Pilot & Feasibility Program
As part of our mission to support the Comprehensive Liver Research Center's (CLRC) research base and stimulate collaborations in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) spectrum research, the center will support three, 1-year pilot and feasibility awards for a maximum of $25,000 total costs each.
Scope of projects
The pilot and feasibility mechanism seeks to fund innovative projects that explore basic-translational mechanisms into the pathophysiology of the MASLD-MASH-cirrhosis-HCC spectrum. It also supports researchers and clinicians who team up with community-engaging researchers and healthcare providers to directly address questions related to the impact of ethnic and racial factors on MASLD spectrum susceptibility and/or development of tools to stimulate patient engagement from under-represented groups.
Expectation
The expectation is that awardees use interdisciplinary approaches and unique partnerships to better understand MASLD spectrum disease mechanisms and/or racial ethnicity-related factors driving MASLD spectrum susceptibility in certain populations in the greater Los Angeles area. It is expected that pilot and feasibility studies will generate preliminary data that will be used by these investigators in R01 (or K series, when applicable) applications in the years following their award.
- Pilot and Feasibility Program Director: Karen Reue, PhD, UCLA; [email protected]
- For award applications, please contact Drew Manikad at
Accepting 2025 Pilot & Feasibility Award Applications
Eligibility
The program emphasizes support of early career investigators at assistant professor level, but will also consider highly meritorious applications from senior faculty members venturing into the field of MASLD. All awardees will require membership of the center prior to acceptance of the pilot and feasibility grant.
Applicants will be expected to fall into one of the following categories, with preference given to early career investigators:
- Category 1: Early career investigators with no prior funding experience (current or previous support from other sources being modest)
- Category 2: Early career or established investigators with prior or present NIH funding, but no prior liver research
- Category 3: Early career or established investigators engaged in liver disease research who propose innovative ideas that are a clear departure from ongoing liver research interests
Emphasis will be placed on awarding applications that are interdisciplinary and collaborative in nature and/or propose the creative use of existing CLRC resources including use of human biospecimens (Human MASLD core) or instrumentation including the CosMx spatial platform.
- Administrative core
- Human MASLD core
- Mouse integrative genetics and phenotyping core
- Liver spatial omnics core
Application materials
- Cover page: Includes title of the grant, PI name(s), email, academic title, department, institution, and the names of additional personnel and collaborators
- Abstract: 200 words
- Biosketch: Include PI(s) and other key personnel
- Scientific proposal (2-page limit): Include statement describing how the proposed research is aligned to the MASLD spectrum research theme of the center and how results of the study will support funding at the R01 or K applications
- Bibliography
- Budget: 1-page limit with outline of how the funds will be used. Funds may not be used for salary support.
Please email as a single PDF document to the center administrator, Drew Manikad at , by December 15, 2024
Review process
- After review by the CLRC executive committee, all applicants will be notified of funding decisions
- The expected activation date for funded projects is February 15, 2025
Expectations of awardees
- Attend and present (by invitation) at the Annual Comprehensive Liver Research Center Symposium and/or the monthly UCLA Liver Translational Research (ULTRA) lecture series
- At the end of the one-year award period:
- Provide a written summary of research progress containing professional career status at the time of the award and at the time of the report
- Provide an overview of the project including its significance and salient results
- Provide a list of resulting publications (or in the pipeline) and presentations and subsequent funding in the same or related areas (2-page limit). Publications and presentations must acknowledge this support.
- Provide information on funding related to the project for 4 years following completion of the award period