Pilot & Feasibility Program

PILOT AND FEASIBIILTY PROGRAM Project Summary / Abstract The University of Kansas Medical Center’s (KUMC) Nutrition Obesity Research Centers Research Resource Center (NORC-RRC) will implement a Pilot and Feasibility Program. The Pilot and Feasibility Program will focus on advancing the training opportunities of early-to-mid career professionals seeking to establish a research career in nutrition and obesity, and the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) through the NORC-RRC is highly committed to fulfilling this responsibility. This KUMC commitment includes an additional $250,000 to support the Pilot and Feasibility Program. Directors of the Pilot and Feasibility Program are appointed to assist with the implementation and oversight of this program. The Pilot and Feasibility is designed to achieve the following aims: a) to work in a collaborative manner with the NORC-RRC Administrative Core and the NORC Program Steering Committee to implement a vibrant and effective P&F Program; b) Prepare and ensure appropriate distribution of announcements of the availability of P&F funding targeted to solicit engagement of appropriate investigators from non-NORC institutions; c) In collaboration with the Enrichment Program within the Administrative Core, to provide adequate training opportunities for early-to-mid career investigators to develop and submit competitive applications to the Pilot and Feasibility Program, and upon funding to maintain mentoring awardees for successful project completion; d) Arrange and preside over the scientific merit review of Pilot and Feasibility proposals, which includes retaining copies of the proposals, documentation of the reviews and impact scores, and final actions on each proposal. We provide details for the organization, implmentation, and procedures that will be followed for the Pilot and Feasibility Program to achieve these aims.