Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR)
Pilot Project Grant Proposals
Objective: The CEGIR Pilot Project grants have been established to allow CEGIR investigators
to initiate new projects relevant to eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), eosinophilic gastritis (EG),
and/or eosinophilic colitis (EC). Successful applications will focus on (1) novel applications of
the infrastructure and data repositories in current CEGIR trials or (2) pilot studies for larger,
multicenter clinical trials. Grant applications must meet the CEGIR mission: to improve the lives
of individuals with eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders through innovative research, clinical
expertise and education via collaborations between scientists, health care providers, patients,
and professional organizations.
Currently, only applications from CEGIR investigators will be considered; however, proposals
involving collaborations between a CEGIR investigator and a non-CEGIR investigator at a
CEGIR institution or between a CEGIR investigator and a collaborator at a non-CEGIR
institution are acceptable.
Sponsor: CEGIR is funded by the U54 mechanism via the NIAID, NIDDK, and NCATS. CEGIR
is a NIH-supported collaborative consortium of clinician-investigators, translational scientists,
physicians, patients, families, and patient advocacy groups. CEGIR (U54 AI117804) is part of
the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN), an initiative of the Office of Rare
Diseases Research (ORDR), National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS),
and is funded through collaborations between NCATS, NIAID, and NIDDK.
Grant Term: 1-2 years
Award Amount: $50,000-$75,000 annually inclusive; indirect costs to be announced
Funding: The grant may be used to fund only the purchase of supplies and services that are
directly related to the approved research endeavors. Funds may also be directed to the salaries
of personnel, including faculty, and other direct expenses as necessary for the completion of the
research project. Faculty salary may not exceed 10% of the total budget. Large equipment in
the excess of $5,000 must be justified and approved by the grant review committee.
A competitive renewal application for a second year of funding is possible depending on project
progress and available funds.
Eligibility: Applicants must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible:

MD, DO, PhD, or MD/PhD who is a member of CEGIR

Full-time faculty at a medical school in the USA
Selection: Review and selection will be made by the CEGIR Pilot Project Grant Review
Committee, which is composed of members of CEGIR, a representative of the International
Eosinophil Society (IES), and representatives of patient advocacy groups. Review criteria
include feasibility; innovation; relevance to the CEGIR mission; anticipated impact, including the
potential for future collaborative trials between academic/medical institutions, disciplines, and/or
industry; and/or the use of previously generated CEGIR data to analyze novel hypotheses.
Preference will be given to research projects that are the most likely to be productive.
Terms: Recipients must acknowledge / adhere to the following terms:

The CEGIR Pilot Project Grant is non-transferable.

Receipt of the CEGIR Pilot Project Grant does not preclude the applicant from obtaining
other grant support from other sources; however, other existing support cannot conflict
with the requirements of the CEGIR Pilot Project Grant.

Support from the CEGIR Pilot Project Grant must be acknowledged in all presentations
and publications resulting from the CEGIR Pilot Project Grant sponsored research,
“CEGIR Pilot Project Grant (U54 AI117804)”, and adhere to all NIH public access
policies (e.g. PubMed Central deposition).

The recipient must provide CEGIR Pilot Project Grant Committee reports on the
progress of the research project at 3 months and at 6 months after the funding start
date. These reports will be one-page summaries of what has been completed, what is
currently underway, and what is planned. These reports will be emailed to Marc E.
Rothenberg, MD, PhD (marc.rothenberg@cchmc.org) and reviewed by the CEGIR
Internal Advisory and Review Committee. At the end of 12 months of funding, the
recipient will also submit a final report, and/or funding continuation proposal, outlining
the project results and anticipated next steps.

The recipient is required to attend at least one CEGIR-sponsored conference, during the
interim of their funding period or within a year after their funding period has ended, and
present their project status and results.
CEGIR may discontinue a grant if it is documented that the purpose and/or the terms of the
grant are not being fulfilled. In this event, the recipient will be notified in writing of this
determination, the reason, and the effective date.
The information contained within CEGIR Pilot Project Grants will be treated as confidential
material that will not be shared with members outside of CEGIR.
CEGIR Pilot Project Grant Requirements: The proposal should be formatted as specified
below and contain the following components assembled in the given order:

Formatting: 11-point Arial font; single line spacing; all margins 1 inch (no information
should appear in the margins, including the PI’s name and page numbers); PDF format

Abstract: provide an abstract of the proposed project (maximum 30 lines of text adhering
to the formatting specified above), including its public health significance, impact, and
relevance to the mission of CEGIR.

Applicant’s Statement of Purpose: state the applicant’s current and future EoE-, EG-,
and EC-related research objectives including the planned future grant application(s)
based on the pilot project (1-page maximum).

NIH Biosketches (New 2015 5-page Format): provide NIH biosketches for the PI and all
co-investigators and key scientific personnel.

Overlap/Conflict-of-Interest Disclosure: include a full disclosure of all currently active
grants or grants pending review or funding decisions and any potential conflicts of
interest for the PI and all co-investigators and key scientific personnel, addressing
overlap, if any, with the CEGIR Pilot Project Grant.

Project Plan: provide a description of the project (maximum of 5 pages, not including
references), including these sections: background, significance, innovation, long-term
objectives, specific aims, and research strategy/experimental approach. Preliminary
data, if available, should be included.

Facilities and Resources: provide a description of the facilities for research and training
needed by the applicant (1-page maximum).

Detailed Budget and Justification: provide a detailed budget and justification. Purchase
of equipment may be considered, if adequate justification is provided.

Protection of Human Subjects: For grants involving human subjects, include a letter
showing IRB approval of the study protocol or indication that the protocol has been
submitted and is in review. If IRB approval will be needed and issued only in the event of
funding, please specifically indicate this contingency.

Institutional Support: provide an officially signed letter from the applicant institution's
Office of Sponsored Research or similar, approving the submission and indicating the
institution’s willingness to comply with CEGIR grant management and reporting
requirements.
Submission: Applications should be submitted by April 30, 2015 as a single PDF file
attachment in an email to Melody Hess (Melody.Hess@cchmc.org).
Applicants will be notified around June 15, 2015, and award funds will be initiated
following regulatory approval by the NIH.