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VCU C2D Pilot Grant

Program Announcement: December 8, 2025

Key Dates

  • Proposal submission deadline: February 13, 2026
  • Award start date and project period: June 1, 2025 (up to 12 months)

Funding Details

  • Award budget limit: $10,000 to $20,000
  • Awards to fund: 4 to 5 awards depending on the number of applications and availability of funds
  • Program category: Pilot/small project

Purpose

The goal of the VCU C2D Pilot Grant is to afford all research faculty members in the Center an internal funding opportunity to support new, emerging or continuing research in drug discovery and development. Requests for grant support may be based on a broad array of needs, from restarting an inactive research program to pilot studies that would produce preliminary results on which external grant applications could be based.

Proposed work that helps advance or establish collaborations with investigators outside the Center is highly encouraged. The project should utilize the shared facilities and resources in the Center to promote early stage drug discovery and development projects.

Note: Animal related studies will not be considered generally. No personnel coverage will be provided.

Eligibility

The VCU C2D Pilot Grant mainly supports trans- and multidisciplinary project proposals. PIs may be any full-time, primary appointment VCU faculty, research faculty or clinician researcher regardless of rank or tenure status in the Center.

Clinician researchers must have a university faculty appointment to serve as a co-PI. Staff without affiliate faculty college/school appointments are not eligible to serve as a PI.

Inclusive research teams encompassing meaningful participation of non-center members are strongly encouraged, including early-stage investigators, trainees and students. In principle, the proposed project should not overlap with any existing funded project by internal or external resources.

Application Packet Components

NIH grant application format guidelines should be followed when preparing the packet.

  1. Biosketch: All key personnel, including PI and co-I should provide their NIH biosketches
  2. Specific aims: One page
  3. Strategy: Up to three pages including answers to the Research Impact questions below:
    1. Explain how your project fits into the C2D Mission of Drug Discovery Program (no more than 150 words)
    2. What is the specific hypothesis/hypotheses you aim to test? What is the critical question you aim to address and how is your project an innovative way to address it? (no more than 150 words)
    3. Explain how your project could advance drug development in the future (no more than 150 words)
  4. Budget and justification: One page (including C2D core facilities usage)
  5. References: One page
  6. Facilities and equipment: One page
  7. Other supports: NIH format

Proposal Submission

Please submit the complete application packet as a PDF file to drugdiscovery@vcu.edu.