Mid Atlantic Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) Pilot/Feasibility Grants

The Mid-Atlantic Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC), a NIH-funded center, is soliciting Letters of Intent to apply for pilot and feasibility grants of up to $50,000 (no more than $5,000 can be used for salary support for the PI or Co-I). 

Visit the Mid-Atlantic NORC Pilot & Feasibility Program Website for complete details.

Letters of Intent are due Monday, March 9, 2020 by noon.

Eligibility for new applicants:

Applicants for these awards must be

• Faculty* (as of 9/1/20) at an academic institution affiliated with the Mid-Atlantic NORC (University of Maryland, Baltimore; Johns Hopkins University; University of Maryland, College Park)
• AND must fulfill one of the following eligibility criteria:

1. 1. New investigators without current or prior independent research funding from NIH;
   2. Established investigators in the field of nutrition/obesity who are proposing a project that represents a significant departure from their previous/current work;
   3. Established investigators in other fields who wish to apply their expertise to nutrition and obesity research.

*Post-doctoral fellows are not eligible, unless they are transitioning to faculty by 9/1/20. Written documentation of the faculty appointment (including effective date) must be submitted with the full application.

The aim of all P/F projects should be to provide convincing data for future proposals in the fields of nutrition and/or obesity to the NIH or other national agencies. Investigators are encouraged to undertake high risk/high gain projects that have the potential to develop but for which no preliminary data of feasibility are currently available. Nevertheless, the capability of the PI (and his/her collaborators) to undertake such a project should be clearly outlined.

Use of NORC Core laboratories as part of the proposal is highly recommended. The NORC Cores include:  1) Clinical and Translational Research (CTR) Core; 2) Animal Model Phenotyping (AMP) Core; and 3) Community-Based Pediatric Nutrition Obesity Research Core.

P&F award recipients will be required to participate in Mid-Atlantic NORC Center activities, including seminars, workshops and symposia, and to present their work at NORC seminars and an annual symposium.

It is acceptable to submit a project that is currently under review elsewhere; however, future funding by another agency for the same project will preclude Mid-Atlantic NORC funding.

Letters of Intent Requirements:

1. Letters of Intent (2 page limit) should include the following:
   1. Key information
      1. The eligibility of the investigators according to the above stated criteria
      2. The project’s relevance to the mission of the Mid-Atlantic NORC
      3. The investigator’s future plans for submission to NIH or other national agencies
   2. Specific Aims (up to 1 page)
   3. If the project has been previously submitted to the Mid-Atlantic NORC any issues raised in prior critiques of the project should be addressed.
2. Academic CV (required)
3. An NIH-style biosketch (optional)
4. Names, academic institutions and contact information (email and phone) for 2 - 3 potential reviewers in their field of study will be requested as part of the online form.

Note: the CV and NIH Biosketch (if submitted with the LOI) do not count as part of the two-page limit.

Letters of Intent (LOI) should be submitted via online portal.

After review by the Mid-Atlantic NORC Executive Committee to determine eligibility, scientific potential and relevance to the NORC’s mission, a five-page proposal will be requested of those selected to apply. Invitations to submit a full proposal will be sent around March 20, 2020. The five-page proposals will be due no later than noon on Monday, May 18, 2020.

For questions, email Kate Autry and Rhea Cosentino at FinanceTeam@som.umaryland.edu.