The Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center (FOEDRC) at the University of Iowa is pleased to announce another cycle of Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) Grants for studies related to diabetes and obesity.

In 2024, the FOEDRC awarded Catalyst Grants and Seed Grants to support new projects led by PIs at the University of Iowa. Applicants were encouraged to identify which type of award is most aligned with their research goals.

Deadline for Applications: Friday, June 26, 2026

Awards will be announced in September.

Catalyst Grants

Up to two Catalyst Grants will be awarded to PIs at the University of Iowa. Funding for Catalyst Grants will be up to $50,000 per year in direct costs, renewable for a second year pending satisfactory progress ($100,000 maximum award). Salary for the PI cannot be included in the budget of a Catalyst Grant. Catalyst Grants are intended to provide support for studies that allow University of Iowa investigators to develop data sufficient to prepare a competitive application for independent research support through external granting mechanisms. Catalyst Grant investigators will be required to prepare a yearly progress report, and to present their research at the FOEDRC’s Frontiers in Obesity, Diabetes, and Metabolism Seminar Series, at the annual Fall Retreat, or at Diabetes Research Day. These progress reports will serve as criteria in determining whether the grant will be renewed for a second year of funding. The funding mechanism ceases if the project is successfully converted into an externally funded program. Catalyst Grants cannot be used for bridge funding; they must represent a new initiative. Some examples of studies which are eligible for Catalyst Grant funding are:

· A study proposed by an early-stage investigator with a research interest in diabetes or obesity prior to securing independent grant support.

· A study proposed by an established investigator with expertise in other areas and who wants to apply this expertise to address a question that is related to diabetes or obesity.

· A study by an established investigator in diabetes or obesity who wants to pursue a question in a totally different area from his/her current research field.

· A study involving clinical and basic investigators aiming to test a question of translation relevance to diabetes or obesity.

Seed Grants

The FOEDRC aims to encourage testing of innovative, high reward, early-stage diabetes and obesity research at the University of Iowa. This year up to two Seed Grants of $5,000 or less will be available to University of Iowa PIs for discrete, specific, new objectives. Objectives should be completed within 6 months of funding. Seed grants are not renewable. Examples of work that might initiate a new project are:

· Preliminary high throughput testing

· Producing a genetically modified mouse

· Sequencing required to initiate a project

· Producing a gene transfer vector

· Microscopic imaging to test feasibility of an approach

· Collection of initial clinical samples

· Testing an idea using metabolomics


 

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Interested in learning more about our grants?

Send your questions to jonathan-t-thomas@uiowa.edu.

 

How to Apply

Application Process

Full proposals should be submitted electronically as a single PDF to jonathan-t-thomas@uiowa.edu by the above deadline. Full proposal content differs for catalyst versus seed grants, as follows.

FOEDRC Catalyst and Seed Grant Application Process
  1. Face Page
    Please use the provided template and include the following information:
  • Grant title
  • PI(s) and MPI(s) with email address and Department. Co-I(s) by name and Department.
  • 50-word description of the critical scientific problem being addressed.
  • 150-word personal statement for each PI describing how the investigator’s expertise and prior work qualify them to conduct the proposed research.
  • 50-word statement describing alignment of the proposed work with NIDDK priorities.
  • Five relevant publications for each PI/MPI:
    • The first two must list the PI/MPI as first or corresponding author (co-first/corresponding is also acceptable).
    • Three additional relevant publications with PI authorship.

2. Lay Summary: Three sentence lay statement of impact.

3. Research Plan

Page limits, not including references:

  • Catalyst Grants: 3 pages maximum
  • Seed Grants: 2 pages maximum

The Research Plan should provide a succinct description of the proposed study and include the following sections:

  • Background and significance
  • Hypothesis and Specific Aims embedded in the research plan, no separate specific aims page.
  • Preliminary data.
  • Experimental plan and methods, including consideration of sex as a biological variable where applicable
  • Timeline and expected impact of success, including extension to a major external funding application such as an R01.
 

Applicants may include figures and tables; however, all figures must be clearly legible at reasonable zoom/magnification. Reviewers are not expected to evaluate figures that are excessively small or difficult to read.

4. Current and Pending Support

Provide a list of current and pending research support as principal investigator for the PI(s) in this format: Title (award number); PI/MPI name (PI/MPI); project period in mm/dd/yyyy - mm/dd/yyyy.

5. Budget Policy
A detailed budget is not required at the time of application submission.
Applicants should note the following funding policies:

  • Faculty salary support is not allowed
  • Indirect costs (F&A) are not permitted
  • Allowable costs generally follow NIH guidelines and may include research supplies, animal costs, core services, equipment usage, and other direct research expenses necessary to complete the proposed work

Awardees will be required to submit a brief categorical budget and sign an award agreement confirming that funds will be used exclusively for the approved project.

Funding limits are as follows:

  • Catalyst Grants: up to $100,000 total costs over a maximum of two years ($50,000/year maximum)
  • Seed Grants: single, nonrenewable award of up to $5,000

6. Letters of Support (if applicable)

Letters of support may be included to document access to specialized resources, core facilities, collaborations, or other essential project support.
Limit: 1 page maximum per letter.

Review Criteria

P&F applications should present a testable hypothesis, clearly delineate the question being asked, detail the procedures to be followed, and discuss how the data will be analyzed and lead to future studies. Emphasis is placed on how the research might lead to new research ideas or research funding. For junior investigators, additional considerations include how this award will impact their career and the potential of the applicant to compete for independent research funding in the future. Research track faculty MUST include a letter from their laboratory director or departmental chair describing how this award will serve in developing an independent research program and external research funding.

General Considerations

· Applications in all areas of diabetes and obesity research are eligible. Must advance the understanding or evaluate the natural history/mechanism, prevention, diagnosis or treatment of diabetes or obesity.

· A proposal may be resubmitted once. A description of the changes made from a prior application should be included as part of the application.

· Catalyst Grants are expected to result in a successful NIH application (e.g., R, P or U series) within two years of completion.

· Note that it is NOT necessary for the application to go through the Office of Sponsored Research prior to submission.

· Principal investigator(s) of funded projects will be required to provide a final report and an accounting of all funds expended at the completion of the project. A progress report will be required at the end of the first fiscal year. Further information about how to submit this information will follow upon receipt of award.

· Awarded funds from this mechanism cannot be transferred or spent at other institutions.

Eligibility Guidelines

· A faculty member may apply for only one grant per cycle on which they would be a PI. There is no limitation to the number of grants on which a faculty member can participate as a collaborator.

· All applicants must be a member of the University of Iowa faculty.

· Past recipients are ineligible for five years from the completion of their P&F funding (7 years from start date of a two year P&F grant), and only applications in directions/areas distinct from their prior award will be considered. Seed grants, however, do not preclude subsequent Pilot and Feasibility awards in the same area in any time frame, provided strong progress has been made.

· FOEDRC faculty recruits are not eligible during the period of their receipt of FOEDRC startup support.

· P&F support is usually intended for early-stage faculty investigators, for investigators from other fields intending to bring their research expertise to a diabetes-relevant research area, for investigators currently working in the diabetes area whose proposed research would constitute a significantly new direction, and for clinical and basic researchers who propose a joint research project.

Want to learn more?

Questions about our pilot and feasibility grant programs should be addressed to our Research Support Coordinator.

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