Pilot Grant Program

The Musculoskeletal Research Pilot Grant Program will make funds available to support pilot research in musculoskeletal biology. Funding is provided by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) via the MiMHC Center. Proposals may involve biomedical science, clinical physiology and pathophysiology, health services research, studies on patient reported outcomes, or behavioral and social science research. The MiMHC Center has a particular interest in studies that, if successful, might improve health and independence throughout life.

P&F Grant applications for 2024 is now open. Submit completed applications to Sarah Boston (sjayers@med.umich.edu) by October 13, 2023. Recipients of the 2024 grant awards will be announced in early 2024.

More detail describing the scope of this grant, eligibility, and procedure for application can be found in this PDF document. The application form to submit can be found here. (NOTE: This is a MS Word document that you will need to download)

This pilot grant program is open to those who hold full time faculty positions in either the tenure track or research track and will prioritize awards to Assistant Professors and Research Investigators, specifically those who have not yet received NIH R01 or equivalent funding. Mid-career faculty (Associate Professors) are also eligible provided they demonstrate that the proposed project represents a significant new direction for their research program. The principal investigator must be an MiMHC member. Prior awardees are not eligible to apply. Those applications deemed eligible will undergo a full peer-review. Faculty are strongly encouraged to contact Dr. Brooks with questions about eligibility prior to submission.

Each awardee will be required to present the results of their project at the following annual meeting and cite funding support from the P30 in submitted papers.

These awards are intended to support the development and collection of pilot data over a 1 year period leading to a grant submission. The pilot grants will be administered by the MiMHC Center with no indirect costs available to the grantee department/division. Funds are generally not made available for equipment purchases.

The Pilot program is managed by Dr. Susan Brooks. All questions regarding this program should be addressed to Dr. Brooks via email to svbrooks@umich.edu.