Funding Opportunities

Pilot/Feasibility Grants

Request for Applications
Liver Center Pilot/Feasibility Awards

The Liver Center is now inviting applications for 2025 Pilot/Feasibility Awards.
Three (3) one-year grants of $50,000 will be awarded on June 1, 2025.

FULL APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS 

What is the purpose of the Liver Center Pilot/Feasibility Award Program?
The program provides seed money to investigators who are attempting to launch liver-related research projects. The program supports both basic and clinical research relevant to the liver. The goal of the program is to enable investigators to obtain preliminary data that can ultimately be expanded into a larger grant application. The expectation is that awardees will utilize the cores of the Liver Center to move their research forward.

What is the nature of the award?
The award is a one-year grant of $50,000. Funds can be used for salary, supplies and services but not for equipment or travel. Please note that 10% of the total award amount must be spent on services provided by the Liver Center cores.

Who is eligible to apply?

Applicants must be affiliated with UCSF or one of its partner or neighboring institutions (CPMC, UC Berkeley) and fall into one of the following categories of eligibility:

• New investigator (N)*
• Established investigator, new to liver research (EN)
• At-risk established investigator, Liver Center member at risk of losing funding (ER)#

*Category N investigators can be (a) junior faculty in liver research without current or past NIH support (except career development awards), or (b) senior trainee investigators in liver research in transition to an independent career. Senior trainees must be in their final year of postdoctoral training during the award year and have a plan for an immediate transition following the award yearto either a faculty or professional research appointment at an academic institution. Senior ostdocs must provide a letter from their Department Chair documenting their pending institutional appointment. Senior postdocs are also expected to have an active or pending application for a career development award (NIH or private foundation) at the time the application is submitted.

#Category ER investigators are defined as facing the risk of having no independent NIH R01 or R01-equivalent grant support if they do not secure a substantial grant award in the near future.

Can I re-apply if I received a prior Pilot & Feasibility Award?

Prior awardees can submit a new application after a hiatus of three years.

Who is not eligible to apply?

• Current Liver Center members with active extramural funding, even if the request is for a new project that departs from funded research
• Postdocs who do not have a concrete plan to transition to a faculty or professional research appointment by the end of the award period
• Career laboratory scientists who are not eligible for PI status on an extramural grant

What are the main review criteria?

• Relevance of the proposal to the Liver Center’s research themes/programs
• Mandatory use of one or more Liver Center cores
• Realistic scope of research for a one-year time frame
• Likelihood that the research will result in new liver-related extramural funding and publications
• Innovation and impact of the field
• PLEASE NOTE proposals from category N applicants typically have the highest priority 

What types of research are eligible?

• Cell and molecular biology
• Disease mechanisms
• Epidemiology and health outcomes

What types of research are not eligible?

• Quality improvement
• Provider and patient education

What is the application process?
Applicants must first submit a preliminary packet containing a one-page Letter of Intent, a brief Lay Summary, an Eligibility statement (Attachment A), an NIH Biosketch and NIH Other Support documents. The Letter of Intent must include a plan to use Liver Center cores and engage with Center members if funded.

• Letters of intent are due January 10, 2025
• Applicants selected to submit a full application will be notified by January 24, 2025
• Full applications will be due on March 7, 2025
• Finalists will be required to present their proposed projects in person to the Liver Center External Advisory Board on April 24, 2025
• Awards will begin June 1, 2025

What is the deadline for first-phase submission?
The deadline for receipt of letters of intent (letter + lay summary + eligibility statement + Biosketch + Other support as a single PDF) is 5 PM on January 10, 2025. Please email letters of intent to Sandhya Adiyodi Veetil.

Where do I get further instructions?
If you have additional questions please contact the Liver Center Program Manager Sandhya Adiyodi Veetil.