NIH Oregon Alzheimer Disease Center (OADC)
Pilot Project Program

Project dates: 04/01/09-03/31/10
Maximum direct costs: $30,000
Number of pilot projects/year: 2
Application deadline: November 10, 2008

Goal: The pilot project program of the NIH-funded Oregon Alzheimer Disease Center promotes basic and clinical biomedical, epidemiological, caregiving, educational and behavioral research on Alzheimer disease (AD), other dementias, and normal brain aging. The funding provides modest support to allow an investigator to develop preliminary data sufficient to provide the basis for an application for independent research support through other granting mechanisms.

Investigators: Applicants may be either postdoctoral or junior faculty investigators with an interest in research in AD or more senior investigators who have experience in areas other than AD research, and who want to work in the AD research field or who want to try a new hypothesis, method, or approach that is not an extension of ongoing research.

OADC resources: Although not required to be used, investigators may, with IRB approval, have access to patients and control subjects with clinical, genetic and neuropathological information; specimens such as DNA, frozen and fixed brain tissue, CSF, and cell lines. Biostatistical consultation is available to both applicants and awardees. In addition, standardized clinical and neuropathological research data collected from all NIH-funded ADCs is available from the NIH-funded National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (http://www.alz.washington.edu).

Applications should include:

• Cover letter, addressed to Dr. Jeffrey Kaye, briefly summarizing the applicant’s research program, career plans, experience in dementia research and the goals of the pilot in relation to other current research and to future AD research.
  
• OADC PHS 398 forms
  • Description (Abstract) (PHS 398, p.2) including pilot title
  • Budget (PHS 398 format) and Budget Justification
  • Biographical Sketch (PHS 398 format)
  • Research Plan (maximum 5 pages, excluding references) including:
    Specific aims: Goals of the pilot project, hypotheses to be tested, and potential subsequent studies (long-term aims).
    Background: Briefly summarize the state of the field related to your proposal; its known or postulated relationship to AD; your technical capacity; and any preliminary work.
    Research Design: Outline your proposed experiments and describe the statistical analysis methodology and anticipated interpretation of results. Explain how results of the pilot investigation will lead to future studies related to Alzheimer disease.
    Describe pertinent human subjects or animal care issues and include targeted/planned enrollment table if appropriate.
    The applications are to be submitted as email attachments to waggoner@ohsu.edu.

Applicants are encouraged to discuss their proposals with OADC researchers before submission. For further information, please contact Diane Waggoner, OADC administrator, at 503-494-6977.
Applications will be reviewed by outside reviewers and the OADC Executive Committee. If desired, you may suggest possible reviewers for your proposal.