Program Development (Pilot) Core

Univ Of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

REVISED ABSTRACT Program Development Pilot Core (Core B) The overall goal of the Program Development Pilot (PDP) Core is to provide critical research support, mentorship, and infrastructure needed to stimulate the initiation and successful conduct of innovative pilot projects in aging research and expand the pool of aging researchers. The Core will develop and grow a cohort of emerging scholars from within and outside UNC—particularly those from institutions without P30 centers—who will have access to pilot funding and a mentorship program, with the goal of attracting new researchers to the field of aging and helping these scholars develop their projects into grant proposals focused on the demography and economics of aging. Resources for this Core will provide funding for projects with a particular focus on the core themes of our center: aging in different contexts, health and social and economic productivity, and the development and application of cutting-edge measurements and methods in data collection and analysis. In addition to applying for pilot funding, early-stage investigators and those new to aging research will be eligible for participation in a mentoring program—whether they currently have a funded pilot project or not. This mentoring program includes 4 components: pre-award coaching/mentoring, mentor-mentee matching, in-person meetings among emerging scholars and aging experts, and structured webinars, workshops, and visits designed to help demystify and facilitate the grant submission process as well as stimulate ideas for aging projects. These activities will help to facilitate novel aging research, expose researchers to the life cycle of grant development, cultivate long-term collaborative and mentoring relationships, and ensure that the outcomes of the pilot data are leveraged for future R- or K-type funding applications. The PDP Core will also support more seasoned aging scholars who propose exciting, innovative new ideas to the study of aging, specifically within CCPAH’s three thematic areas. Later stage faculty will also be able to participate in mentoring activities to resolve substantive, measurement, and methodological issues, identify and/or harmonize data resources, and receive structured feedback on larger grant proposals. We will fund 3-5 pilot research projects annually (3-4 projects for emerging scholars and 1-2 innovation pilot projects). Proposals will be reviewed by a standing group whose members rotate, and feedback will be provided in the form of an NIH-type review. Taken together, this Core’s comprehensive approach will be instrumental in growing a cohort of aging researchers, fostering new interdisciplinary collaborations, and enhancing the overall scientific productivity and impact of aging research.