The Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science (HWSPH) in partnership with the San Diego Center for AIDS Research (SD CFAR) Developmental Core invites proposals for pilot awards that integrate public health and HIV/AIDS-related research priorities. These are one-year competitive awards to UC San Diego faculty and collaborators to expand collaborations between SD CFAR members and HWSPH faculty. Each proposal must have at least two PIs; one must be a member of SD CFAR and one must have a faculty or project/research scientist appointment in HWSPH. Priority will be given to Assistant or Associate Professors or faculty starting a new collaboration. There will be a review panel comprised of HWSPH faculty and SD CFAR researchers.
Overview:
-
Letter of Intent
: Due to Jennifer Cloney by January 5, 2026
- Application Deadline: February 2, 2026
- Funding: Up to $100,000 USD in direct costs
- Number of Awards: Up to 2-3 proposals may be selected for funding
- Duration: 1 year
Please carefully consider the scope of your project in terms of timeline, funding, and resources related to infrastructure, personnel, and any external collaborations to ensure feasibility is aligned with the proposed budget
Eligibility:
- Projects that feature an investigator who has not been awarded HIV research funding at the time of LOI submission are strongly encouraged.
- Each proposal must have at least two PIs; one must be a member of SD CFAR and one must have a faculty or project/research scientist appointment in HWSPH. Priority will be given to Assistant or Associate Professors or faculty starting a new collaboration. Either investigator may submit the application.
- Submissions are required to focus on research that is relevant to HIV/AIDS and public health. This includes areas related to: 1) Epidemiology, 2) Optimizing HIV Care, 3) Relieving Health Disparities, 4) Finding a Cure, 5) Implementation Science, and 6) Developing Vaccines. Proposals must clearly state how results from the pilot award will inform a larger, competitive, NIH R-level or similar extramural award that is aligned with the institutes funding priorities.
Proposals will be evaluated and ranked for merit in terms of:
- Feasibility
- Relevance to focus areas in public health and HIV
- Approach – rigor of research design and methodology
- New or expanded collaborations
- Potential for future R-level or similar extramural funding
Exclusions:
- All work must be conducted within the United States, as foreign components are no longer allowed under the current NIH–CFAR funding structure.
- Projects cannot support clinical trials, nor can they support any studies involving new drugs, new treatments, new devices, or off-label use of a licensed drug. Feasibility trials of behavioral interventions are allowed.
- Postdoctoral fellows may not receive salary or serve as PIs on these applications.
- Requests for faculty salary support are not permitted under this mechanism.
Application Components to be submitted via REDCap to include:
- Cover and Face Page
- A 500-word abstract that should include a) the research question, b) its relevance to public health and HIV/AIDS, c) proposed methodologies that demonstrate rigor and feasibility, and d) a clear description of how this will be future extramural funding.
- NIH biographical sketches of PI(s) and Co-I
- A 5-page proposal (Aims, Research Strategy) and Literature Review
- Budget and Justification
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