Pilot Project Program
Pilot Project Core's PI: Norbert Hájos
Center for Cannabis, Cannabinoids, & Addiction
Overview
About the Program
The IUB Center for Cannabis, Cannabinoids and Addiction (C3A) Pilot Project Core has established a Pilot Project Program designed to support 2 to 4 new projects/year.
Fresh ideas and new scientists must continuously be introduced to drug addiction research if the field is to remain vigorous, relevant, and have a positive impact on society. There are two primary strategies we use to ensure a continuous influx of new ideas and investigators into drug addiction research. The first is to encourage early career investigators to apply their skills, enthusiasm, perspectives, and knowledge to problems of drug addiction. The second is to convince established investigators from other fields to apply their wisdom, techniques, and abilities from their current fields to unanswered questions in drug addiction research.
Our Goals
The goal of the pilot projects are to provide...
- Resources and mentoring for early career drug addiction researchers to obtain preliminary data for preparing competitive grant applications
- Resources and appropriate mentoring for career-stage to recruit more individuals from groups traditionally underrepresented in drug addiction research into the field
- Necessary resources to allow talented neuroscientists outside of the drug addiction field to obtain preliminary data for grant applications that will provide novel insights into the study of drug addiction
Funding Details
Funding from the C3A Pilot Project Core is not appropriate for proposals that are only incremental in nature or are intended to provide “bridge” funding to established investigators. Instead, the funding provided to PPC awardees will help cover the cost of conducting experiments and/or preparing samples for analysis of the BLM or MSI Cores.
Application Information
Due Date
Applications are due on March 5th, 2027 at 5p.m. (EST).
Funding
We anticipate PPC funds paying costs such as animal purchase and per diems, tissue culture supplies, graduate student summer stipends, technician salaries, or the other expenses that are incurred to conduct experiments and to prepare materials for analysis by either core. PI salary may not be included.
Pilot projects may be "research and development" pilots, feasibility studies, or other pilot work broadly defined as foundation work for further research.
The PPC may not be used to supplement or prolong ongoing research and should not be used as bridge funding when other research support is no longer available.
Successful applications will be awarded $5,000 to $30,000, for the period 07/01/2027 through 06/30/2028.
Proposal Requirements
Before applying for a Pilot Project award, applicants are encouraged to contact Pilot Project Core Principle Investigator, Dr. Norbert Hajos, to discuss their idea for submission.
Projects will be limited to one year in duration (July 1 - June 30). Projects that cannot be completed in one year will not be funded.
Priority may be given to applicants that have previously submitted their proposal for the C3A Pilot Project without successful award.
Proposal Review Process
Stage 1: Submitted proposals will be reviewed by 4-5 reviewers. Scoring will use the current 9-point NIH scale and applicants will receive brief written feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of their applications for each category.
Additional criteria beyond the NIH scale will be used to ensure pilot project awards align with Pilot Project Core goals:
- Young investigator or investigator new to addiction field.
- Support groups historically underrepresented in drug abuse research.
- Project cannot be done without accessing the BLM or MSI cores.
- Generate preliminary data for NIDA application.
- Component of high risk/high reward.
Stage 2: Ranked proposals will be reviewed by the C3A Steering Committee, and results announced by mid-April 2027.
Stage 3: after NIDA approval requested, typically received summer 2028.
Application
Previously Funded Pilot Projects
2024
Gabriel Nah, PhD and Jonathan Crystal, PhD
"Role of Adolescent Exposure to THC on the Development of Post-Concussion Syndrome as a Result of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury"
Shanna Babaloni, PhD
“An “add-on” study to examine Endocannabinoid and Lipidomic Profiles in Plasma as Biomarkers of Substance Use Disorder: Cannabis Administration in Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder"
2025
Rita Karlocai, PhD and Idaira Oliva, PhD
“Structural and functional alterations of endocannabinoid signaling at inhibitory synapses in the medial prefrontal cortex induced by oxycodone treatment”
Rahwa Netsanet and Josh Brown, PhD
“Pain perception in Individuals with Chronic Pain”
Gergo Szanda, PhD
“Development of a multiplexed translocation assay for the single-cell measurement of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-induced kinase signaling”
2026
Misha Dvorakova, PhD and Idaira Oliva, PhD
“How does route of administration affect THC pharmacokinetics and stress?”
Bence Barabas, PhD
“Investigating the role of genetically defined neuronal populations in alcohol-induced conditioned place preference and binge-like alcohol drinking”
Nino Espinas, PhD
“Determine the subcellular localization of SARM1, a key executioner of axon degeneration, pre- and post-activation by 3-APMN”
2027
Suzanne Prokop, PhD
“Defining the link between receptor organization within the Islands of Calleja and addiction vulnerability”
Misha Dvorakova, PhD
“SGIP1-Dependent CB1 Nano-Architecture in Affective Circuits During Chronic Pain”
Mengting Han, PhD
“Decoding synaptic local translation during opioid-induced synaptic plasticity via super-resolution imaging”
Coming soon...
Dr. Rita Karlocai will be providing a fiber photometry imagining core this year.. more information to come!
Acknowledgements
Disclaimer
Research and content found in this publication is supported by the National Institute On Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P30DA056410. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.