Document text
Principal Investigator: Cornelis Johan Elferink
Organization: BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $591,045
Funding agency: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
SUMMARY: PILOT PROJECT PROGRAM
The Pilot Project Program (PPP) is one of the key mechanisms by which the Gulf Coast-Center for Precision
Environmental Health (GC-CPEH) enhances the environmental health identity and impact of the research base
of its parent institutions, Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and University of Texas (UT). The guiding Vision
for the PPP is to support novel investigations that advance environmental health sciences (EHS) research and
promote collaborative research by investigators across disciplines. To achieve this Vision, the PPP supports
time-limited projects that explore the feasibility of new avenues for research, responds to time-sensitive and
timely research opportunities, and enables generation of preliminary data for acquisition of new extramural
funding. The PPP also enhances GC-CPEH Career Development and Community Engagement activities,
attracts researchers from non-traditional EHS areas, and increases collaborative research and novel
investigations that cross disciplines to advance EHS research. In so doing, the PPP plays an important role in
accomplishing Center goals, filling knowledge gaps in human environmental health, and advancing the NIEHS
Strategic Plan. The PPP is seamlessly integrated with the other Core components in the Center, and contributes
substantively to achievement of Center goals. The PPP supports 4-6 peer-reviewed 1-year projects as full Pilot
grants per round as well as short-term Rapid Response awards. These awards benefit from substantial
commitments made by the participating GC-CPEH institutions as matching funds for both full Pilots and Rapid
Response awards. Specific Aims to achieve this Vision are Specific Aim 1: Enhance the environmental
health identity of the GC-CPEH by supporting exploratory research relevant to the Center Thematic Focus Areas,
increasing Center visibility across participating institutions, and attracting new members to the Center. Specific
Aim 2: Support career advancement for junior investigators by providing support for utilization of Center Cores,
acquisition of preliminary data that increases competitiveness for extramural funding, and mentoring of
tomorrow's EHS leaders. Specific Aim 3: Advance collaborative research and engage researchers new to the
environmental health sciences to fill knowledge gaps in precision environmental health research and advance
community engagement.
Terms: <Acceleration><Achievement><Achievement Attainment><Address><Advisory Committees><Applications Grants><Area><Award><Budgets><COVID-19 pandemic affected><COVID-19 pandemic consequence><COVID-19 pandemic effects><COVID-19 pandemic impact><COVID-19 pandemic impacted><Career Mobility><Committee Members><Data><Dedications><Disasters><Discipline><EXTMR><Effectiveness><Environmental Health><Environmental Health Science><Extramural><Extramural Activities><Faculty><Funding><Funding Mechanisms><Generations><Goals><Grant><Grant Proposals><Health><Human><Institution><Investigation><Investigators><Investments><Knowledge><Leadership><Manuscripts><Measures><Medical><Medical center><Medicine><Mentors><Mission><Modern Man><NIEHS><National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences><Parents><Peer Review><Pilot Projects><Play><Productivity><Publications><R-Series Research Projects><R01 Mechanism><R01 Program><Research><Research Grants><Research Personnel><Research Project Grants><Research Projects><Researchers><Role><Scientific Publication><Sight><Strategic Planning><Task Forces><Texas><Time><Translating><Universities><Veterans><Vision><advisory team><base><bases><career advancement><career development><career transition><climate change><climatic changes><college><collegiate><community engagement><coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic consequence><coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic impact><data acquisition><data acquisitions><design><designing><effects following the COVID-19 pandemic><engagement with communities><experience><global climate change><gulf coast><health science research><impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic><improved><member><novel><parent><pilot study><programs><recruit><response><social role><success><visual function>