Pilot Projects Program

The COBRE Center for Central Nervous System Function aims to transition to a self-sustaining research- service organization to serve the Brown University and Rhode Island neuroscience-research community. A contributing factor to achieve this goal entails continuing and expanding the existing Pilot Project Program, which we began in Phase 1 of our COBRE. We have designed our Pilot Project Program to engage and support early-stage investigators and also to fund established investigators who seek new research directions. The Pilot Project Leaders will contribute to our sustainability goals since they will use our core facilities, thereby contributing to their growth and utility to neuroscience researchers. Additionally, we expect that the awardees will successfully garner external funds from Federal funding agencies, especially the NIH, thus yielding more independent investigators who will contribute to our research and teaching environment. Our Pilot Project Program continues and expands our ongoing mentoring program.