Developmental Grants

Developmental Grants Program

The primary goal of the Developmental Grants Program (DGP) will be the initiation of innovative studies by junior faculty and trainees at UCSD or affiliated institutions with the following objectives:

Recruitment to neuroAIDS research of new investigators or established investigators without prior experience in the field;
Generation and pilot testing of new research initiatives;
Fostering collaboration among investigators from throughout Southern California.

The program provides to qualified investigators and trainees any appropriate combination of the following forms of support:

Small, 1 year grants to support pilot studies;
Access to HNRP core resources such as data, specimens, participants, equipment, administrative support, or expert consultation and technical assistance.

The application and evaluation processes for grants is semiannual, rapid, and relatively simple. For faculty, assistance will be directed to projects that can generate pilot data that support peer-reviewed proposals to outside agencies. For postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, or other trainees, the objective may be completion of projects that fulfill requirements for advanced degrees and/or result in peer-reviewed publications.

Southern California and specifically San Diego hosts a remarkable concentration of talented investigators in the biomedical and neurobehavioral sciences relevant to neuroAIDS. Fostering collaboration among these investigators by providing funding for pilot studies and support for trainees is an important secondary objective of the core.

Questions about the Developmental Grants Program

When can investigators apply to the awards?

1st Application Cycle - SUMMER/FALL
Letter of intent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.: July 12, 2024
Present to the Research Review Committee: by August 15, 2024
Deadline for Applications: September 13, 2024

*Developmental grant concepts may only be submitted twice (one original submission; one resubmission).
How much support is provided and what categories of research are considered?

The typical maximum budget is up to $20,000 for one year. Budgets more than $20,000 must be very well justified. The number and size of the awards in each category may be influenced by the quality of the submissions in each award cycle, but only applications of sufficient quality to meet our scientific standards will be funded. The two categories of developmental grants that will be supported are described below.

(a) Investigators New to NeuroAIDS Research

This component is designed to support junior investigators in neuroAIDS research, or other investigators with relevant backgrounds, in pursuing new initiatives in HIV-related, neurobehavioral research. Both the guidelines to the review committee and the application instructions will state that the limited CSPAR developmental funds will be targeted to junior investigators. However, we will consider applications from more senior investigators who wish to apply their established skills and methods to neurobehavioral aspects of HIV infections, but who have no prior experience in neuroAIDS research. Support may include access to HNRC resources such as patients, samples, or expertise, or the costs of personnel, consultation with outside experts, assays, drugs, reagents, or equipment needed to complete pilot studies.

(b) Pilot Studies

Because even established investigators have difficulty obtaining grants without pilot data, this category will permit faculty at any level to fund pilot studies to demonstrate the feasibility of a new line of research and generate data to support applications for peer-reviewed funding.

Examples of recently funded projects:

	Principal Investigator	Title
1.	Sarah LaMere, DVM, PhD	Epigenetic modulation of host epigenetics by T. gondii and its association with Major Depressive Disorder
2.	Laura M. Campbell, BS Doctoral Student	Neuroanatomical correlates of memory recall and recognition in older people living with HIV
3.	Antoine Chaillon MD, PhD	3D Mapping of the Central Nervous System (CNS): Drugs, Cells, HIV
4.	Yi Zhou, PhD	Mapping Spatial Transcriptomics and Communications of HIV Reservoirs With Environment in the Brain
5.	Ankita Garg, PhD	Hypogonadism Contributes to Premature Aging in People Living with HIV
6.	Lillian Ham, BA,Doctoral Student (L.H.) Patricia K. Riggs, DO, Post-Doctoral Infectious Disease Fellow (P.K.R.)	The impact of HIV infection on post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) neurobehavioral phenotypes and trajectories
7.	Maulika Kohli Doctoral Student	Examining whether family history of dementia and APOE 4 status predict neurocognitive trajectories among persons with HIV
8.	Vanessa Serrano Doctoral Student	Examining Psychosocial Determinants of Antiretroviral Adherence Trajectories among African American Adults with HIV
9.	Azin Tavasoli,MD	Progression of Diabetes Mellitus among ART-treated PWH with neurocognitive impairment
10.	Crystal X. Wang, PhD	Longitudinal Biotypes of Inflammation and Depression Symptoms in People with and without HIV

Who judges the merits of the proposals and how are applications reviewed?

Invited applications will be reviewed for scientific merit and attention to HNRC priorities by domestic or international scientists with subject-area expertise recruited by the HNRC. Applicants are asked to nominate potential independent reviewers, with an eye to avoid naming those with a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest with the applicant (e.g., co-authors, co-investigators).
Applications are awarded up to 15 points for scientific merit, relevance to HNRC goals, and relevance to Developmental Core goals. Primary emphasis is placed on significance of the research question and proposed study design and methods. A copy of the review criteria is available here.
Where can I find the application materials?

You can download the forms here in MSWord format or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. receive the application materials.