University of Cincinnati Cancer Center
Pilot Project Award Program

The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center is dedicated to advancing cancer research by providing pilot funding to our faculty investigators. Our Pilot Project Award Program pools funding from several sources to offer two streamlined funding cycles per year – one in the Spring and one in the Fall. The funding cycles are designed to be easy to navigate for researchers and reviewers.

• Funding cycles are not disease specific. While all types of cancer-relevant pilot research applications are encouraged, proposals in areas of strategic priority are most needed.
• No letter of intent is required before applying.
• All submissions will receive thoughtful feedback no matter the outcome, giving you the opportunity to refine and re-apply in the next funding round.

The goals of the program include:

• Increase collaborative interactions to foster innovative research
• Facilitate novel approaches
• Encourage entry of new investigators into cancer research
• Facilitate the translation of laboratory findings into clinical interventions
• Generate preliminary data that will lead to peer-reviewed, cancer-relevant extramural funding, conference presentations, and publications

Upcoming Grant Cycles

Spring: Accepting Applications March 1, 2022 through March 11, 2022

• All cancer-relevant pilot research applications are encouraged, but the following areas are our current research focus areas and will be given priority:
  • Breast and pancreatic cancers
  • Early drug development, investigator-initiated trials, and correlative studies
  • Cancer prevention, control, and population sciences (e.g., community outreach and engagement, health education and promotion, screenings, etc.)

Fall: August 29, 2022 through September 9, 2022

Interested applicants who are not yet members of the UC Cancer Center must first apply and be approved for membership.