2024 Application Information

*Funding opportunity for Stanford and V.A. investigators (with UTL, MCL, NTLR, CE faculty appts or instructors) with M.D., M.D./Ph.D. or Ph.D. degrees. (see “eligibility” below).

TIMELINE:

Expression of intent (EOI) deadline: April 30, 2024, 11:59pm PST Full Proposal Submission deadline: June 1, 2024, 5 pm PST Earliest Start date: October 1, 2024

PURPOSE:

The Stanford Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) solicits proposals for Pilot and Feasibility Grants (P&F) to support studies on nutrition, obesity, and obesity-related disorders. Projects that will be supported include the following areas:

• Nutrition

• Mechanisms underlying body weight homeostasis

• Obesity and obesity-related disorders

The focus of the NORC Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) Program is to provide seed funds to help develop new investigators as well as support innovative and/or high-risk proposals from more senior investigators involved in any aspect of obesity-related research, including but not limited to basic sciences, economics, population sciences, translational research and clinical research. The NORC P&F program is primarily supported by institutional and departmental funds. Approved P&F Project proposals will assist current and future applications to the NIH/NIDDK to support the Stanford NORC and this P&F program.

FUNDING: Applicants may request up to $40,000 in direct costs for one-year duration under this program.

Eligibility:

• Stanford or VA investigators (with UTL, UML, NTLR, CE faculty appts. or instructors) with M.D., M.D./Ph.D., or PhD. degrees. [Faculty PI waivers are required as per Stanford policy] • Each applicant must have at least two years of full-time laboratory/clinical research experience after receiving the advanced degree. • Applications from established investigators new to nutrition and obesity research are also encouraged to apply.

Preference will be given to:

1) younger investigators: Assistant Professors (with a UTL, UML, NTLR or CE faculty appts, or instructors.) who have a high potential for extramural funding in the near future and to become independent investigators

SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION:

Expression of intent (EOI) deadline: April 30, 2024, 11:59pm

This EOI can be transmitted by email. The EOI should include the PI’s name, a list of participating investigators, a non-binding proposal title, and a 2-4 sentence description of the proposal. This will be used to facilitate the review of the proposals. Full application submission guidelines:

Full Proposal Submission deadline: June 1, 2024, 5 pm PST

Please submit one PDF containing the following in the order listed below via email attachment to: Li-Teh Teng lteng@stanford.edu

File name: Last Name_NORC_P&F.pdf

Institutional representative: not applicable. You do not have to submit your internal proposals to your RPM/RMG* or your CGO/OSR for their approval. You can submit your proposals directly to the email listed above.

1) Title Page

Stanford Nutrition Obesity Research Center Pilot and Feasibility Projects

• Project title

• Project leader and co-investigators’ name, title, department and complete contact information

• Type of Proposal: Basic/Clinical/Translational/Prevention and Control

• Topic: Nutrition/Basic metabolism/Clinical obesity/Psychiatry

• Impact of award: Please state how your work aligns with the goals of the NORC P&F scheme and why this work cannot be funded from other sources.

2) Research Proposal

3 page* description of proposed research, including the following:

• Research plan

• Description of research subjects involved (both human or animal)

• Description of potential impact and novelty

• Explanation of how the proposed research fits into NORC-related research

(*note: references are not included in the page limit) Format: single-spaced, 1/2 inch margins, Arial or Helvetica font size 11 or larger

3) Detailed budget for up to $40,000 excluding F&A costs

Use the PHS 398 budget form available for downloading from this NIH webpage: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html

4) Budget justification

5) Biosketches (NIH format) for the Project Leader and Co-Investigators

NIH biosketch webpage: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.htm

6) Other Support (also NIH format*).

Please include both active and pending support. *Sample "other support" form available on this NIH webpage: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html

7) Agreement to provide progress reports and required presentations on P&F Project Progress to the NORC.

INQUIRIES: Applicants are welcome to discuss their plans in response to this solicitation. A letter of intent may be submitted, though this is not a requirement for selection. Please direct these inquiries/letters to Li-Teh Teng lteng@stanford.edu

SELECTION PROCESS: The NORC P&F Review Committee will review and recommend action on all Pilot and Feasibility Project applications.