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Application Process

Seminar.

Understand the seven steps of the CTSI Translational Pilot Studies Program application process.

1) RFP 2) LOIs 3) Proposals 4) Review 5) Funding 6) Prior Approval 7) Account and Tracking

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be a full-time faculty member at UB or Buffalo Translational Consortium institution and eligible to serve as a PI of an NIH grant. We support projects across the T1-T4 translational spectrum, and invite investigators from the basic, clinical, and/or applied sciences to apply. No clinical trials beyond phase IIA will be supported. 

Letters of Intent (LOIs)

  • There is a one-page limit for text for LOIs in addition to the cover page which should include a succinct title for the proposal; and a list of names/degrees, and institutional affiliations of all investigators involved in the project. The LOI should provide a succinct abstract of the proposal, summarizing a) what the project entails; b) a clear statement of the translational significance of the project, the expected outcomes, and the potential application of those outcomes; and c) how the pilot study will lead to substantive extramural funding (e.g., NIH R01, PCORI, NSF or comparable grant, including one of the NCATS/CTSA Program funding mechanisms). 

  • LOIs should be submitted as a single PDF in Arial 11-point font, single-spaced text, 0.5-inch margins. Submissions must be emailed to CTSA-Pilot-Studies@buffalo.edu. Applicants will be notified with a decision as to whether or not their proposal has been selected to move forward to the second tier of the application process.

  • Applicants are encouraged to attend an information session, held prior to the LOI due date, to enhance their application. See slides on tips for success in obtaining CTSI Pilot Studies funding which includes guidance for clinical and translational science projects.

  • The LOIs are reviewed and scored, following National Institutes of Health (NIH) scoring criteria, by Pilot Studies Executive Committee. Typically, about 25 applicants are invited to submit full proposals.