Quantitative Methodologies Pilot Program (QuMP)
The Quantitative Methodologies Pilot Program (QuMP) is a funding opportunity that supports interdisciplinary, translational research involving quantitative methodologies such as statistics, biostatistics, epidemiology, computer science, and mathematical modeling. The QuMP Program specifically aims to encourage and support novel applications of quantitative methodologies, either through the novel use of existing methodologies or through the development of entirely new quantitative methodologies. Projects funded by the program are expected to involve trans-disciplinary collaborations between translational investigators and quantitative scientists.
Round 1 LOI Submission Deadline: Friday, July 28, 2023, by 11:59:59pm EST
Round 1 Notification: Tuesday, August 15
Round 2 Full Proposal Submission Deadline: Monday, September 11, 2023, by 11:59:59 pm EST
Funding Notification: Monday, October 9, 2023
Anticipated Start Date: December 1, 2023
(Award must start within three months of notification)
Applicants can request up to $30,000 in direct costs, with a maximum funding period of one year. The funding cycle will run from December 1, 2023 through November 30, 2024; no extensions of this award period will be made. Funding cannot start until all necessary regulatory approvals have been received (IRB, hSCRO, IBC, CORID, IACUC).
Pilot funds are made possible through an institutional award made by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS); as a result, projects that are selected by CTSI must be submitted to NCATS for administrative approval. The review cannot be completed until all required regulatory approvals are submitted, and the review process itself lasts at least four weeks. To ensure a prompt start of funding, CTSI staff will work with accepted teams to prepare and submit the necessary materials.
The 2023 funding cycle for QuMP is focused on supporting the work of graduate student researchers (master's or doctoral) at Pitt working with a formal mentor. As such, each project should have at least two investigators:
- Principal Investigator (PI): the PI must be a faculty member at Pitt.
- Co-Principal Investigator: the Co-PI must be a graduate student currently enrolled in either a master’s or doctoral degree program at Pitt.
- Other Co-Investigators (Co-Is) may be included but are not required.
The PI should serve as a mentor to the Co-PI, as either the academic mentor or academic adviser to the Co-PI. Submissions should clearly describe the role of each investigator, with sufficient detail for reviewers to identify that all listed team members will have an active role in the research.
Using the Pitt InfoReady Submission Platform
CTSI recently transitioned to using the Pitt InfoReady grant submission platform to collect and review all pilot project submissions. If applicants have not previously used this system, they should be aware that they will be required to create a new account before they are able to upload their PDF submission. Applicants will be required to register their project in the system by providing the following information:
- A title for their project (50-character limit)
- A brief project summary (500-word limit) that should match the abstract and scope of work provided in the Letter of Intent
These fields are used primarily for internal reference and can be edited after the project has been registered.
If you have any questions while using the system or encounter any errors while submitting, please contact CTSI Pilot Funding Core at ctsipilots@pitt.edu.