Pilot and Feasibility Program

Pilot & Feasibility Program (P&F): Project Summary/Abstract The P&F program has funded 132 projects (including 2020) since its inception in 1978. This program has been extremely valuable and effective by providing funding for the support of diabetes-related projects. The goal of the program is to support small research projects by new investigators (who have little or no independent research support) or established investigators who are turning to diabetes research for the first time. Most of the proposals are in the former category (i.e., 13 of 15 grant awarded between 2016-2020). Three new projects are normally initiated each year. After a university-wide solicitation of proposals, three individuals (two internal and one external to the institution) review each grant. The critiques of the proposal are evaluated by the P&F Review Committee (equivalent to an NIH study section), and each proposal is assigned a priority score. The proposals and priority scores are then presented to the DRTC Executive Committee (equivalent to the NIH Council) for a funding decision. Support for a second year of research is awarded when satisfactory work is completed in year one and if support for the projects has not been obtained in the interim. The success rate of this program, measured either by the number of investigators who remain involved in diabetes research, publications, and/or who convert their P&F into a nationally awarded, peer-reviewed grant, is very high. In addition, this program funds applications from a wide variety of Departments/Divisions within the institution. For example, faculty members from Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Rheumatology, Cardiovascular Medicine, Pulmonary, Endocrinology, Ophthalmology, Engineering, and Biological Chemistry were funded over the past four years. The P&F program also provides visibility for the VDRC within the Vanderbilt scientific community and thus makes the scientific community more aware of its research efforts and core facilities. The importance and effectiveness of the VDRC P&F program is underscored by the decision of the Vanderbilt leadership to continue to provide additional P&F funds for this program in the next funding cycle.