P&F Program

PILOT AND FEASIBILITY PROGRAM The Pilot and Feasibility Program (P&F) is a key component of the CU DRC that will allow DRC leadership to: 1) recruit new talent into diabetes research, 2) attract established investigators from other disciplines into diabetes-related scientific pursuits, and 3) support innovative/high-risk diabetes research projects. Our priority is the support of young, newly independent investigators at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (CU-AMC), and its affiliated institutions, who are embarking on diabetes research careers, but have yet to attain substantial funding. In addition, the CU-AMC DRC P&F Program is an important means of promoting interdisciplinary diabetes research by fostering collaboration between DRC members and improving university- wide interactions between DRC members and other CU-AMC NIH Centers, Departments, and affiliates. The P&F program will also serve as a mechanism to increase the diversity of the CU-AMC diabetes research community, both its scientists and its research portfolio. We will achieve these goals through the following specific aims: AIM 1: To employ a transparent and streamlined process for grant solicitation, scientific review, funding, project management, and progress assessment; AIM 2: To enhance the CU-AMC diabetes research community and diversify its innovative research portfolio and scientists; AIM 3: To provide career guidance and a scientific home for P&F funded investigators; AIM 4: To formally evaluate the impact of the CU-AMC DRC P&F Program on individual grant recipients, as well as on the CU-AMC diabetes research community as a whole. In Sum, the CU-AMC DRC P&F will enhance recruitment and retention of early career and established scientists as DRC Scholars from both traditional and other disciplines to the field of diabetes research has and will continue to increase the diversity and innovation of our diabetes research portfolio.