Core Utilization Pilot Grants

The Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC) of Case Western Reserve University Core Utilization Pilot Award Program supports investigator use of eligible Core facilities at our partner institutions. This program is designed to collect preliminary data that will lead to extramural sponsored grant funding and/or publications in peer-reviewed journals. Awards up to $10,000 are available. This program is intended to promote the use of technologies and expertise afforded by identified Core Facilities available at all partner institutions.

This pilot program is intended to support initial stages of new research projects, with a special emphasis on innovative, interdisciplinary, and collaborative projects that advance a research project to the point at which it can attract external funding and/or peer-reviewed publications. Ideal uses may be to test specimens already collected, build cross-disciplinary collaborative programs, develop enabling technologies, new diagnostic, therapeutic, or outcomes assessment approaches and/or devices; basic researcher/clinical researcher collaborations; and/or promotion of research in the community.

The applicant must clearly demonstrate that the proposed pilot project represents a new research direction and requires CTSC Core Utilization funding under this program to successfully compete for extramural funds to support the project long term.

Funds for CTSC Core Utilization awards are directly provided to Investigators by the CTSC partner institutions.

• Funds can only be spent in an eligible Core facility. Budget requests for anything other than Core services are not allowed and will be denied.
• View the list of eligible cores.

Applying for a Core Utilization Pilot Grant is a two-step process:

1. You will first need an ID number for your project from SPARCRequest (called a "Project ID"). Visit SPARCRequest and add "Core Utilization Pilot" under Pilot Funding Opportunities to your cart and continue through the prompts to complete your submission.
2. Once you have obtained your "Project ID", continue to InfoReady to submit your Core Utilization Pilot application.

Eligibility

Principal Investigator must have a primary appointment at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth Medical Center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and/or VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System and must be eligible to submit an application to a larger source of federal or non-federal support.

Terms of Award

Proposed projects must be completed within six months of the award date.

Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis and must be submitted by 11:59 PM on the first day of every month (if the first falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline is extended to the next working day).

Submission must be made by the PI or on behalf of the PI in the InfoReady Grant Management System. Submissions made under anyone else’s name will not be accepted.

Multiple Awards

Any number of applications may be submitted listing an investigator as PI or co-investigator. However, applicants that have received a Core Utilization Pilot Award with an end date in the past 24 months must provide documentation outlining how the current project differs from the funded proposal. Only those projects that demonstrate a new line of research will be considered.