Project Summary – Pilot and Feasibility Program The Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) Program of the Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) provides seed research support primarily for junior investigators in nutrition and obesity research during their critical transition years as new faculty members. The Program also provides seed research support to select established investigators whose previous expertise and research lie outside the UNC NORC research focus on nutrition and obesity, but whose proposals are sufficiently exciting and innovative to warrant UNC NORC support. Beyond the simple provision of research funding, the P&F program offers careful mentoring, supportive role models, and rigorous and consistent critiques of research projects. This comprehensive approach has resulted a high return on investment in terms of federal- and non-federal external grant funding, high-impact publications, presentations, and career advancement. Promoting diversity among researchers in the field of nutrition and obesity is a critical need and particularly relevant given the high rates of nutrition-related chronic disease in minority populations. 19% of previous P&F awardees are members of underrepresented racial/ethnic minority (URM) groups and we aim to increase that percentage to at least 50% for the upcoming five years. Since the inception of our P&F Program in 1999, the UNC NORC has awarded $2,737,229 to 68 unique investigators to support new and innovative research in nutrition and obesity. To date, P&F awardees have received $51,004,276 in external research support based on pilot data generated as part of their P&F projects. Most of this funding ($47,256,242) has been from the National Institutes of Health. The P&F Program continues to develop its research partnerships with nutrition and obesity research faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities as part of the Program’s effort to promote the career development of underrepresented minority investigators.