible to apply as principal investigators but may be included as co-investigators.
Funding
Up to $50,000 will be awarded per proposal, with up to five awards available per year. Award funds are limited to one-time support for the project. Salaries and travel for tenure-track faculty may not be supported by these funds. No-cost extensions may be granted with approval by program staff. Funds will be transferred to research pilot team at the start of the one-year project period upon confirmation of all required regulatory approvals.
Applicants must provide matching funds of at least $25,000 from internal or external sources. Matching funds may be cash, in-kind contributions, or a mix of both. If grant funds from other projects are used for matching funds, the application must specifically state how pilot funds will support a new and distinct project or aim.
Application Instructions
Letter of Intent
All applicant teams must submit a letter of intent (LOI) form at https://go.osu.edu/cbipilotloi that clearly describes the project, estimated budget, research strategy (see step 2), and team qualifications. LOIs will be reviewed by the CBI program team to ensure that project proposals meet all requirements and fit the scope of this program. LOIs may be returned with suggestions for revision and resubmission. LOIs must be approved prior to full proposal submission.
For questions about LOIs, please contact cbi@osu.edu.
Full Application
After LOI approval, teams will be invited to submit a full application. Application documents including budget forms will be sent to approved teams. Example application documents are available at https://go.osu.edu/cbifunding.
Applications must include a proposal narrative, limited to five pages excluding references, that clearly describes the project research strategy:
- Project Aims: What will this project accomplish? What milestones are important in the development of this project?
- Significance: What challenge or need will this project address? How?
- Innovation: What new ideas or approaches does this project explore?
- Methodology: What specific procedures and techniques will be used to accomplish the project?
- Interdisciplinarity: What role does each project team member play? How does this project meaningfully incorporate multiple disciplines?
- Next Steps: How will this project lead to collaborative extramural proposals within two years? What current or expected grant announcements will the project team pursue?
Review
Completed applications will be reviewed using a truncated NIH-style review process. Applications will be peer-reviewed and scored by at least two reviewers selected from the CBI faculty affiliate base with relevant expertise. The CBI program team will use reviewers’ scores and comments to rank and select up to five pilot projects. Scores and comments will be shared with applicants.