# Investigator Development Core

> **NIH NIH U54** · TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $240,065

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The primary goal of the Center for Biomedical and Minority Health Research (CBMHR) Investigator
Development Core (IDC) is to implement a pilot grant program to support preliminary studies of Early Stage
Investigators (ESIs) in conducting basic biomedical, behavioral, and/or clinical science research. Eligible ESIs
are TSU biomedical Assistant Professors, postdocs, and research scientists. Pilot project applicants are
strategically recruited from an existing ESI pool with a high percentage of under-represented minority
scientists, engaged by the CBMHR Administrative Core (ADC) and through multi-college advertisement.
Interested applicants will receive support in proposal development through mentorship, application webinars
and individual help in proposals. Each pilot project recipient is required to have mentors who have had
previous NIH/NSF funding and completed mentoring training conducted by the Gulf Coast Consortia for
Quantitative Biomedical Research (GCC). The IDC will support three pilot projects each year for five years.
Each pilot project award will be up to $50,000 to support awardee’s time and effort in the project, purchase
supplies, and travel to professional meetings. Each pilot project recipient must complete a variety of
professional and individual development activities including Individual Development Plan (IDP), attend
seminars, grant writing workshop, professional presentations, and provide evidence of progress in project and
professionally. We envision that all pilot project recipients will be well-trained and mentored to increase the
competitiveness of their research proposals. The IDC will be directed by the IDC Program Director, who will
report to Execute Leadership Team and Advisory Committee for continuous evaluation and improvement of the
core. The specific aims of IDC are to 1) solicit novel hypothesis-driven pilot project proposals, 2) select novel
hypothesis-driven pilot projects with high potential for development into future proposals for extramural funding,
3) implement a mentoring program to train ESIs in core competencies required for successful biomedical
research professions, and 4) establish mechanisms for ESI, project, and IDC program evaluation and
continuous improvement. The long-term goal of the IDC program is to increase TSU ESIs’ overall research
competitiveness in biomedical, behavioral, and/or clinical sciences in disease states that are disproportionately
affecting the minority population to become successful in obtaining extramural funding from the government
(e.g., the K- or R-series awards from NIH). The IDC’s approach is designed to collaborate with the other cores
in the CBMHR to provide seed funds and mentoring support for ESIs to generate preliminary data to apply for
extramural grants. Pilot project recipients will participate in career development activities at the ADC and have
access to all equipment at the Research Infrastructure Core to conduct their pilot projects. Pilot p...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10145451
- **Project number:** 2U54MD007605-27A1
- **Recipient organization:** TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Ivy Chui Poon
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $240,065
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1986-09-30 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10145451

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10145451, Investigator Development Core (2U54MD007605-27A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10145451. Licensed CC0.

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