The Pilot and Feasibility (P & F) Program provides start-up money to new investigators in the field of obesity and, occasionally, established investigators seeking new directions within the field of obesity. This program seeks to offer investigators a "springboard" to more substantial funding for obesity research from the National Institutes of Health and other funding bodies. Each P&F proposal is reviewed by at least two reviewers and selection for final funding is made by the Executive Committee of the New York Obesity Research Center after consultation with an External Advisory Board.

Interested investigators are asked to submit a 1 or 2-page letter of intent along with a NIH biosketch. From these letters, a group of investigators are asked to submit a more extensive application. The number of funded applications depends on the amount of funding available but averages 3 grants per cycle. Applications will be funded for 1 year with the possibility of a second year renewal. Funding usually does not exceed $25,000.00 per P & F grant.

Purpose: The goal of the Pilot and Feasibility Studies Program is to provide seed money to attract new investigators, junior or established, into the study of obesity in association with the New York Obesity Research Center.

Grant Money Available: Applications will be funded at a maximum of $25,000 per year for 1 year. Funding is generally approved for 1 year with the possibility of a second year renewal depending upon an adequate progress report. No indirect costs are paid.

Core Laboratory Support: Recipients may obtain additional technical support through the Core Laboratories of the New York Obesity Research Center. Arrangements should be discussed with the Core Lab director before submission of a P&F application. Cores laboratories are funded by the Center to provide services to ORC investigators and include: 1) Molecular Genetics/Molecular Biology, 2) Human Body Composition & Energy Expenditure, 3) Hormone & Metabolite, 4) Adipose Tissue, 5) Animal Body Composition & Energy Metabolism, 6) Human Ingestive Behavior, and 7) Biostatistics. These laboratories may assist investigators in designing studies, collecting certain data, performing certain measurements, and conducting analyses. Use of core laboratories is encouraged and looked upon favorably in the review process.

Who is Eligible: Three types of applications will be considered:

• Proposals from young investigators who have not held any prior funding to carry out preliminary studies leading to an NIH, ADA, or other grant application;
• Proposals for innovative/high risk projects by established investigators in the field of diabetes;
• Proposals from established investigators, without prior funding in obesity, who wish to undertake an obesity-related project.

Letter of Intent: Interested investigators are asked to submit a single page letter of intent. This letter should include a statement of the hypothesis, a paragraph of background information, a description of the experimental design, and a summary of the proposed methods. A CV in NIH format should also be included. From these letters of intent, applicants will be selected to submit a 5-page grant proposal.

Full Proposal: The NIH format to follow for the 5-page proposal includes the following, with a biosketch, other support page, and budget:

1. Specific aims
2. Significance
3. Preliminary Studies (if any)
4. Experimental Design
5. Literature Cited
   In addition, potential awardees are asked to address two other subjects:
6. Relevance of Studies to Obesity
7. Future career plans

Deadline Dates:

Deadline dates for 2008 grant applications will be announced soon!

For Information on How to Apply, Contact:

Phone: (212) 523-3622
Fax: (212) 523-3571
obesityresearchmanager@yahoo.com