Pilot Awards
Frontiers CTSI Pilot Awards
Every year Frontiers offers several types of pilot awards through the Frontiers Pilot Program and Inter-Institutional Pilot Awards that seek to advance clinical and translational research and science. Investigators from all Frontiers partner institutions are eligible to apply for pilot awards if they are institutionally eligible to apply for NIH funding as a principal investigator.
Frontiers Pilot Program
Frontiers Pilot Program
The Lauren S. Aaronson Frontiers Clinical and Translational Research Pilot Program provides grant funding and other support to grow interdisciplinary, investigator-initiated clinical and translational research across a broad range of scientific disciplines. The Frontiers Pilot Award Program is supported by and aligned with the NCATS Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program, which focuses on advancing clinical and translational science (CTS).
Every year, three one-year pilot projects receive up to $50,000 each in grant support awards.
Inter-Institutional Pilot Project Awards
The Inter-Institutional Pilot Project Awards promote collaboration across the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) consortium by funding innovative, translational research projects that involve three or more of the six CTSA institutions that make up the CORES Research Collaborative: University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center; University of Kansas Medical Center; University of Kentucky; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; University of Iowa; and the University of Utah Health.
In accordance with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) strategic plan and its commitment to increasing representation in research, funding priority for this RFA will be given to research that addresses issues of disparities either because of rurality or underrepresented and disadvantaged groups.
Rurality includes individuals living in rural or frontier communities.
Underrepresented and disadvantaged groups include:
- Ethnic groups that have been shown to be underrepresented in biomedical research: Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.
- Individuals with disabilities.
- Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
For more information and expanded definitions, please see the NIH's statement on Underrepresented Populations in the U.S. Biomedical, Clinical Behavioral and Social Science Enterprise.
Involvement of these groups is not a requirement for funding, but projects which address health concerns that disproportionately affect one or more of these groups, or projects that seek to apply or test general treatments to one of more of these groups are preferred.
External Funding Opportunities
At times, there are supplemental and external funding opportunities through NIH and NCATS. Please check for current opportunities here.
Request for Proposals: Pediatric Disease Research
Patton Trust Research Grants
Register and Submit Letter of Intent
Top Takeaways
- Multidisciplinary collaborative research is encouraged
- All full-time researchers at BioNexus KC stakeholder institutions are eligible to submit proposals
- Awards are limited to $50,000 for one year and intended to attract future external funding
- NEW All applicants must register using our online portal
Application Deadlines
- Letter of Intent is due by 5:00 PM on May 25, 2023
- Full application must be received by 5:00 PM on June 28, 2023
- Funding date for successful proposals – September 12, 2023
Resources
- Patton Trust Research Grants RFP
- Online grants portal instructions
If you need additional support, please reach out to Daniel Kennedy
Trailblazer Awards
Frontiers offers Trailblazer Awards that provide funding to support targeted research. Investigators from all Frontiers partner institutions are eligible to apply for a Trailblazer Award if they are institutionally eligible to apply for a NIH award as a principal investigator.
Trailblazer Awards are intended for, but not limited to, the following:
- Obtaining preliminary data for a specific extramural grant application
- Development of a community advisory board
- Participant fees
- Software
- Equipment
- Or to enhance a funded project (e.g., additional sub-aim or secondary analysis)
Some awards may need to be sent to the NIH/NCATS for official review and approval.
Institute for Advancing Medical Innovation Trailblazer Awards
Frontiers Institute for Advancing Medical Innovation (IAMI) Trailblazer Awards support four targeted areas of clinical and translational research: Experimental Therapeutic trials, Drug and Medical Device Development, Biomarker Discovery and Validation, and Entrepreneurship activities consistent with IAMI's mission.
Applicants may request up to $25,000; lesser amounts are acceptable and encouraged especially if the Frontiers IAMI Trailblazer Award can be used to match or leverage additional resources.
A goal of Frontiers' funding agency, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, is "to get more treatments to more patients more quickly". The Frontiers IAMI Trailblazer Award addresses this goal by providing funds to help investigators carry out early-stage, feasibility studies to identify drug, diagnostic, and medical device product development opportunities. Data generated from successful studies will be disseminated in impactful publications and support successful extramural funding applications.
Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design Award
The Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) Trailblazer Award provides grant funding to support statistical, epidemiological, and data science investigations toward novel methods development that will improve clinical and translational research (CTR) inferences. BERD Trailblazer Awards support up to $20,000 in research project direct costs for methods development for CTR. This program is open to faculty investigators across all Frontiers partner institutions.
Previously Funded Projects
Check back soon for more information.











Eligibility
This opportunity is open to principal investigators who are eligible to receive federal funding and employed by any Frontiers partner institution:·
University of Kansas Medical Center (all campuses)
University of Kansas
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Kansas City University
Children's Mercy Kansas City
St. Luke's Health System
Kansas State University
Community organizations are encouraged to collaborate with academic partners to develop and submit an application. Established principal investigators may apply but should strongly justify how the pilot project is a new line of inquiry. Principal investigators who have received a previous Frontiers Pilot Award may submit an LOI, but should describe detailed outcomes from previous funding and why this pilot funding is vital for the extension of previous work or for a new area of investigation.
Applicants may serve as PI on only one application but may be included as collaborators on any number of applications.
If you have questions about any of the funding opportunities available through Frontiers please contact us at frontiers-info@kumc.edu or 913-588-6290.