Pilot project grants available

The Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center of the College of Pharmacy has announced the availability of awards of up to $40,000 each for pilot projects related to the mission of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the center.

The program supports projects that will obtain preliminary data that can be used to develop major proposals for submission to extramural funding agencies. Nathan Cherrington (right), associate professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, is director of the pilot project program.

“We have an excellent track record of using these pilot funds to successfully compete for NIH grants,” says Cherrington. “In our last cycle, we calculated that we generated almost $14 of outside money for every dollar invested in the program. That’s a pretty good success rate.”

In selecting pilot projects to be funded, Cherrington and his team give priority to projects involving translational research, defined as research that advances a scientific finding toward practical application in the areas of public health, medical treatment/management, or public policy.

Faculty members of all universities in Arizona are eligible to apply for the grants. Junior and clinical faculty who are new to environmental health science but interested in broadening their research to include environmentally related research are especially invited by the center to apply. Additional information about the program can be found at the pilot projects Web site http://swehsc.pharmacy.arizona.edu/pilot/index.php.

The deadline for applying is 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13. Information and application materials can be obtained from Susanna Herndon at brodie@pharmacy.arizona.edu.

Cherrington urges investigators to consult with him before submitting their proposals to ensure that their research is related to the goals of the center.

Posted Oct. 22, 2009