Developmental Pilot Awards

Please see the current Program Guidelines for complete eligibility information. If you have any questions about eligibility, please contact the Developmental Core Director (Liz Lowenthal, MD MSCE; lowenthale@chop.edu)

General Pilot Awards: Faculty members

Mentored Research Scholar Awards: Young Investigators (Pre-Faculty)

Young investigators at the Instructor, Research Associate, Wistar Staff Scientist, or Wistar Research Assistant Professor level are eligible for mentored awards. Senior fellows will also be considered if they have institutional commitment for a pre-faculty position at the time the award will start. Applicants should be poised to begin an independent research program. If you have any questions about eligibility, please contact the Developmental Core Director (Liz Lowenthal, MD MSCE).

Mentored Research Scholar Award applications must include a letter of support from their scientific mentor. For fellows, an institutional letter of support is also required. In addition to these letters, a one-page mentorship plan is required. Guidelines for the Mentorship Plan are available through the CFAR website.

If you have any questions about eligibility, please contact Developmental Core Director (Liz Lowenthal, MD MSCE).)

The Penn Center for AIDS Research is not currently accepting pilot applications. Please click here for information on our rolling Microgrant application process.

Please check back and subscribe to our newsletter for upcoming funding opportunities.

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The Penn Center for AIDS Research (Penn CFAR) periodically invites Pilot Grant applications. Projects can be in all areas of HIV/AIDS including clinical, basic, behavioral and implementation science research. Areas of focus might inlclude:

• Reducing HIV Incidence
• Implementation Science
• Collaborations with Philadelphia Department of Public Health *
• Addressing HIV-associated Comorbidities, Coinfections, and Complications including Aging (all scientific domains including basic to clinical are encouraged)
• Research on the Impact of HIV Communication and Policy *
• Single Cell HIV Reservoirs and Immune Analysis *
• Structural Biology Research on HIV Targets with joint funding from the Institute for Structural Biology

Pilot awards are open to investigators without prior R01-level funding in AIDS.

In FY2025 we offered a special pilot initiative with joint funding from the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation:

• Applying modified RNA technology to HIV research

Note:  The CFAR/RNA Institute Special Pilot Initiative is open to all investigators, including those who have been previously funded in the AIDS field. If previously R01-level funded in AIDS, proposals must reflect a major new research direction involving applications of modified RNA technology.

 

*See the CFAR Pilot Grant RFA Addendum below for more information

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Pilot projects are intended to lead to independent HIV/AIDS funding.

All proposals must address high or medium priority areas in the NIH Priorities for HIV/AIDS: https://www.oar.nih.gov/hiv-policy-and-research/research-priorities

Pilot Award eligibility criteria include:

• New investigators without prior R01 level funding from NIH
• Established investigators who have not previously been funded by the NIH for work in HIV/AIDS.
• The CFAR/RNA Institute Special Pilot Initiative is open to all investigators, including those who have been previously funded in the AIDS field. If previously R01-level funded in AIDS, proposals must reflect a major new research direction involving applications of modified RNA technology.

Two types of pilot award are available:

1. General Pilot Research Awards
2. Mentored Research Scholar Awards.

The award types are described below.

Amount:  Awards are for a maximum of $50,000 per grant**. Applicants should provide justification for the proposed budget. Grants are for one-year and are not renewable. IRB approvals must be in place before funds can be dispersed.

**A single grant of up to $100,000 may be awarded for an exceptional mRNA-based project if well-justified.

Application Details: The required cover page and instructions can be found here.

Application Deadline:  We are not currently accepting applications.

 

AWARD TYPES AND ELIGIBILITY

Note that researchers who are not eligible for these awards may be eligible for CFAR microgrants which are awarded on a rolling basis throughout the year: https://www.med.upenn.edu/cfar/microgrants.html) 

General Pilot Awards: Faculty members

Eligible applicants must have a faculty appointment of at least Assistant Professor or its equivalent at a Penn CFAR institution. It is also acceptable to have an appointment by the award date.

For junior faculty applicants, a one-page mentorship plan with a senior faculty member is strongly encouraged; for non-HIV/AIDS investigators, a partnership plan with an established HIV/AIDS investigator is strongly encouraged. Contact the Developmental Core leadership for assistance with identifying HIV-focused mentors and partnerships.

Mentored Research Scholar Awards: Young Investigators (Pre-Faculty)

Young investigators at the Instructor, Research Associate, Wistar Staff Scientist, or Wistar Research Assistant Professor level are eligible for mentored awards. Senior fellows will also be considered if they have institutional commitment for a pre-faculty position at the time the award will start. Applicants should be poised to begin an independent research program. If you have any questions about eligibility, please contact Developmental Core Director (Liz Lowenthal, MD MSCE; lowenthale@chop.edu).

