Call for Proposals: Geroscience and Pepper Center Joint Pilot Program

Full Proposal Deadline: December 9, 2026 (11:59 pm)

The UTMB Geroscience Institute Initiative and the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC), with the Sealy Center on Aging, invite UTMB investigators to submit proposals for a joint pilot program.

For this funding cycle, pilot awards will support Geroscience projects that advance the measurement, biology, or modification of aging with relevance to function and independence in older adults. A direct measure of function is not required, but higher priority will be given to projects that directly measure physical or cognitive function or link molecular and cellular mechanisms of aging to functional outcomes.

This call is campus-wide, and investigators new to aging research are welcome.

Program Focus

Examples include (but are not limited to):

• Immune and neuroimmune aging, including early biomarkers of immunosenescence
• Epigenetic and proteomic aging clocks applied to existing specimens or cohorts
• Functional measures of aging from home to clinic
• Ancillary studies that add measures to enrolling Geroscience trials or Pepper-supported studies
• Large-dataset analyses of gerotherapeutics, such as single versus combination agents or aging outcomes in patients in gerotherapeutic trials ( ie GLP-1 receptor agonists)
• Biological aging in response to stressors (hospitalization, surgery, cardiac events)
• Development of novel biomarkers either lab or clinical base that can be used as a primary or secondary outcome in Geroscience studies
• Pilot or proof of concept interventions for extending health span including lifestyle modifications

Scope of the Call

• Up to six (6) pilot projects will be awarded.
• Each proposal must:
  • Address one or more Program Focus areas
  • Be team-based and collaborative, with clearly defined roles across disciplines
  • Be completed, with all funds spent, within the funding period

New collaborations are encouraged. Teams may use Geroscience Institute resources (trial cohorts, biospecimens, biomarker assays) and Pepper Center resources (recruitment, biostatistics, wearable sensors).

Key Program Expectations

• Projects should generate preliminary data that position teams for external funding (NIH, foundations, industry).
• Awardees will present results at a joint Geroscience and Pepper Center forum and acknowledge both programs.
• Funds may not be transferred to external collaborators or institutions, fee-for-service purchases may be allowed pending approval.

Key Details

• Funding period: Approximately 7 months, beginning January 15, 2027
• Total budget: Up to $50,000 in direct costs per award

Allowable costs include:

• Research personnel (e.g., technicians, research associates, postdoctoral fellows, students)
• Data generation, biomarker assays, and internal core fees
• Wearable sensors and measurement tools
• Computational resources, software, and analytic support Experimental supplies and participant costs
• Core facility cost

Unallowable costs:

• Faculty salaries or effort
• Indirect costs

Eligibility

• Open to UTMB faculty at all ranks; postdoc or research scientist-led applications with a faculty mentor considered case by case
• We encourage team science, not a single investigator
• Early-career investigators and those new to aging research are encouraged to apply

Proposal Requirements

Applications must be compiled into a single PDF and include the following components:

1. Cover Letter (1 page maximum)
   • Project overview and goals
   • Description of the interdisciplinary team
   • Relevance to Geroscience, and any direct link to function or independence
   • Plan for how pilot data will support future external funding
2. Specific Aims (1 page, NIH format)
3. Research Proposal (3 pages maximum, NIH format)
   • Significance (½ page maximum)
   • Approach (methods, data or specimen sources, analytic plan, timeline)
   • Team Description (roles, data flow, and collaborative structure)
4. NIH Biosketches PI(s) and all key personnel
5. Detailed Budget and Budget Justification
   • Describe how funds will be used internally within the funding period
   • Confirm that no faculty effort is requested
6. Letter of Support (ancillary studies only)
   • From the PI of the parent trial or cohort

Review Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

• Relevance to Geroscience, with higher priority for projects that directly measure function or link mechanisms of aging to functional outcomes
• Strength of the team science approach
• Scientific rigor
• Feasibility within the funding period, including regulatory approvals
• Likelihood of enabling future external funding or scalable research programs

Important Dates

Call Released: October 26, 2026

Application Deadline: December 9, 2026 (by 11:59 pm)

Award Announcements: January 11, 2026

Funding Start Date: January 18, 2027

Final Date to Use Funds: August 14, 2027

Submission

All application materials must be submitted as a single PDF to Elizabeth Huber (elhuber@utmb.edu)

Contact Information

Application and Programmatic Questions: Lexi King, Program Manager of SCOA (alnking@utmb.edu) Scientific Questions: Alan Landay, PhD (allanday@utmb.edu) and Missy Morrow, PhD (memorrow@utmb.edu)

Download Pilot Call PDF