Pilot Project Program

SUMMARY: PILOT PROJECT PROGRAM The Pilot Project Program (PPP) is one of the key mechanisms by which the Gulf Coast Center for Precision Environmental Health (GC-CPEH) enhances the environmental health identity and impact of the research base of its parent institutions, Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and University of Texas (UT). The guiding Vision for the PPP is to support novel investigations that advance environmental health sciences (EHS) research and promote collaborative research by investigators across disciplines. To achieve this Vision, the PPP supports time-limited projects that explore the feasibility of new avenues for research, respond to time-sensitive and timely research opportunities, and enables generation of preliminary data for acquisition of new extramural funding. The PPP also enhances GC-CPEH Career Development and Community Engagement activities, attracts researchers from non-traditional EHS areas, and increases collaborative research and novel investigations that cross disciplines to advance EHS research. In so doing, the PPP plays an important role in accomplishing Center goals, filling knowledge gaps in human environmental health, and advancing the NIEHS Strategic Plan. The PPP is seamlessly integrated with the other Core components in the Center and contributes substantively to achievement of Center goals. The PPP supports 4-6 peer-reviewed 1-year projects as full Pilot grants per round as well as short-term Rapid Response awards. These awards benefit from substantial commitments made by the participating GC-CPEH institutions as matching funds for both full Pilots and Rapid Response awards. Specific Aims to achieve this Vision are Specific Aim 1: Enhance the environmental health identity of the GC-CPEH by supporting exploratory research relevant to the Center Thematic Focus Areas, increasing Center visibility across participating institutions, and attracting new members to the Center. Specific Aim 2: Support career advancement for junior investigators by providing support for utilization of Center Cores, acquisition of preliminary data that increases competitiveness for extramural funding and mentoring of tomorrow’s EHS leaders. Specific Aim 3: Advance collaborative research and engage researchers new to the environmental health sciences to fill knowledge gaps in precision environmental health research and advance community engagement.