The purpose of BNORC's Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) Program is to foster the development of significant and innovative obesity and nutrition-related research among the trainees and faculty at medical and scientific institutions in the greater Boston area. Process of evaluation: BNORC's P&F award process involves rigorous peer review in two phases. One- page Letters of Intent are solicited by a Call for Applications. Eligible applicants fall into one of three categories: 1) new investigators without current or past independent research support (e.g., NIH R01 grants), (2) established, funded investigators with no previous work in obesity or nutrition-related areas who wish to apply their expertise to an obesity or nutrition-related problem, or (3) established investigators who wish to test the feasibility of a new or innovative idea that represents a significant and clear departure from their funded research. After an initial review, applicants who meet eligibility criteria and whose proposals are judged to have clear scientific merit are invited to submit full proposals for 1 year of funding with the opportunity to submit one renewal. Scientific review of P&F applications is conducted by a Scientific Review Committee that includes all members of the BNORC Executive Committee and the BNORC Scientific Advisory Committee, as well as selected other senior investigator members of BNORC and outside investigators with specific relevant expertise. We have also formed a P&F subcommittee that assists in the final deliberation for review of LOI and full applications. Recent accomplishments of the P&F Program: Over the last 10 years, 50% of newly P&F funded investigators have received NIH funding while in total 66% of these newly funded P&F investigators have gone on to obtain federal, foundation and institutional support. Since this current funding cycle began in 2013 and up till 2015, there have been 13 new awards to support both basic science and clinical/epidemiological projects. Of the 13 new awardees since 2013 100% were new investigators. Seventy percent of awardees were from a Harvard affiliated institution, 23% were from Boston University School of Medicine, and 8% from Tufts. Harvard affiliated applicants represent seven different institutions. During the summer of 2016, we had a call for P&F letters of intent (LOI) to be submitted by September 7. We received 37 LOI applications with 33 applications from new investigators and 18 of the applicants were invited to submit full applications by December 1. With regard to outcomes of P&F grantees from 2013 to present, 44% of P&F grantees, have received total direct funding of $8,196,407, a leveraging of approximately 8 to 9 times of P&F funding. Of newly funded P&F grants since 2013, total funding obtained was $1,641,045. From the current funding cycle P&F investigators have published 17 peer-reviewed articles related to their P&F awards.
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