Penn Center for AIDS Research

The Penn CFAR Developmental Core Pilot Award Program is designed to assist faculty member applicants (Assistant Professor and above) and junior non-faculty applicants (Instructor and/or Research Associate) to launch or further develop a successful independently funded HIV/AIDS-related project. In addition to funding, this support is provided through mentoring (or collaborative partnerships for more seasoned investigators). All funded pilot award recipients are assigned CFAR program mentors for the duration of the project, but mentoring is available regardless of whether or not an application is funded. 

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

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Successful CFAR Pilot Awards focus on any aspect of HIV/AIDS clinical care, epidemiology, virology, immunology, structural biology, vaccine development, or prevention that are determined to be relevant to the goals of our program. Priority is given to junior faculty who have no other source of funding and who are seeking support for the development of preliminary data for an NIH R01-type application.  The University of Pennsylvania CFAR Developmental Core offers two types of pilot awards:

Two types of pilot award are available*:  

1. General Pilot Research Awards

2. Mentored Research Scholar Awards. 

(*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 equivalent to Assistant Professor or Staff Scientist or above in any track at a Penn CFAR institution (or a commitment for such an appointment at the time the award would start). 

For junior faculty applicants, a one-page mentorship plan with a senior faculty member is strongly encouraged; for non-HIV/AIDS investigators of any level, a partnership plan with an established HIV/AIDS investigator is also encouraged.

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

Young investigators at the Instructor/Research Associate/Staff Scientist level who are poised to begin an independent research program within a mentored environment at a Penn CFAR institution 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.

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; lowenthale@chop.edu)

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The Penn Center for AIDS Research (Penn CFAR) invites Pilot Grant applications offered through its Developmental Core. Proposals in all areas of HIV/AIDS clinical, basic, bio-behavioral and implementation science research are welcomed. Pilot projects should lead to future independent HIV/AIDS funding. The CFAR is especially interested in proposals from new investigators and those from established investigators who are turning their focus to HIV/AIDS. See the program guidelines here!

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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.

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1. In accepting the Pilot Grant, awardees agree to:

2. Participate in the Pilot Program Charge meeting held at beginning of the grant year, following notice of award.
3. Utilize resources of the CFAR to maximize their research success. The CFAR faculty’s time and the CFAR Developmental Core are valuable resources. It is the responsibility of the awardee/applicant to ask for assistance when needed and to be 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.
4. 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).
5. The awardee/applicant must participate actively in the program relationship and engage the assigned CFAR faculty in the process of transforming the pilot award grant into a subsequent grant submission. The awardee/applicant should engage the mentor at all stages of grant preparation, from the initial conception of an idea to the final grant submission.
6. The pilot awardee must provide the CFAR mentor 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 start well before submission (i.e., at least 3 months prior to due date) to allow for revision and final critical review.
7. To monitor 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.
8. The awardee/applicant should take advantage of opportunities for collaborative research within the Penn CFAR and other CFARs across the country.
9. The awardee should participate in general professional development activities and research in-progress sessions, such as Pilot Feedback Talks, coordinated by the CFAR Development Core for added feedback on active awards.
10. 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.  
11. Mentees will complete annual progress reports that review progress, spending, highlights, next steps, and track abstracts/presentations/publications.
12. The awardee will complete a survey distributed by the CFAR Developmental Core related to the mentorship program. This information should be factual and focus on scientific progress and a frank evaluation of the pilot program. The goal is to identify things that work and things that do not work so the program can be improved in subsequent years of this grant cycle. 

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