CHRB & Carilion Pilot and Feasibility Grant Announcement 2022

MEMORANDUM 


TO: Center for Health Behaviors Research (CHBR) fellows and health behaviors researchers 

FROM: Warren Bickel, Director of the Center for Health Behaviors Research (CHBR) at Fralin 
Biomedical Research Institute at VTC (FBRI); and Alex DiFeliceantonio and Jeff Stein, 
Associate Directors 

DATE: October 5, 2022 

SUBJECT: RFA - Pilot feasibility (P/F) for VT/Carilion collaborations and health behaviors 
studies 

In a partnership with the Carilion Clinic Research Acceleration Program (RAP), the office of the 
Virginia Tech Vice President of Health Sciences and Technology, and the CHBR, we will fund 
up to three health behavior-related P/F studies, up to $20,000-$30,000 for a single year, 
that demonstrate a high likelihood of future extramural funding. Funding will only be awarded to 
applications that are collaborations between Virginia Tech and Carilion Clinic. 
 

Research Focus: P/F studies focused on areas of research related to health behaviors are 
designed to provide initial project support for new investigators; allow for exploration of 
innovative new directions for established investigators that represent a significant departure 
from ongoing funded research; and stimulate investigators from other areas to use 
their expertise for health behaviors research. 

Proposals should align with the mission of Carilion Clinic—to improve the health of the 
communities we serve and also seek to advance care through medical education and 
research—and with the mission and foci of the CHBR. Our mission is to conduct and 
disseminate transformative health behaviors research with the primary objective of preventing 
and treating life-style related diseases. The primary foci of the CHBR include: 

1.     Behavioral and neurobiological contributors to health decisions - Examples include: 
neural and behavioral manipulations and bases of metabolic disease (obesity, prediabetes, 
and diabetes), eating and physical activity behaviors, addiction, and medical adherence. 
2.      Molecular and clinical studies of metabolism - Examples include: molecular and cellular 
mechanisms of metabolic disease; clinical relevance and efficacy of basic discoveries; and 
mechanisms of variation in responses to interventions (e.g., physical activity, behavioral, 
pharmaceutical, and dietary interventions). 
3.      Implementation and dissemination of evidence-based programming; and health 
policy - Examples include: nutrition and physical activity – across the lifespan; behavioral 
economics; built environment; food insecurity; food and beverage marketing. 

Eligibility: P/F funding is intended to support collaborative proposals from full-time Virginia 
Tech faculty members and Carilion Clinic health practitioners. Investigators will be expected to 
follow their projects up with an NIH grant submission in order to be eligible for additional future 
funding through this program. 

Funding will only be awarded to applications that are collaborations between Virginia 
Tech and Carilion Clinic. Priority will be given to proposals that demonstrate a high likelihood 
of future NIH funding. 

For potential investigators interested in finding collaborators, please contact Drs. Bickel, 
DiFeliceantonio, or Stein. 

Eligible investigators include: 
- new investigators without current or past NIH research project support; 
- established investigators with no previous work in health behaviors research; 
- established investigators in health behaviors with a proposal to test an innovative idea 
representing a significant departure from ongoing, externally funded projects; and 
- post-doctoral fellows with a co-investigator who is senior faculty mentor who has a strong 
record of NIH funding as a PI in an area related to the proposed research, and who will 
agree to provide guidance throughout the conduct of the proposed study. 

Procedure: 
- Please provide a letter of intent, to include: title, PI(s), and an abstract (<500 words) that 
highlight the background and significance, hypothesis, specific aims, experimental 
design and procedures of the project by Friday, December 2, 2022. 
- Please also provide an NIH biographical sketch for PI(s) with the letter of intent. 
- Invitations for complete proposals will be made no later than Friday, January 13, 2023 
- Final applications will be due Friday, March 3, 2023, and should be a maximum of three 
pages (one page, Specific Aims; two pages, Research Strategy). A budget and a 
timeline should also be included (approximately 1 page, combined), which does not 
count against the page limit. 
- Awardees will be notified of funding no later than Friday, April 14, 2023. 
- The funding period will be July 1, 2023 – November 30, 2023. 
- Letters of intent, NIH biographical sketches and final applications are to be emailed to 
chbr@vtc.vt.edu. 

Investigators are encouraged to contact Drs. Warren Bickel (wkbickel@vtc.vt.edu), Alex 
DiFeliceantonio (dife@vtc.vt.edu), or Jeff Stein (jstein1@vtc.vt.edu) to determine eligibility and 
the appropriateness of the project. Acceptance of funding will indicate agreement to submit a 
grant application for extramural funding to continue the project, and to provide a written final 
report.