Pilot Project Applications: Frequently Asked Questions

Use the ACS IRG application. Check the box on the cover of the application stating that you also wish to be considered for an ACC Pilot Project award and complete the supplemental budget page included in the application form. Refer to the Cancer Center Pilot Project Grant Application Instructions for allowable and non-allowable expense items. Submit two different transmittal forms - one for ACS IRG and one for the Pilot Projects program.

No, only Penn faculty with the appointment of Assistant Professor, Research Assistant Professor or Clinical Assistant Professor are eligible to apply.

No, only Penn faculty with the appointment of Assistant Professor, Research Assistant Professor or Clinical Assistant Professor are eligible to apply.

No.

Refer to NIH Data Sharing Policy and Implementation Guidance for more information and samples of plans.

ACS IRG and Pilot Project applications may extend to an additional page to include citations. Citations must be included within the allotted page limits for the Cancer Center Collaborative Pilot Project application.

No. The Hughes support covers everything.

All budget questions may be addressed to Robert Wynne, Executive Director of Administration, Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, at (215) 662-3976 or wynner@mail.med.upenn.edu.

Only junior-level faculty are eligible - faculty within six years of their first independent faculty appointment or equivalent (e.g., Assistant Professor, Research Assistant Professor) who do not hold an independent nationally competitive research grant.

All budget questions may be addressed to Robert Wynne, Executive Director of Administration, Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, at (215) 662-3976 or wynner@mail.med.upenn.edu.

The Cancer Center's grant review committee consists of senior Cancer Center members, all of whom are University of Pennsylvania faculty members. Each proposal is assigned to approximately 2-3 reviewers who are familiar with the area of research being proposed.

Yes, non-U.S. citizens who meet the eligibility criteria may apply to the Cancer Center Pilot Projects Program and the Cancer Center Collaborative Pilot Projects Program. Only citizens, non-citizen nationals, and permanent residents of the United States and its possessions or territories are eligible for an ACS IRG Pilot award.

Beginning investigators are faculty or staff within six years of their first independent faculty appointment (or equivalent). They must be eligible to apply as principal investigator for grant support from national agencies, but have no such support at the time of the IRG award. The investigator must be independent and have a commitment from the institution for salary and space customary for an independent investigator. Senior postdoctoral fellows are not eligible.

No. The NIH R29 is a nationally competitive research grant.

As long as the applicant meets all other criteria, holders of personnel awards are eligible to receive seed money from the IRG.

No. The IRG is intended for new investigators without an active (i.e., NIH, NSF, ACS) national competitive research grant, no matter what the topic. However, you are eligible and welcomed to apply for a Cancer Center Pilot Project grant.

As long as the grant is not the result of a national peer-reviewed competition and is for support of a different project, you may still apply for an IRG award.