Pilot Grant Program FAQ
Applicant eligibility
Do I need to be a US citizen or permanent resident to apply?
There are no citizenship requirements.
Do I need to work at Salk, UCSD or SBP to apply to this call?
No, applicants from all US academic institutions are encouraged to apply.
Can I apply if I work at an Institution outside the United States?
Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate foreign components.
Can Graduate students apply for this call?
Unfortunately, no Graduate Students cannot apply. This opportunity requires applicants to have finished their PhD.
Can I submit a proposal if I was a SD-NSC awardee in a previous call?
No, these pilot grants are to be awarded only once per person.
Can I submit a proposal if I was an awardee on a different Nathan Shock Center?
Yes.
Can I submit a proposal if I am an established investigator in the aging field (having an R01 on aging research or having publication in aging research?
Unfortunately no, this funding opportunity is to provide training to young investigators or established investigators outside the aging field who wish to enter this area of research.
Application submission
Do I need to login into Salk Institute Competitions Portal to submit my application?
Yes, please follow these instructions to create a user and login into https://salk.infoready4.com/. Application form will be available after July 1st 2024.
Can I save a draft of my application or do I have to complete it and send it all at once?
You don’t have to finish your application all at once. You can save your progress as a draft and submit it later on, any time before the deadline.
Can I include collaborators on my proposal?
Yes, you can have up to two collaborators. Please include with your proposal submission a Biosketch and a letter of support from each of them. Please note the Mentorship program will only apply to the principal investigator listed in the proposal.
Proposal review
Can someone from the Center review a draft of my proposal before the application deadline?
No, the review committee will assess proposals ALL at the same time during the review period scheduled to be in September 2024.
Award use and conditions
Could the funds be used to cover the cost for experiments not performed by the SD-NSC Cores, of preparing and shipping samples to the SD-NSC cores?
Unfortunately, these funds can only be used to pay for core services.
Could the funds be used to cover the cost of data analysis by a collaborator?
No, these funds can only be used to pay for core services. In this case, we recommend you look at the services offered by the Integrative Models Core, and incorporate these within the budget items.
Do I have to spend all funds before May 31, 2025?
We strongly encourage you to meet this deadline, but if your experimental plan requires longer timeframes, please email sdnsc_rdcore@salk.edu briefly explaining why you would need an extended timeline and we will assess case by case.
Which is the fund number I need to use?
Fund number will be provided to awardees, at the time of award.
Can I transfer this grant to another PI?
No, SD-NSC Pilot grants are intended for the purpose of training in aging research, and cannot be transferred to another PI.
Planning
When will it be the next SD-NSC Pilot Grant call?
SD-NSC Pilot grant call will be offered only once a year. Deadline in late summer/ early fall.
Can I contact the research resource cores if I need a clarification on the services offered and the costs for the budget?
Yes.
- Human Cell Models of Aging Core: jepage@salk.edu
- Hetergeneity of Aging Core:
- Sequencing and Single Cell Analysis services: awilliams@salk.edu
- Spatial-omics services: emolina@salk.edu
- High-end Light Microscopy Imaging Microscopes and Imaging services: dboassa@salk.edu
- Mass Spectrometry services: sdnsc_rdcore@salk.edu
- Integrative Models of Aging Core: awilliams@salk.edu and sharpee@snl.salk.edu
For any other questions about the program, or if you have issues when submitting your application, please email sdnsc_rdcore@salk.edu. Responses to inquires sent to other email addresses may be delayed.