Deadline: September 30th, 2026 03:10 PM EDT
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Program background
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) established the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program to build biomedical research capacity in states with historically low NIH funding success rates. The Mountain West COBRE for Metabolic and Inflammatory Disease Research (MW-COBRE-MIDR) is funded through the NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and supports a thematic research center focused on the molecular and translational bases of metabolic and inflammatory disease.
The Pilot Project Program (PPP) is a core component of the COBRE mission. Pilot projects are intended to generate compelling preliminary data that will enable investigators to compete independently for NIH R-series or other extramural peer-reviewed funding.
Scientific theme
Applications must address the COBRE's central scientific theme: mechanisms underlying the intersection of metabolic dysfunction and chronic inflammation, broadly defined to include basic, translational, or clinical research in areas such as:
- Obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD/MAFLD)
- Cardiovascular inflammation and atherosclerosis
- Gut microbiome–immune system crosstalk
- Adipose tissue biology and immunometabolism
- Inflammatory biomarkers in cardiometabolic disease
Applications proposing research outside this theme will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed.
Award information
| Mechanism | Pilot Project (subproject of P20 COBRE) |
| Award amount | Up to $50,000 direct costs (Year 1); renewable for Year 2 contingent on progress |
| Project period | 12 months (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027) |
| Number of awards | 3–5 awards anticipated, subject to availability of funds |
| F&A (indirect) costs | F&A costs are not allowed on COBRE Pilot Projects |
Eligibility
Eligible applicants must meet all of the following criteria:
- Hold a full-time faculty appointment (assistant professor, associate professor, or professor) or equivalent research-track appointment at an IDeA-eligible institution in the Mountain West region
- Have not previously served as a COBRE Research Project Leader (RPL) or received more than two years of prior Pilot Project funding from any IDeA award
- Demonstrate that the proposed project does not duplicate currently funded research
- Commit a minimum of 1.2 person months (10%) effort to the proposed project
Priority will be given to early-stage investigators (within 10 years of their first faculty appointment) and investigators proposing to utilize one or more COBRE Core Facilities.
Ineligible individuals include postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and investigators currently serving as COBRE RPLs or receiving direct salary support from the parent COBRE award.
Application process overview
Letter of Intent (LOI)
A non-binding 2-page LOI is required. Only applicants whose LOI is deemed responsive will be invited to submit a full application.
Full proposal
Invited applicants submit a complete application following NIH PHS 398 formatting guidelines, including Specific Aims, Research Strategy, and budget.
NIH-style peer review
Applications are reviewed by an internal study section using NIH Simplified Review Framework criteria. All applicants receive a written summary statement.
Award notification
Awards are made following review and NIGMS prior approval (for projects involving Human Subjects or Vertebrate Animals).
Use of COBRE core facilities
Applicants are strongly encouraged to propose use of one or more of the following MW-COBRE-MIDR Core Facilities. Applications proposing core use will receive additional programmatic priority.
Review criteria (NIH simplified framework)
Factor 1 — Importance of the research
Scored 1–9Encompasses Significance (does the project address an important problem? will successful completion advance the field?) and Innovation (does the work apply novel concepts, methods, or technologies?). For COBRE pilot projects, reviewers additionally assess alignment with the COBRE scientific theme and potential to generate data for future extramural funding.
Factor 2 — Rigor and feasibility
Scored 1–9Encompasses the Approach. Reviewers evaluate whether the experimental design is rigorous, reproducible, and likely to yield interpretable data, and whether the proposed work is feasible within the 12-month project period and proposed budget. Consideration of potential pitfalls and alternative approaches is expected.
Factor 3 — Expertise and resources
Pass/Gaps notedEncompasses Investigator qualifications and Environment. Reviewers assess whether the PI and team have the background and experience to carry out the work, and whether the institutional resources and COBRE core facilities are adequate. This factor is not scored but informs the overall impact score.
Overall impact score
Scored 10–90Reflects the reviewers' collective assessment of the likelihood that the project will exert a sustained, powerful influence on the field. The overall impact score is the primary basis for funding decisions.
