Grants for clinical and translational research projects. Pilot Funding

Advanced Imaging Pilot Research Grants and
Concept Development Awards

Using Imaging to Transform Medicine


At a glance
Co-Sponsor
Funding Level
  • Pilot grant: up to $50,000 for one year
  • Concept proposal: $2,000 one time prize
Project Requirements
  • Must address an important question that has the potential to impact human health
  • Must include at least 2 collaborators
  • Proposed research must directly address use of an advanced imaging technology for a clinical application/unmet clinical need
  • See below for more information
Eligibility
  • All Harvard faculty, students, and staff, regardless of degree or institutional affiliation are eligible to submit a concept proposal or participate as a member of a Pilot Grant research team
  • Must have Harvard faculty appointment to be the Principal Investigator of a Pilot Grant proposal
Deadline(s)
  • Statement of Interest: December 19, 2011, 11:59pm
  • Application: March 8, 2012, 5:00pm
Apply
Note: The statement of interest cycle is closed. If you were invited to apply and have questions, please E-mail us.

Harvard Catalyst invites clinicians and imaging researchers to participate in a unique collaborative funding opportunity to move forward the state of knowledge about the applications of advanced imaging technologies (e.g.: Physiological MR, PET, and Optical Imaging) to directly address areas of unmet clinical need. In this program, Harvard faculty members (all levels and schools) are eligible to apply for one year Pilot Research Grants of up to $50,000 (up to $750,000 total is available) to develop clinical applications for advanced imaging technologies. In addition, all Harvard affiliated personnel are eligible to apply for concept development prizes of $2,000. Prize submissions do not require an implementation plan.

In order to apply, you must complete a statement of interest of 250 words or fewer describing a specific medical problem that advanced imaging techniques could potentially address and attend an Interactive Advanced Imaging Symposium on one of the dates listed below. Please note that this statement of interest can be very speculative, that expertise in imaging is not required, and that you will not be required to use the same idea for your subsequent grant/concept proposal.

While a faculty-level appointment is required to be a principal investigator on an Advanced Imaging Pilot Grant, all interested associates, students, and other members of Harvard University and its affiliated institutions are encouraged to participate since all are eligible for the concept development proposals or to be a Co-Investigator on an Advanced Imaging Pilot Grant Proposal.

Areas of inquiry should focus on human in-vivo imaging, although proposals requiring pre-clinical experiments will also be considered. The symposium, to be held at the Harvard Innovation Lab, will provide an introduction to advanced medical imaging techniques and facilitate interactions between clinical and imaging experts. It is hoped that the symposium will allow each investigator to begin to develop the information and interactions with potential collaborators necessary to proceed to submitting a full pilot grant proposal or a brief concept proposal in collaboration with other Harvard researchers. Additional details about the grant/concept competition will be provided before and during the symposium.

Examples of Areas of Interest:

  1. Novel applications of existing PET, optical and/or physiological MR approaches that can help address a clinical problem: e.g., assessment of the anti-proliferation effect of a new cancer therapy using 18FLT PET.
  2. Use of PET, optical, or MR approaches to develop novel biomarkers that will address an unmet clinical need.

The following areas will not be eligible for funding:

  1. Previously funded projects or direct extrapolations of similar reported results.
  2. Proposals relying on conventional imaging approaches, i.e. CT, angiography, ultrasound.

The following timeline is in place:

Monday, December 19, 2011 Deadline to submit statement of interest
   
January 30 - February 2, 2012 If selected, attend an Interactive Advanced Imaging Symposium
   
Thursday, March 8, 2012 Submit Pilot Grant Application or Concept Proposal
   
Monday, April 23, 2012 Pilot Grant Awards will be announced.

Please note that this grant process is being studied by Harvard Catalyst to develop better insights about scientific team formation. Data on interaction patterns amongst individuals will be collected. This data will not be used to make award decisions or released in a manner that identifies individuals.

Cite Us

Have you received a Pilot Grant? Remember to cite Harvard Catalyst in your publications and posters.