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Pilot Projects
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Goals and Objectives
The goal of the Pilot Project Program is to provide funding, access to Core facilities and intellectual support to research proposals primarily of junior faculty within and outside the Center that are devoted to the study of environmental components of three human disease categories: Neurotoxicology/Neurodegenerative Diseases, Respiratory Disorders, and Cancer. The broad objective of research in these areas is to improve the health of communities in northern Manhattan and provide educational and outreach services that allow effective prevention strategies to be implemented. This Center Pilot Project Program also addresses issues of concern to the communities of West Harlem, Central Harlem and Washington Heights/Inwood.
Senior Center investigators and members of the Internal Advisory Committee stimulate an interest in and aid in the development of pilot project applications among appropriate colleagues, collaborators, and departments. The Pilot Project Program continues to be advertised by other "democratic" means, e.g., through the Office of Grants and Contracts Monthly Bulletin. In addition, the program is advertised by e-mail and posted throughout Columbia University and LDEO two months in advance of receipt dates.
The Internal Advisory Committee provides the initial scientific review of all pilot project applications. When additional expertise is required, outside reviewers are selected for specific applications. The projects are reviewed according to scientific merit and originality, use of core facilities, relevance to the Center's mission and themes, qualifications of the applicant and probability of generating future R01 funding. This initial review triages the application pool from about seven to ten proposals per year to four to six. The remaining applications are then evaluated and discussed by the External Advisory Committee during their annual visit. Both reviews follow the typical NIH Study Section scoring and provide overall descriptors and priority scores.
During the current grant cycle, we received five new pilot project applications, two of which were triaged out after internal review, one due to lack of innovativeness, and the second due to ineligibility of the PI. Two of the three remaining applications were modified based on comments and suggestions from the Internal Advisory Committee and all three were reviewed by the external advisors in May. In June, a telephone conference call was arranged with the Director, Deputy Director, Center Administrator, and the External Advisors to review the applications by phone prior to the Annual Meeting at the end of June. This procedure was followed to allow maximum meeting time at the Center Retreat for discussion of the competitive renewal. Two pilot proposals were recommended for funding with some suggested revisions. A third on biomass fuel was not approved by the Advisors but was subsequently funded by the Director because of its importance in stimulating work in this area, a major new focus of the Center. The applicant was provided the critique by the Advisory Committee to strengthen the proposal. In addition, a fourth pilot focusing on MRI’s in children proposed by Dr. Dong and recommended for funding in the 2005 cycle, contingent upon getting approval from the Institutional Review Board, was funded in the 2006 cycle. Descriptions of the new pilot projects awarded in this fiscal year are below.
| Funded in 2004 | |
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Molecular Alterations in Epithelial Cells of Smokers Residing in Northern Manhattan. |
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Improved Analytic Methods for Arsenic Speciation and beta-carboline |
Review of Pilot Project Applications:
The Internal Review Committee provides the initial scientific review of all Pilot Project applications. The projects are reviewed according to scientific merit and originality, use of core facilities, relevance to Center’s mission and themes and probability of generating future RO1 funding. This initial review triages the application pool from about 812 proposals per year to 56. The remaining applications are then evaluated and discussed by the External Review Committee during their annual visit. Both reviews follow the typical NIH Study Section scoring and provide overall descriptors and priority scores. To ensure that the final review is informed and impartial, the Director may request the opinions of scientists outside of Columbia University, as needed. Comments of the Internal Review Committee are communicated to the applicant in time for them to revise applications prior to the External Review Committee meeting date. Intervening in this way provides mentoring to applicants and helps them improve the quality, focus, and/or interdisciplinary nature of the Pilot Projects proposals. The P30 Center will continue to encourage the scientific and professional development of junior faculty through discussions and guidance from senior Center members.