2025 SDRC Pilot & Feasibility FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Deadline: 

Full Proposal Submission deadline: Wednesday, September 3, 2025, 5 pm

funding:

Applicants may request UP TO $50,000 in direct costs for one-year duration under this program.

Earliest start date: January 1, 2026

 

Pilot and Feasibility Program Directors

Purpose

The Stanford Diabetes Research Center (SDRC) is soliciting new Pilot and Feasibility Projects. The focus of the SDRC 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 diabetes related research, including but not limited to basic sciences, economics, population sciences, translational research and clinical research.

The SDRC P&F program is primarily supported by the P30 center grant awarded by NIH/NIDDK and has supported 83 pilot projects since 2016. Institutional funds have also been used to supplement some of the projects. The approved P&F Project proposals will assist current and future applications to the NIH/NIDDK to support the Stanford Diabetes Research Center and this P&F program.

This cycle, the Stanford Diabetes Research Center (SDRC) is also encouraging submission of AI-focused proposals in diabetes research for our 2025 Pilot & Feasibility (P&F) Program. For these AI-focused proposals, preference will be given to those that apply AI-based methodologies to diabetes-related datasets to deliver insights into diabetes pathogenesis, prevention or treatment.

  • Not supported: Projects focused solely on AI methodological development.

  • Encouraged: Diabetes investigators with AI/diabetes focus on their proposal and AI methods developers applying their tools to diabetes relevant data, with a current SDRC member as a co-investigator.

  • Eligibility: Stanford-only.

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/PI Training required as per Stanford policy]. Please visit (PI Eligibility and Waiver Process) to confirm if you will need a PI waiver. Typically, CE faculty appts. and instructors require a PI waiver.

  • Each applicant must have at least two years of full-time laboratory/clinical research experience after receiving their advanced degree.

  • Applications from established investigators new to diabetes research are also encouraged.

  • Applications from established investigators with innovative diabetes-related research proposals are also encouraged.

IMPORTANT: Please note that all projects must be focused on diabetes and diabetes-related research. We also ask that applicants be mindful of the latest NIH guidelines. As the SDRC is funded by the NIH/NIDDK, we are required to ensure full compliance with current—and evolving—NIH policies, particularly as they pertain to the Pilot & Feasibility (P&F) Award Program.

Preference will be given to:

1) early career 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

2) applications from established investigators who are new to the field of diabetes;

3) applications that will utilize at least one of the diabetes specific research cores supported by the Stanford Diabetes Research Center

4) applications that focus on translational studies of diabetes prevention and control; and

5) applications that involve a collaborative component between the laboratories of Stanford investigators.

Submitting an Application

Full application submission guidelines:

Application deadline: Wednesday, September 3, 2025, 5 pm

Please use the Application smartsheet link below to submit your application.

P&F Application Form

Upload one PDF containing the following in the order listed below:

Please note: 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 through the application link above.

Please follow the instructions carefully as incomplete applications will not be sent out for peer review.

File name: Last Name_DRC_P&F.pdf

1) Title Page

  • Stanford Diabetes 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 (may be multiple)

  • Topic: Diabetes/Obesity/Endocrinology/Autoimmunity/Transplantation/Related complications (may be multiple)

  • Abstract: Describe aims and objectives of your research

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

List of potential reviewers: Name up to three potential reviewers and emails outside of your host institution.

2) Research Proposal

Description of proposed research:

  • Research proposal should be at least 3 pages and not more than 5 pages in length*. Figures are included in this page limit.

  • Format: single-spaced, ½ inch margins, Arial or Helvetica font size 11 or larger

  • Research plan with relevant illustrations

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

  • Description of interdisciplinary characteristics of this project

  • Document use of one or more of the SDRC Core Resources (SDRC has these 4 diabetes specific core services - Clinical and Translational Core, Immune Monitoring Core, Genomics and Analysis Core and Islet Research Core)

  • Explanation of how the proposed research fits into diabetes related research

(*note: references are not included in the page limit)

3) Detailed budget for UP TO $50,000 excluding F&A costs

Use 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 for the PI and Co-Investigator(s).

*Sample "other support" form available on this NIH webpage: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html

7) Compliance Documents

Please note: Awarded projects are expected to begin only after the submission, receipt, and approval of all required compliance documentation (e.g., IRB, APLAC approvals). Failure to meet this requirement by the stated deadline will result in withdrawal of the award.

8) Proposed Clinical Study/trial Risk Level

If the proposed work involves a clinical study or trial, please indicate the risk level in your application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all required compliance documentation are in place based on the designated risk level.

Please note: The SDRC is required to report all human subjects studies to the NIH. This will require submission of additional documentation at the time of reporting.

As part of your application, please confirm your agreement to comply with this requirement if awarded by stating (YES/NO).

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

10) Please state whether you have previously applied for a SDRC P&F award (YES/NO)

11) Please state whether you have previously applied for a Stanford NORC P&F award (YES/NO)

INQUIRIES:

Applicants are welcome to discuss their proposed plans in response to this solicitation. Please direct any other inquiries to diabetescenter@stanford.edu.

SELECTION PROCESS:

The SDRC P&F Review Committee will review and recommend action on all Pilot and Feasibility Project applications.