Mentored Research Scholar Award applications must include a letter of support from a scientific mentor and a 1-page mentorship plan. For fellows, an institutional letter of support is also required.

Community-based Organizations & Department of Health: Investigators at partner institutions may be eligible in collaboration with Penn, CHOP, or Wistar faculty. If you have any questions about eligibility, please contact Dr. Lowenthal. 

Clinical Studies: The NIH restricts CFAR Pilot Grants from funding NIH-defined “Clinical Trials.” If you are planning to propose a human intervention study (biomedical, behavioral, etc.), please contact Dr. Lowenthal so we can help ensure that your study, if approved, could be supported by available funds.

Use of Fetal Tissue: Research plans using fetal tissue are not permitted in pilot awards.

International Applications:  Applications with international components must be approved by the International Core Director (Robert Gross, MD MSCE grossr@pennmedicine.upenn.edu) prior to preparation of the application.

Successful awardees will be required to submit periodic progress reports and to take part in mentoring activities and feedback seminars. Pilot recipients will be followed for at least 5 years after the funding period ends for NIH reporting.

We strongly encourage all applicants to reach out to the Developmental Core prior to submission for help identifying resources including potential investigative partners.

 

Scientific Questions:  Liz Lowenthal, MD MSCE, Director, CFAR Developmental Core

lowenthale@chop.edu

Administrative Questions:  Cherylann McGee

Mcgeec3@chop.edu

The Developmental Core is intended to help pilot grant applicants achieve the following goals:

• Translate the pilot grant application into a subsequent competitive external funding application (i.e., NIH or other agency)
• Gain familiarity with the Penn CFAR and CFAR Cores and services.
• Network with local like-minded professionals. The Core provides opportunities to interact with colleagues in the Penn CFAR and can provide introductions to colleagues working throughout the University of Pennsylvania, The Wistar Institute, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
• Identify potential opportunities for extramural collaboration.
• Develop awareness of policies and procedures relevant to the awardee’s work (e.g., clear understanding of human subjects and/or animal research requirements, international research guidelines, good clinical practice).
• Achieve career advancement and work towards independence as HIV-focused researchers.
• Establish an ethically sound research environment.
• Assist applicants whose pilot submissions were not funded to address reviewers’ concerns to achieve success in the following application cycle.

In accepting the Pilot Grant, awardees agree to:

1. Obtain all necessary ethical approvals and undergo successful NIH scientific review prior to release of funding. Awardees will complete the NIH Human Subjects Study Record required for all projects with a human subjects component. To determine if your project has a human subjects component, please see the NIH Questionnaire.
2. In presentations, abstracts, and publications, acknowledge CFAR funding with either of the following, as appropriate:
   • Direct CFAR Funding Support: This research was supported by a grant from the Penn Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), an NIH-funded program (P30 AI 045008).
   • Indirect/Partial Funding Support: This publication/presentation/grant proposal was made possible through core services and support from the Penn Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), an NIH-funded program (P30 AI 045008).
3. Participate in general professional development activities and research-in-progress sessions, such as Pilot Feedback Talks coordinated by the CFAR Developmental Core, both for added feedback on active awards and to learn more about what others are doing in the CFAR community and opportunities for collaboration.
4. Utilize the resources of the CFAR to maximize their research success by participating actively in the program relationship and engaging both chosen and assigned CFAR faculty in the process of transforming the pilot award grant into a subsequent grant submission. Mentored awardees should engage the mentor(s) at all stages of grant preparation, from the initial conception of an idea to the final grant submission.
   • The CFAR faculty’s time and the CFAR Developmental Core are valuable resources. The awardee/applicant is responsible for asking for assistance when needed and being fully prepared for mentoring meetings. Preparatory materials such as an agenda, pending papers, drafts of future grant-specific aims, or other information should be provided at least 2 weeks in advance of meetings.
   • Mentored pilot awardees must provide the CFAR mentor(s) with a copy of any grant application in a reasonable time (i.e., at least 4 weeks for NIH K- and R-series awards) for feedback. This timeline requires that mentorship starts well before submission (i.e., at least 3 months prior to the due date) to allow for revision and final critical review.
   • To monitor the progress of the Pilot project and submission of a subsequent grant application, the awardee must meet at least twice a year, more if indicated in the mentoring plan or as requested by his/her CFAR faculty mentor. Awardees/applicants agree to send a preparatory e-mail to the mentor outlining the topics to be covered and their goals for each mentoring meeting.
5. Take advantage of opportunities for collaborative research within the Penn CFAR and other CFARs nationwide.
6. Complete brief quarterly progress reports that review progress, spending, highlights, and next steps, and track abstracts/presentations/publications during the period of the award.
7. Complete annual surveys for at least 5 years after completion of the award.