Pilot Grant Program

Please see the announcement for the 2025 Pilot Grant Program on the right side of the page.

The San Antonio Nathan Shock Center and the Barshop Institute are seeking one (1) page research proposals on basic geroscience. This is a new opportunity to secure a $25,000 Pilot Grant award.

Deadline: Proposals must be received no later than 5:00 PM, March 15, 2025.

Pilot Grant Program:

• This funding opportunity is for applications that investigate biological mechanisms that drive aging and age-related diseases.
• Applications focused at the interface of aging with cancer research are specifically encouraged, but all proposals related to aging research are welcome. However proposals that focus on Alzheimer’s disease or neurodegeneration cannot be considered.
• There is no requirement that applicants for this award have any prior experience in aging research, and prior experience in aging research will not disqualify applicants. Junior faculty are especially encouraged to apply and may be given preference for funding.
• All faculty (tenure track or non-tenure track) from UT Health SA, UTSA, and Texas Biomedical Research Institute faculty are eligible to apply for these grants.

Proposal format and guidelines for all grant applications:

1. Face page – please use form at http://nathanshock.barshop.uthscsa.edu/pilot-grant-program/
2. One (1) page to state your Specific Aims and Research Strategy. This needs to include Significance and Innovation to Aging Research, Preliminary Studies (if any) and Approach.
3. References (separate page).
4. A simple budget (personnel, supplies) and justification (No funds for PI’s salary or travel; no major items of equipment). This should be on a separate page from the research strategy.
5. NIH-formatted biosketch for all faculty involved in the grant application.
6. Letters of support as needed.
7. Please provide the names and contact information for at least 3 External Reviewers.
8. Assemble the application (Face page/proposal/references/budget/biosketches/external reviewers) into a single PDF and email it to Dr. James Lechleiter (lechleiter@uthscsa.edu). Please address questions to Dr. Lechleiter, Dr. Lizhen Chen (ChenL7@uthscsa.edu), or Dr. Peter Hornsby (hornsby@uthscsa.edu), Co-Leaders of the Research Development Core.

Evaluation:

Awardees will be notified no later than May 1st. The project must be completed within 1 year.

Successful applicants will be required to provide the Barshop Institute with the following:

• A seminar on the pilot study research.
• Notification of abstracts or papers published to which the pilot study contributed.
• Notification of extramural grants sought and awards received that relate to the pilot study.

RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CORE MENTORING PROGRAM

Several mentoring activities are organized under the Research Development Core of the Nathan Shock Center for Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging. Senior faculty associated with Shock Center and the Barshop Institute are available to assist with the following mentoring activities:

• Assisting successful applicants of the Pilot Project Program to use findings resulting from their award to obtain major extramural awards;
• Assisting unsuccessful applicants to the Pilot Project Program to improve their grant applications;
• Assisting any faculty interested in aging with grant applications that focus on the Basic Biology of Aging;
• Facilitating cooperation between basic science faculty whose research has translational aspects in biomedical gerontology with clinicians whose expertise is relevant to the topic of translational research.

Any faculty member wishing to know more about these activities is encouraged to contact the Research Development Core Leader, Dr. Peter Hornsby (hornsby@uthscsa.edu).