Evaluation

Developmental grant applications received by the San Diego Center for AIDS Research (SD CFAR) are evaluated by local, national, and international experts. New in 2023: Applicants will be asked to recommend between three and six reviewers with appropriate expertise and lack of conflict of interest. Additional reviewers may be selected by Developmental Core leadership. 

Applications are evaluated on a number of criteria, including the applicant's eligibility, mentoring plan, and mentor's qualifications, plus the application's scientific merit, relevance to HIV research, and potential to generate subsequent grants and publications.

Eligibility

Reviewers assess each applicant's eligibility and assign a rating, with preference given to early stage investigators who have no other NIH or equivalent funding. Please review our eligibility requirements before you apply.

Restrictions

1. Postdoctoral fellows may not apply for Developmental grants, and these grants may not be used to provide salaries for postdoctoral fellows.
2. Developmental grants cannot support studies involving new drugs, treatments, or devices, or off-label use of a licensed drug.
3. Applicants may submit only one Developmental grant application per cycle, and may only serve as PI on one active Developmental grant at a time.

Scientific Merit

Developmental grant reviewers are expected to be experts in relevant areas of HIV research. They evaluate each application on its innovation, feasibility, and potential contribution to the current body of knowledge.

Relevance

Developmental grant applications will be considered only for projects concerning one or more research priorities established by the NIH Office of AIDS Research. Developmental grant applications must propose a new concept or address an aspect of current HIV research that has yet to be studied in depth. Studies will be considered in virtually any area of basic science, clinical, behavioral, or public health research. We encourage applicants to use services from our Cores when appropriate for the application, though use of SD CFAR Cores is not required.

Applications for international HIV research are welcome as well. Before submitting a Developmental grant application, please see if your proposal would be better suited for an International Pilot grant.

Potential

The San Diego CFAR is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Our continued funding requires proof of our overall contribution to HIV research. Consequently, each grant application is evaluated on its potential to generate subsequent peer-reviewed funding and publications.