There are two grant cycles: one in the spring and one in the fall. During the spring cycle, applications are typically accepted in early March, with funding available in May. During the fall cycle, applications are typically accepted in early September, with funding available in November.

The program aims to support cancer researchers at UC and Cincinnati Children’s, increase collaborations to foster innovative research, facilitate novel approaches, encourage entry of new investigators to cancer research, promote the translation of laboratory findings into clinical interventions, and generate preliminary data that will lead to cancer-relevant extramural funding.

While all types of cancer-relevant pilot research proposals are encouraged, each grant cycle may emphasize specifics areas of strategic priority and/or those supported by philanthropic funds.

Funding is limited to a maximum of $50,000 per project and will be awarded for a period of one year. Awards will be matched to an appropriate funding source by UCCC administration and scientific leadership.

All full-time UC faculty (inclusive of UC faculty at Cincinnati Children’s) are eligible to apply for UCCC membership, and subsequently, pilot project funding. Interested pilot project award applicants who are not yet members of the UCCC must first apply and be approved for membership. The membership application can be completed at: https://ucwebapps.uc.edu/institutemember/Account/Login. In addition, eligible applicants are limited to one submission per grant cycle as principal investigator (PI). Clinical and post-doctoral research fellows, instructors, and research associates are eligible as co-investigators or collaborators on applications in which their faculty advisor/mentor serves as official principal investigator (PI). This condition does not apply to medical residents.

Applications will only be accepted electronically and should be submitted in REDCap using the link provided in the RFA for the current grant cycle. The online REDCap system is used to standardize and streamline processes for both applicants and reviewers.

You will be asked to provide information on yourself as well as your project team. Your research proposal will require an abstract, background, hypothesis and specific aims, experimental design and timeline, preliminary data (if available), plan to use pilot project data for future funding opportunities, references, and tables and figures (optional, limit of four). A budget, budget justification, biographical sketches and other support for yourself and any co-investigators (limit of three), and letters of support (limit of three) from your faculty mentor or advisor if you are an early stage investigator and/or any collaborators/consultants. Please note that you may want to spell out symbols or Greek letters to avoid formatting problems.

Team members are most often the faculty-level personnel who will be involved with the project. A co-investigator is someone who will be significantly involved in the scientific development and/or execution of the proposed research (i.e., senior/key personnel). Collaborators and consultants will play a less active role in the project. Biosketches and Other Support documents are required for co-investigators, but not for collaborators or consultants. Letters of support are required for collaborators and consultants, but not for co-investigators.

Preliminary data related to the proposed research should be included if it is available. However, for investigators moving into new, innovative areas of work, the absence of preliminary data will not preclude funding.

PI’s salary, cellular devices, capital equipment, indirect costs, and administrative services are not permitted. Travel-related expenses should not be included on the initial project budget. Every effort should be made to utilize the funding in support of carrying out the proposed research. If funds remain upon completion of the project, the use of these funds for travel will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Travel must be associated with a presentation of significant findings directly related to the pilot project.