The Full Application should be submitted to the online portal by Tuesday March 17, 2026, 5:00 pm Mountain Time. LOI participants who pass the first screening will be invited to submit a full application.
The Application should contain:
1) Cover letter (1 page) - Describe career goals and how the DRC Pilot Award will help in attaining them.
2) NIH Biosketch for the applicant (new 2025 format).
3) Budget and justification (1 page) - Include a detailed budget request for the award with all costs justified. The award can be used for salary support and/or project support. It may not be used for subcontracts or tuition. Budget for direct costs for two years ($50,000 per year direct costs, indirect costs will not be reimbursed)
4) Career development plan (2 pages, single spaced). This is for early career investigator applicants and not established investigators new to diabetes or high-risk innovative projects. Describe career path to date, long-term goals in diabetes research and how the P&F project will support successful transition to independence and future diabetes research career. If there are DRC cores that will be leveraged, mention here as a training opportunity.
5) Specific aims and research plan (5 pages total, single spaced) - A complete description of the applicant’s ongoing and proposed work must be included. Separate sections should be devoted to Specific Aims and Hypotheses, Background and Significance, and Experimental Design and Methods. Preliminary Studies can be included in any of the sections. All figures, tables and other relevant data should be included within the body of the proposal (i.e., no appendices). The importance of the proposed work, its relevance to diabetes, and potential for generating further funded research should be included. Explanation of interdisciplinary approaches, innovative ideas and use of technological approaches within the research should be provided when applicable. Additionally, please describe whether the project will utilize any DRC core resources.
6) List of cited references (no page limit).
7) Letters of support from:
+ For new investigators, their scientific advisor (1 page) - Describe the mentor’s role during the period of the award, including a mentorship plan.
+ For new investigators, their Division Head (1 page) - Document the applicant’s protected time, space, and resources to carry out the research plan and that it is anticipated that the applicant will pursue a career in diabetes-related research.
+ For projects that are leveraging samples, models, or databases which require collaboration; a letter of support for the project from the collaborators (1 page each).
