Dissemination and Implementation Pathway-to-Pilot Award

Eligibility

Faculty may participate as PI or MPI on only one submission per award category. Faculty may participate in multiple submissions per category as co-investigator. Faculty members with a primary appointment at the University of Rochester are eligible to serve as principal investigators. One of the members of the applying team must have a primary faculty appointment at the University of Rochester. This team member will be the contact PI for the project. Any faculty member who has a current grant with overlapping aims is not eligible to apply. Collaboration with health systems, community-based agencies and other entities is strongly encouraged.

Funding Amount

The grant will provide up to $16,500 for a research planning project to be conducted from July 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026. The supported planning activities are expected to help provide a solid foundation for a subsequent dissemination and implementation grant application.

Important Dates

The following dates apply to the most recent solicitation:

• Initial Letter of Intent (LOI) and Specific Aims Due - March 24, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.
  
• Notification of Full Proposal Solicitation - April 21, 2025
• Full Proposals Due - May 19, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.
• Notifications of Award - June 16, 2025
• Anticipated Start Date - July 1, 2025
• Award Period Ends - May 31, 2026

Contact

If you have questions regarding this RFA, please contact one of the following:

General inquiries 
Karen Grabowski, CTSI@urmc.rochester.edu

Scientific and Peer Review
Kevin Fiscella, M.D., M.P.H., Kevin_Fiscella@URMC.Rochester.edu
Reza Yousefi Nooraie: M.Sc., Ph.D., Reza_Yousefi-nooraie@URMC.Rochester.edu

Financial inquiries 
Mary Lyons Mary_Lyons@urmc.rochester.edu

Apply

Phase 1: Applicants submit a two-page Letter of Intent (LOI) stating their specific aims and summarizing their proposals. The UR CTSI review committee specific to each submission category will evaluate, score, and discuss the LOIs.  
  
Phase 2: A subset of applicants will be invited to submit full proposals. The UR CTSI Review Committee specific to each submission category will engage in a formal study section-style discussion and scoring meeting for proposals. Funding recommendations go to the UR CTSI Executive Team for a final review and decision on funding.  

The Pilot Studies Funding Attestation must be submitted with the initial Letter of Intent and full proposal.

Note: All animal and human subject protocols must be approved by NCATS, the NIH institute funding the UR CTSI, prior to the start date. No funds for research project costs may be released until all required human subjects and animal welfare approvals have been received.

• 2025 RFA for the Pathway-to-Pilot Program
• Attestation Template
• LOI Template

Please note that UR CTSI awards and funding are dependent upon the renewal of grants from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

Application Selection

Proposals with the best potential for output (e.g. peer-reviewed publication, extramural grant submission) by the end of the funding period, as well as proposals that address community-identified health research priorities will receive the highest priority for funding.

Scholars and Projects

Current Projects

Development of an HIV Status Neutral Protocol in a Nurse-led Primary Healthcare Setting
Natalie Leblanc, PhD, MPH, RN, BSN
Assistant Professor of Nursing and Harriet J. Kitzman Endowed Fellow in Health Disparities

Past Projects