Pilot and Feasibility Program

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PILOT AND FEASIBILITY PROGRAM PROJECT SUMMARY The Cleveland DDRCC Pilot and Feasibility (P and F) Program is one of the fundamental pillars for the intellectual vitality and success of our Center. The Program directly supports the Center’s stated mission to foster innovation in the area of digestive disease-related research through the support of collaborative research, collaboration, and career development. The overall goal of the P and F program is to grow the number of investigators successfully performing research in the thematic areas of Digestive Inflammation/Tumorigenesis and Liver Disease/Metabolism at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) Center and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation’s Lerner Research Institute (CCF LRI) by providing resources to develop new pilot and/or feasibility research studies that will lead to competitive peer-reviewed grant applications. The program, directed by Dr. Amitabh Chak, has a focus using P and F awards to support the development of independent research programs for junior investigators with an interest in digestive diseases research. The program also seeks to attract talented, established investigators in other fields to apply their research skills and expertise to digestive disease-related investigations. A call for applications is held each spring, and the program generally receives 20-30 proposals per year. The P and F Scientific Review Committee oversees peer-review of all qualifying applications, including both an internal review process and external review by members of the Cleveland DDRCC External Advisory Committee. The Center funds up to four $25,000 awards per year with NIDDK funding, as well as up to an additional two awards per year supported by institutional commitments. Awards are for one year, but recipients can apply for a second year of funding when needed. The P and F Program annually tracks the outcomes of all current and prior P and F Award recipients, and provides regular Progress Report updates to the NIDDK. We are particularly proud of the high level of success seen with our P and F Program during the previous funding cycle, with seven of our 15 P and F Awardees from 2015-2018 going on obtain peer-reviewed NIH or foundation grants based on work generated through their P and F project (including four K awards, one R01, one R21 for minority investigators, one P20 sub-project PI, two Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Senior Research Awards, and one Helmsley Trust Award). P and F awardees have also been active in contributing to the enrichment programs of the Cleveland DDRCC, including founding the Young Investigators Network and its highly popular “Mock Study Section”, presenting their P and F projects at the annual Midwest DDRCC Alliance Research Symposium (hosted by the Cleveland DDRCC Mar 5-6, 2018), and organizing and participating in the Young Investigators Symposium included within the biannual two-day Cleveland IDEAS Symposium.