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VCU C2D Pilot Grant

Key Dates

  • Proposal submission deadline: December 1, 2026
  • Award start date and project period: March 1, 2027 (up to 12 months)

Funding Details

  • Award budget limit: Up 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 VCU Center for Drug Discovery 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 cost coverage will be provided.

Eligibility

The VCU C2D Pilot Grant mainly supports transdisciplinary 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 with an affiliation with the Center for Drug Discovery.

Clinician researchers must have a university faculty appointment to serve as a PI or co-PI. Staff with an affiliate faculty appointment in a college/school are not eligible to serve as a PI.

Research teams that include meaningful participation of non-Center members, including early-stage investigators, trainees and students, are strongly encouraged.

The proposed project should not overlap with any currently funded project by internal or external resources.

Previous C2D award recipients who served as PI or MPI must wait two years after their most recent award ends before serving as PI or MPI on another submission.

Application Packet Components

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

  1. Biosketch: All key personnel, including PI(s) and co-investigator(s) should provide their NIH biosketches in the new format
  2. Specific aims: One page
  3. Strategy: Up to three pages including answers to the Research Impact questions below:
    • Explain how your project fits into the Center for Drug Discovery's mission (no more than 150 words)
    • 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)
    • Explain how your project could advance drug development in the future (no more than 150 words)
  4. Budget and justification: One page (including proposed usage of C2D core facilities)
  5. References: One page
  6. Facilities and equipment: One page
  7. Other supports: NIH new format

Proposal Submission

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