The MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS), an interdisciplinary research center funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), invites MIT faculty and research staff with principal investigator privileges to submit applications for funding of pilot projects related to environmental health, to support either basic or translational research.
The center anticipates funding of $25,000 (direct costs) for each project. We encourage proposals from junior faculty, any faculty member wishing to branch into new areas of environmental health research, and faculty who are involved in interdisciplinary environmental health collaborations, for example between engineers and scientists. Projects can be anywhere on the spectrum between basic sciences and clinical translation. In all cases, the trajectory to human application must be clear and feasible. Please see the NIEHS strategic plan to gain understanding of the types of projects we plan to fund.
Translational Pilot Projects will be evaluated separately from those in the basic sciences. Through the generosity of Vilma and Lionel Kinney, we are pleased to announce a new Translational Pilot Project Program named in honor of Dr. Theron G. Randolph, a pioneer in the fields of environmental and natural products medicine.
The pilot project program seeks to:
- provide initial support for new investigators to establish research in the area of environmental health;
- allow established investigators to explore innovative new directions in environmental health research representing a significant departure from ongoing funded research;
- bridge collaborations between scientists and engineers;
- stimulate investigators from diverse fields of endeavor to apply their expertise to environmental health research;
- encourage and foster multidisciplinary research collaborations; and
- provide an opportunity for investigators to move their basic research to the translational level.
Proposal guidelines
Applicants should submit a four-page research plan that outlines the specific aims and research strategy (i.e. significant, innovation, and approach). Please distinguish in the project title whether the pilot project application is “basic research” or “translational research” in the beginning of the title.
Applications should also include a detailed budget form, budget justification, and a biographical sketch using the NIH PHS398 forms. Completed applications should be emailed to Amanda Tat, administrative officer of the CEHS, at atat@mit.edu. Questions regarding the application process should be directed to program director Professor John M. Essigmann at jessig@mit.edu or deputy director Professor Bevin P. Engelward at bevin@mit.edu.
Deadline for this call is April 1, with an anticipated start date of May 1. Please visit the CEHS website for more information.
