Request for Pilot Proposals – Fall 2016 Application Cycle Round 1 Application Deadline: December 1, 2016 Award Start Date: July 1, 2017 Program Summary As a means to support creative, interdisciplinary researchers in expansion of their Regenerative Rehabilitation research, we have established the AR3T Pilot Funding Program. This program will promote new collaborations and provide opportunities for junior investigators to expand their research skills. We anticipate that this program will be transformative in that it will promote the development of novel Regenerative Rehabilitation paradigms with the potential to improve patient health outcomes. Funds will be distributed to investigators working either independently or with one of the AR3T laboratories following participation in our collaboration program. Eligible Individuals 
The AR3T pilot funding program is open to junior faculty and mid‐level career faculty. The rationale for including trainees at various levels of education is to provide funding for persons with the potential to enter a career in Regenerative Rehabilitation research or to start a new line of research in this area. Funding 


Up to $150,000 will be distributed for the 2017 AR3T funding cycle. Pilot awards will range from $15,000‐$65,000. Total award includes indirect costs by the awardee’s institution. Submission Information Proposal submission: We are utilizing an online pilot application system (http://www.ar3t.pitt.edu/pilot/pilot/html). Submissions will occur in two rounds: an initial “video‐of‐
intent” round and a full proposal application round. Round 1: The “video‐of‐intent” application includes a short video which meets the following requirements: 1. A statement of the proposed work relevant to the field of Regenerative Rehabilitation. 2. An introduction to the team who will be conducting the work. 3. The video must be: a. Two minutes or less in length. b. Posted on a publicly available site (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo). 4. When posting your video on a hosting site, please: a. Disable comments. b. Ensure the video settings allow download. c. Do not use copyrighted materials (e.g. background music). Note: While some teams may want to publicly list their video to share it with potential partners or future collaborators, others may wish to keep their video private for confidentiality reasons. To protect the confidentiality of your video submission, do the following:  YouTube: mark the video as Unlisted. Only people with a link to the video can watch it with this setting. It will not be discoverable on any YouTube channel, suggested views, or search results.  Vimeo: add a password to the video, and submit the password along with the link to the video in the online pilot application form. The Round 1 application deadline is: December 1, 2016. Selected proposals will be invited to participate in the Round 2 application process, starting on January 8, 2017. Round 2: The full pilot funding application includes a PDF file that meets the following requirements. 1. Cover letter from PI(s) including: a. A statement of the relevance of the proposed work to the field of Regenerative Rehabilitation. 2. Research Plan: The research proposal will generally follow an R03 format and should include: a. A one‐page specific aims section. b. Brief background, preliminary studies (if any), methods, and timeline (limited to a total of 4 pages). c. References. 3. Budget & Budget Justification: please note that a. The budget must include both direct and indirect costs. b. PI salary support must be limited to 15% of direct costs. c. The budget cannot cover conference travel. d. Inclusion of capital equipment will be considered on a case‐by‐case basis. 4. Address Compliance Issues: a. Human studies must include a human subjects section (not in the page limit) and a draft consent form. b. Animal studies must include a Vertebrate Animals section. i. Concise description of procedures involving animals, identifying species, strains, ages, sex and total number to be used by species. ii. Justification for the appropriateness of the species for the proposed research; and an explanation for the use of proposed species versus alternative models. iii. Interventions to minimize discomfort, pain, distress and injury. iv. Justification for the euthanasia method if not consistent with the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. c. Assurance of IACUC, hSCRO and/or IRB approval and of completion of NIH‐mandated responsible conduct or research training, where indicated, must be furnished after Award notice and before funds can be released. 5. Investigator Biosketches: Biosketches are limited to four pages. The Round 2 application deadline is: March 7, 2017. NOTE: The applicant will automatically receive an email confirmation that their proposal has been successfully uploaded into the system. Project completion dates will typically be within 12 months of the date of funding. For collaborative projects including an external investigator and an AR3T laboratory, the candidate will also submit: 1. A statement describing the unique skills, methods and/or technologies offered at the hosting laboratory site (no more than 200 words). 2. A letter confirming the support of the host laboratory. A communication plan (no more than 150 words) describing data sharing and dissemination of findings between the participating laboratories during the time of funding, and a plan for continuing interactions between the partnering institutions beyond the duration of the pilot project. Review Criteria AR3T pilot grant proposals will be evaluated on the basis of (1) scientific merit, (2) the potential impact and significance in the field of Regenerative Rehabilitation, and (3) the potential to leverage future funding. Priority will be given to multidisciplinary proposals including more than one Principal Investigator. We will follow modified NIH R03 review criteria including: 1. Significance: Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field of Regenerative Rehabilitation? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be improved for medical rehabilitation researchers? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions in Regenerative Rehabilitation? 2. Investigator(s): Are the PD/PIs, collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? If the project is a collaboration between an external investigator and an investigator from an AR3T laboratory, do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise that are likely to lead to continued collaborative efforts in the field of Regenerative Rehabilitation? Do the investigators have an appropriate plan for communicating and collaboratively completing work during the pilot funding? 3. Innovation: Does the application challenge and seek to shift current rehabilitation research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing regenerative biology concepts, approaches/methodologies, or instrumentation? Are novel paradigms for synergizing rehabilitative and regenerative medicine proposed? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed? 4. Approach: Is the proposed development plan well‐designed and likely to meet the stated objectives and lead to the anticipated results? Based on the scientific merit of the proposal and the viability of the plan, is it likely that successful completion of the pilot study will generate preliminary data necessary to position the applicant to submit a strong larger‐scale proposal? 5. Environment: Are the institutional support, equipment and other resources adequate for the project proposed? For collaborative projects, will the external investigator benefit from unique protocols, technologies and expertise of the AR3T laboratory? 6. AR3T‐Specific Criteria: Is the project multidisciplinary? Does it fit with the Regenerative Rehabilitation theme? The proposal must include both a regenerative research component as well as a rehabilitation component. Based on these criteria, reviewers will be asked to score proposals using the NIH scale from 1‐9, with “1” being the best. If reviewers identify significant but addressable issues with the proposal, applicants may be asked to respond to comments prior to funding. Notices of award are expected on April 21, 2017. Additional Information For questions and/or assistance with proposal development, contact us at AR3T@pitt.edu