PILOT PROJECT

本子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的众多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能已经从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是中心的，不一定是研究者的机构。我们将每年征集项目。这些项目将由指导委员会单独评估，并以无记名投票的方式进行投票。我们可以根据个人提案的质量和科学愿景，授予两笔50,000美元的资助，四笔25,000美元的资助，或任何组合。纳入并统一两个或两个以上研究领域和/或在OMRF内连接特定项目的项目将获得选择性优势，这将在项目征集时公布。我们将特别关注那些扩展/增强我们在OMRF整合免疫学项目目标的项目，以及那些进一步发展我们的神经科学倡议的项目。必须优先考虑新的调查人员。COBRE指导委员会要向助理成员级别以上的任何人授予这种补助金，需要一套非常不寻常的可减轻罪责的情况。项目将由我们的外部科学委员会进一步审查，然后由NCRR申请批准。这一严格的选择过程将严格确保只有最高科学水平的研究项目才能得到这笔资金的资助。指导委员会将根据本COBRE申请中描述的分层指导过程，为试点项目任命导师。至关重要的是，要让评审委员会意识到，这些项目将只授予独立的科学家，而不会用于加强我们任何高级教员的实验室。这显然是对这些资金的滥用，与我们在OMRF努力创造的支持性研究文化背道而驰。正如我们在第一个COBRE奖项中所做的那样，我们客观地评估资助试点项目的个别结果，并在此过程中改进和扩展衡量标准。由于受资助的试点项目的科学家几乎肯定处于职业生涯的开端，这一过程将被简化。每一份新的资助申请、每一篇论文、会议报告和其他可衡量的标准，如给定出版物的引用，都将由指导团队仔细监控，因为我们认识到，我们有很大的责任确保我们不仅资助最有前途的研究，而且还记录了这些资金被明智地使用的事实。COBRE的PI每年都在减少他的个人研究投入，并将对COBRE奖的研究进展进行评估，作为个人指导责任。每个试点项目接受者将被要求在收到资金的六个月和十二个月后报告其进展情况。除非在非常特殊的情况下，我们预计任何人都不会收到这些资金不止一次。这些基金旨在为年轻科学家提供必要的支持，使他们能够为强大而有竞争力的NIH申请提供必要的初步数据。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. We will solicit projects on a yearly basis. The projects will be separately evaluated by the steering committee and voting will be done by secret ballot. We may award two $50,000 grants, four $25,000 grants, or any combination, depending on the quality and scientific vision of the individual proposal. A selective advantage will be given to projects that incorporate and unify two or more areas of research and/or bridge specific Programs within OMRF, and this will be announced at the time the projects are solicited. Specific attention will be given to projects that expand/enhance our goals of integrating Programs in Immunology at OMRF, and projects that further our developing Neuroscience Initiative. Priority must go to new investigators. It would require a very unusual set of extenuating circumstances for the COBRE steering committee to award such grants to anyone above the assistant member level. Projects would be further reviewed by our External Scientific Committee, followed by a request for approval from NCRR. This rigorous selection process will function to insure stringently that only research projects of the very highest scientific caliber are funded by this money. The steering committee will appoint mentors for the pilot projects according to the stratified mentoring process described in this COBRE application. It is critically important that the review committee be made aware that these projects will be awarded only to independent scientists, and will not be used to enhance the laboratories of any of our senior faculty. This would be a clear misuse of these funds, and represents the antithesis of the supportive research culture we are striving to create at OMRF. As we did in our first COBRE award, we objectively evaluate individual outcomes of the funded pilot projects, improving and extending the criteria for measurement during this process. Since the funded Pilot Project scientists will almost certainly be at the beginning of their careers, this process will be simplified. Each new grant application, every paper, meeting presentation and other measurable criteria such as citations of a given publication will be carefully monitored by the mentoring team, as we recognize that we have a great responsibility to make certain that we not only fund the most promising research, but also document for peer review the fact that these funds have been wisely expended. The PI of the COBRE has been reducing his personal research commitment each year and will take the evaluation of research progress resulting from this COBRE award as a personal mentoring responsibility. Each pilot project recipient will be required to report his/her progress six and twelve months after the receipt of funds. Except under very exceptional circumstances, we do not anticipate that anyone will receive these funds more than once. These funds are intended to provide the necessary support to young scientists that will allow them to produce the preliminary data necessary for strong and competitive NIH applications.