Funding Opportunities

2026 Request for Applications for Pilot Projects
 

Program Description
 

The Research Expanding Access to Child Health (REACH) Center is an NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) directed by Anne Kazak, PhD and Melissa Alderfer, PhD of the Nemours Center for Healthcare Delivery Science. The REACH Center aims to support multidisciplinary research that develops, evaluates, and implements innovative stakeholder-engaged, technology-enhanced interventions and models of care to address the complex factors that contribute to child health.  The REACH Center includes two research cores to support this research: IMPACT (Intervention Methods: Provision and Connection through Technology) and PROMISE (Pediatric Research: Optimizing Methods in Stakeholder Engagement).
 

The REACH Pilot Project Program  supports mentored research projects that are aligned with the REACH Center’s mission and focus on developing, adapting, or refining clinical care in partnership with community stakeholders and providing technology-enhanced interventions to reduce family and community level social and environmental risks and improve child health.

The Pilot Project award provides a maximum of $50,000 for one-year projects of limited scope such as testing feasibility of methods, analyzing existing datasets to answer relevant community stakeholder-informed questions, collecting and analyzing formative intervention data, or examining intervention mechanisms or preliminary outcomes.

 

Eligibility Requirements for Pilot Investigators

 

• Investigators must hold a doctoral degree and a faculty appointment (or equivalent) at a Delaware research institution at the time of the award. Individuals holding postdoctoral training positions are not eligible to lead COBRE Pilot Projects.

• Early Stage and New investigators as defined by the NIH (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/new_investigators/) are given priority. Applications from mid-career or senior investigators will also be considered.

• Investigators cannot be receiving simultaneous research support from other IDeA state programs (e.g., INBRE, DE-CTR ACCEL, other COBRE).
   

Budget
 

An itemized budget will be required with the full application. Allowable items include but are not limited to: investigator and staff effort, federally allowable supplies, participant incentives, and travel.

Pilot Projects are not to exceed $50,000 in direct costs to be spent in one year. There is no minimum required effort for the Pilot Investigator. Foreign collaborations are unallowable for this mechanism.

Awardee Expectations
 

Awardees will be expected to:

• Work with a mentor or mentorship team to develop an Individual Development Plan and Mentorship Plan

• Work with the REACH Cores (IMPACT and/or PROMISE) and Core Directors (Kimberly Canter, Ph.D., and JJ Cutuli, Ph.D., respectively) to develop and execute their project

• Present progress formally to the REACH External Advisory Committee twice per year

• Present and publish research findings in a timely manner

• Acknowledge funding from the REACH Center in all project-related research presentations and publications (no foreign co-authors allowed)

• Provide annual progress reports to the Program Administrator during the project period and following the end of award
   

Application and Review Process
 

Full Applications will be reviewed for scientific merit by our External Advisory Committee. You will be asked to consult with the REACH Center Research Cores (IMPACT and/or PROMISE) to refine methodologies and assure a plan for stakeholder engagement is incorporated in the Full Application. Pilot Projects chosen for funding must have all IRB approvals in place before being forwarded to NIH for final approval.
 

Key dates for the 2026 cycle are as follows:

• Letter of intent and NIH Biosketches (certified in SciENcv) due – August 3, 2026

• Invitations for full application – August 17, 2026

• Full applications due (submit IRB for approval) – October 1, 2026

• Notification of final applicants – December 1, 2026

• Proposal revision and IRB approval due – December 20, 2026

• Anticipated start date – March 1, 2027
   

Letter of Intent: An LOI  including the information below should be sent to Dana Berger, MPH, Program Administrator at Dana.Berger@nemours.org by August 3, 2026. Please supply all information as one PDF file:
 

1. A Cover Letter (one page) indicating:

• Investigator Name and Affiliation

• Affiliated Research Institution and Department/Division

• Senior Mentor Name and Affiliation

• Project Title

• Statement confirming investigator eligibility per RFA description

• Other potential/pending internal or external funds for the proposed project

2. A Research Statement (two pages) including:

• Specific Aims

• Background & Significance

• Methodology (Participants, Procedure, Measures/Outcomes, Analysis)

3. References Cited (one page)

4. Applicant's and Mentor's NIH Biosketches (certified in SciENcv)
 

Full Application (invitation only): A complete set of instructions will be provided to invited applicants. The general format will be similar to NIH R03 proposals. For Nemours applicants, an intent to pursue must be submitted at this stage.
 

• PHS398 Forms (Face page, Budget)

• PHS3989 Research Plan

  • Specific Aims

  • Research Strategy (Significance, Innovation, Approach, and Timeline for two year project period)

• References Cited

• Budget Justification

• Biographical Sketches and Other Support pages for RPL and mentor(s) (certified in SciENcv)

• PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information Forms (if applicable)

• Mentoring Plan signed by both the mentor and the investigator

• Letter of Support from the Department Chair or Chief confirming that the applicant will be released from other responsibilities to dedicate budgeted effort to the project if funded

• Letters of Support from community partners, recruitment sites, etc.

Just-in-Time (JIT) Documentation: Prior to submitting the applications chosen for funding to NIH, revisions will be requested based upon scientific review and additional documentation will be required including IRB approval for the proposed project and human subjects training certificates for the key personnel.

 

Contact
 

Address inquiries regarding the REACH Center Pilot Project Program to Dana Berger, MPH, Program Administrator at Dana.Berger@nemours.org. Visit www.reachcobre.org for more information about the REACH cores and active REACH projects.
 

The REACH Center is supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the NIH under grant number P20GM144270. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.