CardioPulmonary Vascular Biology Center for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) 2026 Pilot Projects Program

SUBMISSION DEADLINES AND AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS

Application

Interested applicants are required to apply through the UFunds online portal no later than Monday, March 2, 2026 at 5pm ET.. The application must include the following:

  1. Contact and academic information as requested via the UFunds application page.
  2. Structured one-page overview of research aims, significance, and experimental approach.
  3. References.
  4. NIH-formatted bio-sketch for each investigator and mentor
  5. Letter from Department Chair(s) stating postdoctoral fellow or resident physician applicants will have a faculty appointment by June 1, 2026, if applicable (not required for current faculty).
  6. A mentorship plan, if applicable.
  7. Established/senior investigators are eligible to apply for support of a new research direction in vascular biology. However, priority will be given to faculty at junior ranks (Instructor or Assistant Professor) and without significant extramural funding.
  8. Faculty at junior ranks must have mentors. Mentor(s) should be designated who are faculty at an affiliated health care system (Lifespan, Care New England, and Providence VAMC) or a degree-granting institution in Rhode Island. Mentor(s) should be researchers in the field related to the proposed project, have experience and demonstrated success as research supervisors, and be faculty at the Associate Professor level or above. Projects may have more than one mentor, such as one who is an expert in the content of the proposed research and another who is an expert in the proposed methodology (e.g., statistics, epidemiology, informatics, etc.).
  9. A Pilot Project awardee cannot hold funding from a COBRE project or another IDeA mechanism of support at the same time as CPVB COBRE Pilot Project funding.
  10. The proposed CPVB COBRE Pilot Project should not have significant scientific or budgetary overlap with another funded project.

A Brown University ID is required to access UFunds. Non-Brown faculty should email cpvb.pilot.projects@gmail.com by February 9, 2026 to request a Brown University ID to use for this application.

Pilot Project award announcements are anticipated to be communicated by email to applicants by Mid May 2026.

Individuals from underrepresented minority groups are encouraged to apply.

AWARD CATEGORIES & ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Category 1: Single PI award

To be eligible for a Pilot Project award at $37,500:

  1. Applicants must possess health-professional or research doctoral degrees and holding a faculty appointment at a degree granting institution in Rhode Island at the time of pilot project funding.

Category 2: Multi-PI Award

To be eligible for a Pilot Project award at $75,000:

  1. Project should be led by two or more Principal Investigators (Multi-PI) from different disciplines or training backgrounds. A Contact PI must be designated. Partnerships from different departments or institutions are encouraged. Trans-institutional collaborations among faculty at Brown University, University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island healthcare institutions, or other degree-granting institutions in Rhode Island are highly encouraged. Multi-PI’s can be junior or senior investigators.

Questions regarding applicant eligibility should be emailed to: cpvb.pilot.projects@gmail.com

Overview

The CardioPulmonary Vascular Biology (CPVB) COBRE has the goal of increasing the quantity and quality of cardiovascular, pulmonary and vascular biology research in Rhode Island. One means of attaining this goal is the identification and nurturing of talented investigators. Therefore, the CPVB COBRE announces the availability of $37,500 or $75,000 pilot projects for research related to cardiovascular, pulmonary vascular diseases. The goal of these pilot projects is to enable investigators to develop preliminary data that can be used to support successful applications for independent research funding in vascular biology. In addition, pilot project investigators are expected to participate in COBRE meetings and activities and in career development activities to enhance skills for academic and research success.

Funding Available

The 2026 Pilot Projects Program will fund $37,500 or $75,000 pilot projects for one-year research grants. Indirect costs will not be provided to the applicants’ home institutions.

Performance Period

The anticipated performance period is 6/1/2026 to 5/31/2027.

