Gulf Coast Center for Precision Environmental Health (GC-CPEH)
NIEHS CENTER PILOT PROJECT FUNDING AVAILABLE

FUNDING PERIOD July 26, 2019 through July 25, 2020
ELECTRONIC LETTER OF INTENT PACKAGE DUE JUNE 28, 2019 

The GC-CPEH, a joint initiative of Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health announces the availability of funds to support pilot studies designed to promote precision EHS research at the intersection of genetics/epigenetics, environmental health, and data science to understand individual and place-based determinants of disease risk.  Proposals are open to all investigators from the supporting Institutions, who are eligible for federal funding, but should be compatible with the GC-CPEH’s mission, and should document objectives consistent with environmental health research and/or environmentally-based community outreach and engagement.  Membership discounts for the use of Centersponsored Facility Cores and other membership privileges will be extended to non-Center members who receive pilot project funding. 
 
The Pilot Projects are for one year with no opportunity for extension (including no cost extensions), and a budget not to exceed $40,000.  Applications from junior investigators, those proposing the use of core facilities, and collaborative projects are especially encouraged.  Involvement of a co-investigator from another institution(s) is permitted.  An investigator may apply for only one award per grant round as PI or Co-PI. 
 
KEYWORDS
Exposure, biomarkers; epigenomics; genomics; genome/epigenome-environment interactions; comparative biology; big data; bioinformatics; epidemiology; toxicology; public health, community health, disaster research response (DR2); microbiome, disease susceptibility 
 
ELECTRONIC LETTER OF INTENT PACKAGE
Your letter of intent package must include a cover letter and a one-page summary of the research objectives (Background and Specific Aims).  The package will be reviewed by the GC-CPEH Executive Committee for its relevance to the Center’s mission, and up to 12 suitable proposal concepts will be invited to prepare a full application using the guidelines described below.  The intent package should be sent electronically to Tracie Albritton at taalbrit@utmb.edu no later than 5:00 PM on the due date (June 28, 2019). 
 
APPLICATION PREPARATION AND REVIEW INFORMATION
The GC-CEPH Internal Advisory Board will evaluate the Pilot Project applications using an oral review process.  The applicant will be scheduled for a 15-minute oral presentation describing the research proposal, followed by 10 minutes for questions.  The applicant is expected to describe the significance, innovation, approach (including the specific aims for the pilot project as well as future research objectives), present an itemized budget, and identify anticipated use of Center-supported Core resources if applicable.  The applicant is required to submit the finalized Powerpoint presentation to Tracie Albritton no later than 5:00 PM on July 12, 2019.  The scheduled date for the presentation is July 23, 2019.  Every effort will be made to accommodate the applicant’s schedule in choosing a time for the presentation. 
 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Tracie Albritton, Senior Administrative Manager, GC-CPEH at UTMB E-mail: taalbrit@utmb.edu Phone: 409-772-5609 or 409-750-1073