# Pilot and Feasibility Program

> **NIH NIH P30** · BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $213,968

## Abstract

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.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9936252
- **Project number:** 5P30DK046200-28
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** ANDREW S GREENBERG
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $213,968
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9936252

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9936252, Pilot and Feasibility Program (5P30DK046200-28). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9936252. Licensed CC0.

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