Available Services for Applicants

All applicants are strongly encouraged to schedule a consultation with Cell Isolation and Organ Function (CIOF) Core or the Mitochondrial Function and In Vivo Imaging (MF-II) Core to enhance their responsiveness to this RFA. Applicants are encouraged to review available services on the CPVB CORE lab-request-form for any inquiries. Please contact hongwei_yao@brown.edu for CIOF core or peng_zhang@brown.edu for MF-II core.

AWARDEE AND MENTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Investigators and mentor(s) will be expected to meet on a regular, pre-specified basis to review progress in the goals of the application. A mentorship plan must be established and submitted with the mentor(s) letter of support at the time of application. Junior faculty are expected to have at least one mentor. The mentorship plan should address:

  • A communications strategy that fosters consistent and intensive interactions to ensure completion of the project and any relevant training.
  • The nature and frequency of the interaction between the mentor(s) and investigators for the duration of the award.
  • Describe how the training plan supports the proposed research.

Awardee Responsibilities

Investigators selected for a Pilot Project award will be required to:

  1. Obtain IRB and or IACUC approval, as applicable, before funding can be awarded, no later than May 1, 2026. Applicants are strongly encouraged to have these processes underway at the time of application.
  2. Present at CPVB COBRE bi-weekly seminar and if invited, at the CardioPulmonary Vascular Biology External Advisory Committee Meeting.
  3. Present a poster at the RI NIH IDeA and NISBRE Symposiums, if invited.
  4. Attend all required program-related seminars and conferences (to be specified).
  5. Complete annual progress report.
  6. Acknowledge sponsorship from CardioPulmonary Vascular Biology supported by the IDeA-COBRE grant (P30GM149398) in all research publications during the performance period. Future publications related to this research must also CPVB COBRE acknowledgement.
  7. Report all presentations, publications, and extramural funding that arise from this award to CPVB COBRE administrator.
  8. Maintain updated VIVO profiles if Brown University-affiliated.

Mentor Responsibilities

Mentors will be required to provide the awarded investigators with research guidance toward an independent research career through a planned series of meetings and activities as well as frequent discussions and guidance as needed.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Proposal Submission Instructions

Proposals are due through UFunds no later than Monday, March 2, 2026 at 5pm ET. CPVB COBRE will not consider applications that are incomplete. Complete applications must include the following sections:

Proposal Content

Face Page: (PHS 398 Form Page 1)
The Face Page should include Contact PI name, academic title, institution, address, title of project, and the name of the institutional grant management official.

Project Summary, NIH Page 2: (PHS 398 Form Page 2)
The Project Summary should be a succinct and accurate description of the proposed work. State the application’s broad, long-term objectives and specific aims. Concisely describe the research design and methods for achieving the stated goals. The summary should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and, insofar as possible, understandable to a scientifically or technically literate reader. Avoid describing past accomplishments and the use of first person.

Additionally, the following sections of the Project Summary form should be completed:

  • Relevance: Describe the relevance of this research to public health. Be succinct (using no more than two or three sentences) and use plain language that can be understood by a general, lay audience.
  • Project/Performance Site Primary Location: Include the information pertinent to the contact PI’s home institution.
  • Additional Project/Performance Site Location: Include the information pertaining to any additional performance sites. If more than two performance sites will be used, list additional sites on the PHS 398 Project/Performance Site Format Page.
  • Senior Key Personnel: Include the Contact PI and mentor(s) for the project. Anyone listed in Senior Key Personnel must include a biosketch in the application

Budget: (PHS 398 Form Page 4)

The anticipated budget period is 6/1/2026 to 5/31/2027.

DATES AND DEADLINES

March 2, 2026: Full Proposal due
Mid-May 2026: Pilot Awards announced (anticipated)
May 1, 2026: IRB and or IACUC approval due, as applicable
June 1, 2026: Pilot funding begins (anticipated)

QUESTIONS
Address inquiries regarding the CPVB COBRE Pilot Projects Program to Valeria Zarate, Program Administrator, at cpvb.pilot.projects@gmail.com

BUDGET, REFERENCES, APPLICATION FORMAT, ETC

View Detailed Instructions