Pilot Research Fund Program (PFUN-HBI/Mathison)

Competition closed for 2024/2025. The Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI), in partnership with the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, is pleased to offer the Pilot Research Fund Program award competition 2024-2025.

Two HBI/DCNS PFUN awards are available in this current competition.

Award selection: Investigators may not hold more than one HBI Pilot Research Fund (PFUN) grant at any one time. 

Objective: To fund early-phase studies in promising new directions of Clinical Neuroscience research, with the potential to develop into a new area of investigation with sustainable funding from other sources.

Terms and value of award:

• Value of award: up-to-maximum of $20,000
• Term of award: two years
• Extensions will not be granted. Unspent funds are to be returned to the HBI.

Eligibility criteria: 

To be eligible for HBI/DCNS PFUN, the principle investigator must be a member of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences.

Preference will be given to more junior investigators. Applications that include significant involvement of a clinical fellow or a resident are strongly encouraged. The proposed research must have a clear translational or clinical component, with defined benefit to a Neuroscience Team (such as Stroke, MS, others) and/or the Department of Clinical Neuroscience. Preliminary data are not necessary.

Open Science: HBI adheres to the five principles of Open Science. These principles guide all research conducted using HBI resources. If funded, successful applicants agree to abide by Principles 1 to 4.

Eligible expenses: Funds may be used for salaries, minor equipment (<$5,000 without prior approval), materials and supplies, and research subject costs, including reasonable patient reimbursement, but not for travel or publication costs. Supplementary or “top-up” funding is not allowed; projects must explore a new avenue of research for the investigator.

Evaluation criteria: An independent committee will review applications according to the following five criteria:

• Innovation
• Scientific priority
• Feasibility
• Likelihood of generating additional funding if the project is successful
• Impact that funding will have on the career trajectory of the principal investigator

Selection of awardees: Applications that meet eligibility criteria will be forwarded to an independent grant review committee. The committee will have a chair and at least 2 other members. Committee members will be selected according to these principles:

• content knowledge relevant to the received proposals
• representation from diverse HBI themes 
• representation from senior research scientists
• representation from former award winners

Each application will have a primary and secondary reviewer. An online meeting will be held at which the top 5-ranked proposals will be discussed in depth and the successful proposals will be selected by consensus. If a consensus does not naturally emerge, a voting process will be used to select the successful proposals. The committee will have leeway to fund projects with a reduced budget if budget items are deemed unjustified.

Applications will consist of:

• Application form
• Budget with justification (1 page maximum)
• Figures and/or tables attachment (1 page maximum)
• References (no limit)
• Letter of support from your BMH Team lead, or Department Head of Clinical Neuroscience, outlining the benefits of the proposed research to the Team/Centre’s program, and the role of the pilot study within the larger research program.