Our Center has established a Center Director's Fund for addressing emerging environmental health problems. We anticipate one use of these funds in the next cycle to be the funding of particularly timely pilot projects that propose to address unique environmental health problems that would benefit from a rapid response. Further, we expect to use these funds to respond to unforeseen events with a direct environmental health connection. Since the establishment of the Director's Fund in 2007, we have primarily used this mechanism to fund time-sensitive pilot projects Including a project to Investigate the adequacy of DNA from neonatal blood spots for genotyping using lllumina chip-based technology (McKean-Cowdin);a project to support the development of a mobile air monitoring platform (Fruin);and a project to develop preliminary data on prenatal exposures, epigenetic variation at birth and childhood asthma (Salam/Breton). The Center Director's Fund is accessed through the Administrative Core;the process for prioritizing and expending the Director's Fund involves the Center Director, Center Administrator, Business Manager, and input from the EC and lAC. Needs for new technologies, equipment and rapid responses to EHS opportunities are Identified by Center investigators. These requests are presented to the Center Director in written format. The Center Director reviews the proposals and, based on Center priorities, available funds, and consultation with the EC and lAC, makes funding decisions. These decisions are subject to the review of the EAC.
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