CACHET - Pilot Project

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1. PILOT PROJECT PROGRAM: ABSTRACT The ChicAgo Center for Health and EnvironmenT (CACHET) Pilot Project Program is designed to fund new directions in environmental health sciences (EHS) research and provide a primary mechanism for developing the careers of CACHET members. The Pilot Project Program is critical to promoting the success of CACHET investigators and the development of future CACHET resources in EHS research. Indeed, in the current abbreviated funding cycle, this program funded 28 pilot awards totaling $639,000 in research dollars to Center members. To date, these awards have directly led to five NIH-funded R01 and one K08 grants totaling $11,329,383, while five submitted grants are pending and four were submitted but not funded. Pilot projects awarded through this program explore new EHS research areas, build research collaborations and teams (within each institution, between the two institutions and externally), support the next generation of EHS researchers and accelerate external grant support of CACHET members. Proposals that consider data collected by the Community Engagement Core (CEC) as well as proposals that actively collaborate with CEC community participants are encouraged. This focus enables CACHET to directly address the environmental research needs of the community and, in so doing, undertake research aimed at mitigating racial and ethnic health disparities as a function of adverse environmental factors. Innovative and high-risk/high-reward studies are also encouraged. The Pilot Project Program has four primary award types: Young Investigator Award, Idea Award, Focused Research Award and Inter-Institutional Award; each addresses specific needs for building and supporting a strong EHS research community in Chicago. Proposals are reviewed for scientific merit, feasibility, community- relevance, and potential to lead to external grants in EHS research from NIEHS and other funding agencies. Funds awarded by the program are not only essential for cultivating the careers of junior investigators by enhancing their success in obtaining grants and publications, but also for attracting established investigators from other disciplines into the EHS research field and fostering new collaborations. We are confident that in the next five years, the Pilot Project Program will result in a substantial increase in NIEHS funding for CACHET investigators, will noticeably expand EHS research capacity in Chicago, fostering the next generation of EHS researchers and will meaningfully impact the local community.