Pilot & Feasibility Program

Director

Brian Feldman, MD, PhD | Director

Myra Gloria, NORC Program Administrator

Overview

The Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) Program is a major pillar on which the success of the UCSF-NORC is built. This program awards grants of $50,000 to projects that are meant to be exploratory in nature, allowing applicants to collect preliminary data needed for subsequent larger grant applications. An average of three awards of $50,000 are funded per year.

The intentions of this program relate directly to the major UCSF-NORC goal of strengthening a growing interactive community of nutrition and obesity researchers by:

  • Enabling new investigators and junior faculty to establish NORC-relevant research programs.
  • Fostering highly innovative directions in basic and clinical nutrition- and obesity-related research, including clinical studies in minority and other underserved patient groups.
  • Encouraging and promoting the effective and consistent use of the UCSF-NORC Core resources.

Eligibility

Preference will be given to junior faculty engaged in research broadly relevant to nutrition, obesity, and metabolism, who do not yet have NIH R01 funding (K awardees are eligible to apply). Investigators at any of the following are invited to apply: UCSF, UC Berkeley, UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz Collaborative projects (including across UC campuses) are encouraged. For collaborative applications all PIs need to meet the eligibility criteria listed for this grant mechanism.

Please contact Myra Gloria or Brian Feldman for more information.

Review Criteria

The reviewers will examine proposals for eligibility of the investigator, innovation of the research and its potential to generate data sufficient for future extramural funding opportunities broadly related to metabolism, obesity and nutrition. NIH review criteria (Significance, Investigators, Innovation, Approach, Environment) will be used.

Review Process

At each review cycle following the receipt of NORC P&F Program applications, P&F Director appoints an internal P&F Committee, taking into account conflict of interest. The application is then sent to external reviewers for review and provide scores based on the NORC criteria. 

See the instructions to apply for Fall 2023 P&F applicants .