National Institute of General Medical Sciences 5P30GM145498-05

Pilot Projects Program

The Pilot Projects Program at Tulane University aims to support and develop independent biomedical researchers through a structured mentorship and administrative framework, ensuring scientific rigor and sustainability over a nearly 5-year period with funding of $231,040.

Description

The overall objective of the Pilot Project Program is to further solidify and enrich the pilot project program’s success achieved during Phase I and II of the COBRE by selecting talented mentees and highly experienced mentors with matching expertise and by providing a competent and effective administrative structure to guarantee good management, integration, and oversight of the pilot project program. This will be achieved by our team of COBRE director, program coordinators, senior mentors, core leaders, other steering committee members, and external advisory committee members. The success of their efforts will be assisted by our COBRE program administrator. This team of investigators and administrators provides a carefully designed framework to support and nurture our pilot project awardees and to ensure responsible conduct and scientific rigor and reproducibility of their research, as they are coached in their development as independent researchers. This supportive environment is created by providing the clear and rigorous selection process of awardees and mentors, by ensuring the formative and summative evaluation of the progress of the selected faculty, by instituting internal and external oversight of the pilot project program, and by the overt communication of the expectations placed upon both the awardees and mentors. Notably, the Phase III pilot project program will capitalize on the cutting-edge technologies provided by our scientific core. This shift in emphasis is designed to enhance the impact of the research and contribute considerably to the sustainability of our center.

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