HBI Pilot Research Fund Program Dementia

Competition closed for 2024/2025. The Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI), in partnership with the Dementia and Cognitive Disorders Neuroteam, is pleased to offer the Pilot Research Fund Program award competition 2024-2025.

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 Dementia science 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 $75,000
  • Term of award: two years
  • Extensions will not be granted. Unspent funds are to be returned to the Dementia and Cognitive Disorders Neuroteam.

Eligibility criteria: 

To be eligible, the principle investigator must be a member of the Dementia and Cognitive Disorders Neuroteam.

Preference will be given to more junior investigators. Applications that include significant involvement of a clinical fellow or a resident are strongly encouraged. The project is open to all pillars of research. 

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:

  1. Innovation
  2. Scientific priority
  3. Feasibility
  4. Likelihood of generating additional funding if the project is successful
  5. 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 the Dementia team leader.

 

 

 

Submit Application