PROJECT SUMMARY: Pilot and Feasibility Program The purpose of the Pilot and Feasibility Program (PFP) of the Washington University Diabetes Research Center (DRC) is to provide, on a modest scale: (1) initial support for new investigators who do not yet have their own peer-reviewed research support; (2) support for established investigators from other fields of investigation to apply their expertise to diabetes-related research; and (3) support for established investigators in diabetes embarking on an entirely new direction of research. An important goal of the PFP is to allow these investigators to develop preliminary data sufficient to provide the basis for subsequent applications for independent extramural research support. Following an annual competition, awards of up to $50,000 are made to independent faculty level investigators with the potential for renewal for a second year contingent on demonstrated progress. Grant applicants and recipients are mentored by the PFP Director and DRC Co- Director, Dr. David Piston. A total of $250,000 of the annual DRC budget is committed to the PFP, and this amount is supplemented with a minimum of $200,000 of direct annual institutional support, with additional institutional support available for translational projects that include a research imaging component. PFP funding spanning the last 10 years has predominantly supported early stage investigators and led to 22 NIH R01 grants, 11 other NIH grants, and 9 foundation grants. During this past funding period, the PFP supported 65 publications. The PFP is a highly productive component of the DRC with an emphasis on mentoring and funding young faculty, and attracting established investigators from other fields into diabetes- related research.