Program Description
Pilot Research Program
Letters of intent are due: October 6, 2026
The Pilot Research Program supports investigators demonstrating potential for impactful careers in biomedical research focused on improving human and animal health. The program also welcomes established researchers who are pursuing and developing sustainable new research directions.
Pilot projects are intended to support exploratory, innovative, or high-risk/high-impact research rather than confirmatory studies. Preliminary data are not required, but applicants should provide sufficient scientific rationale to establish feasibility and significance. Proposed studies should address important questions relevant to human health and demonstrate clear potential to generate preliminary data, methodologies, resources, or proof-of-concept findings that can support competitive applications for subsequent external funding.
The Program will fund 2 – 4 pilot research projects per year, depending upon receipt of meritorious applications, the availability of base-grant funds, and resources to support the project. The direct cost for a single research project should not exceed $75,000 for no more than one year of support. No funds will be provided to cover facilities and administration (indirect) costs. No-cost extensions of up to one year will be permitted, with appropriate justification. Pilot research funds will not provide interim support for established projects or for any projects that have qualified for support from other sources.
TNBRC pilot funding will prioritize innovative, translational research addressing important human diseases and conditions, with particular emphasis on studies that maximize human relevance while reducing or refining the use of animals in research. Priority areas include studies utilizing human tissues, cells, clinical specimens, organoids, computational approaches, or other new approach methodologies (NAMs), as well as projects that directly evaluate or validate the ability of NAMs to predict human or nonhuman primate biology.
Consistent with the mission of the National Primate Research Centers, priority will also be given to projects that make efficient and scientifically justified use of existing nonhuman primate resources without requiring animals specifically for terminal studies. Examples include studies utilizing archived tissues or specimens; data or samples collected through existing longitudinal or colony-health programs; animals already assigned to ongoing research protocols; and minimally invasive approaches such as behavioral assessments, imaging, rectal or other mucosal swabs, and blood samples collected during routine annual examinations or clinically indicated procedures.
Collectively, these priorities are intended to advance the principles of replacement, reduction, and refinement (the 3Rs) while preserving the unique role of nonhuman primates in addressing biomedical questions for which appropriate alternatives are not yet available. Projects should clearly explain how the proposed approach advances human health, makes efficient use of existing resources, reduces or refines animal use when feasible, and/or contributes to the development or validation of NAMs.
Proposed studies will be evaluated based on the goal of reducing, refining, and/or replacing animal studies in research.
Pilot projects are typically exploratory or high-risk, high-impact endeavors, rather than confirmatory. They require only preliminary data or results that are normally needed to obtain support from other funding sources. Proposed studies should demonstrate clear potential to develop into competitive research grant applications for external agencies.
Investigators must be beyond the postdoctoral rank and must be based at a nonprofit academic or research institution. If the applicant is not a TNBRC Core Staff member, a Core Staff Scientist must sponsor him or her. The overall purpose of the project must contribute to the objectives of the Center’s research programs, and the projects themselves must have the potential to lead to an extramurally funded grant application. The proposal must be substantially different from the applicant’s funded projects. A Core Staff Scientist must assume responsibility for the overall management, coordination, and reports concerning the project. In general, all major activities related to the approved project must be conducted and carried out on-site at the Center.