Pilot Award

Purpose

Pilot Awards are $100,000 over one year. These proposals have one (or two smaller) aims that describe work requiring one year to complete. They typically have only one PI with or without collaborators. Pilot Awards are designed for pilot/feasibility studies.

Amount

This grant totals $100,000 over one year. Up to 10% in indirect costs may be requested. Indirect costs are included in the $100,000 total budget, and grants will be paid in US dollars.

Eligibility

The Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (NETRF) seeks investigators and teams with the tools to study neuroendocrine cancers in innovative and transformative ways.

• Applicants must have an MD, PhD, MD/PhD, or equivalent degree and be appointed as faculty at the Instructor level or above (or equivalent position). Research track faculty are eligible to apply.
• Applicants must have the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research.
• Eligible organizations include public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, and laboratories, both domestic and international. Applications from the biotech, pharmaceutical industry, or for-profit life sciences companies are not eligible.

Conditions

• Projects that bring together investigators from diverse scientific disciplines are highly encouraged. For team applications, one principal investigator and one institution must be selected. International applications are welcome.
• Awardees, as a condition of acceptance, will be required to attend the annual NETRF Research Symposium. Funds from the awarded grant can be allocated to attend the Annual NETRF Symposium.

Selection process

The NETRF request for applications uses a two-step process. First, applicants submit a competitive Letter of Intent (LOI). Only one LOI may be submitted per applicant, per program. Applicants selected to advance will be invited to submit a full application.

• An LOI must be submitted, and all eligibility criteria must be met to be considered for the full application stage. LOIs that do not meet these requirements will be administratively rejected.
• If invited, applicants must submit a full application that meets all program guidelines. Applications that do not meet these requirements will be administratively rejected.
• LOIs and full applications will be peer reviewed by an independent panel of scientific experts.
• Awardees, as a condition of acceptance, will be required to attend the annual NETRF Research Symposium. Funds from the awarded grant can be allocated to attend the Annual NETRF Symposium.

Grant monitoring

Grant recipients are required to submit progress reports every six months detailing scientific progress, research milestones achieved, and project-related expenditures. The reports disclose updates on publications, patents, and clinical trial advances when applicable. These reports are reviewed to ensure funds are spent appropriately and that sufficient progress is made throughout the grant term. Continued funding is contingent upon review and approval of progress and achievement of relevant milestones. Post-award reports at one, three and five years are required to measure longer-term outcomes of the funded research.