Pilot and Feasibility Program

SUMMARY The Pilot/Feasibility (P/F) Program represents a central component of the Columbia University Digestive and Liver Disease Research Center (CU-DLDRC). Its primary objectives will be the promotion of highly innovative research and the expansion of digestive disease-related research opportunities to new investigators. The P/F Program is built on a long history of successful pilot funding and career building of junior PIs within Columbia University Medical Center (CUIMC). We successfully established this program in 2019 and have funded seven investigators thus far, who have enjoyed a high rate of success in obtaining NIH or equivalent funding, providing a >25-fold rate of return. The P/F is led by two directors with outstanding expertise in adult and pediatric digestive disease research and administration, Drs. Kara Margolis and Dr. Utpal Pajvani. The P/F Program will provide three grants of $25k each year, two from CU-DLDRCC funds and another from institutional support, that will enable eligible investigators to explore hypotheses related to one of the two central themes of the CU-DLDRCC, in order to gather sufficient data to develop research programs and grant applications for peer-reviewed extramural funding. The P/F awards fund different tracks, in prioritized order. Track 1: New investigators seeking initial support. Track 2: New or established investigators aiming to pursue innovative high-risk, high-reward projects in digestive disease. Track 3: Established investigators from other fields who seek to apply their expertise to research in digestive disease. The P/F Program will be highly synergistic with other translationally and clinically focused intramural internal funding mechanisms at CUIMC. P/F awardees will enjoy additional benefits that will substantially promote their research, including Biomedical Core subsidies that go far beyond the funding duration; integration into our comprehensive academic mentorship program via the Enrichment Program integration as well as into CU-DLDRC activities in research and education such as clinical-basic teams, workshops and seminars. The P/F program will contribute to the mission of the CU-DLRDC through three Specific Aims: To solicit and rigorously peer review applications, thereby supporting highly innovative research as well as rising stars in digestive research (Aim 1); to maximize the success of P/F-funded researchers through opportunities for scientific interactions, education, training and mentorship as well as CU-DLDRC core subsidies (Aim 2); and to provide efficient oversight of P/F program outcomes through long-term tracking of awardees publications and grants (Aim 3). We anticipate the P/F program to enhance the development of the highly diverse basic and clinical talent and to promote innovative impactful science beyond the horizon of current digestive research. These three Aims will be under the goal of increasing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), through collaboration with the Enrichment Program, its DEI delegate and the wide range of DEI resources at Columbia. We have achieved initial success already, leveraging CU-DLDRC and institutional collaborations and resources.