Translational Pilot Program

The Translational Pilot Program is intended to provide support for innovative clinical and translational research projects from investigators at UT Southwestern and the Center for Translational Medicine's partnering institutions. The primary purpose of the program is to assist the investigator in acquiring preliminary data for extramural grant submission. Proposals will undergo rigorous peer review conducted by a committee of experienced researchers from all of the Center for Translational Medicine's participating institutions. The program will track the success of the pilot award recipients to facilitate extramural funding.

The program gives preference to early-career investigators such as junior faculty members (less than seven years since faculty appointment), in order to encourage novel research proposals by promising individuals in the stages of their careers where pilot awards may be most effective. However, the program is not limited to early-career investigators. Anyone who meets eligibility criteria may apply.

Projects this Mechanism will Support

The Translational Pilot Program is intended to support hypothesis-driven research using a broad variety of designs and methods including, but not limited to, the following subjects:

  • Mechanisms of human disease
  • Clinical trials
  • Diagnostic methodologies
  • Novel therapeutics
  • Epidemiology
  • Comparative effectiveness research
  • Outcomes
  • Health services research
  • Population science

The awards may support translational research that combines basic biomedical and clinical science as long as there is a direct connection to human biology or disease. For instance, applications that analyze the behavior of human cells in vitro or in experimental animals will be acceptable as long as the question being asked has direct relevance to human illness. Proposals to use human tissue only to elucidate basic biological mechanisms, on the other hand, will not be considered.

Translational Pilot Program awards that support under-served populations and/or underrepresented fields of investigation are encouraged.