The Penn SBDRC is one of six NIAMS P30-supported centers nationwide and aims to support and accelerate innovative and collaborative skin research with the potential to impact patient lives. Pilot and feasibility (P&F) grants provide a means of recruiting investigators to the field of skin research and facilitating collaborations across disciplines and between the clinic and lab. Trainee Mini-grants support post-doctoral skin scientists at the critical juncture of transitioning to independent investigator positions.
New this Year: The Center for Clinical Sciences in Dermatology (CCSD) in collaboration with the SBDRC will offer CCSD P&F grants focused on the growing the field of dermatoepidemiology, which aims to improve dermatological clinical practice and skin-related population health. Criteria for each of the 3 awards are outlined below.
Applications are being accepted for this funding cycle!
- Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) Grants: Applicants should be new investigators who have not had previous NIH R01 or P01 support and wish to engage in innovative skin research OR established investigators outside the field of skin research who want to bring their expertise to this area of investigation and collaborate with skin researchers. Up to 2 full grants per year may be funded at $25,000-50,000 for one year.
- Trainee Minigrants: Applicants are typically post-doc research fellows or dermatology residents in the physician scientist residency program. In all cases the project should be a new area and/or direction for the mentor’s laboratory and one in which, if successful, the trainee could develop a unique line of research leading to independence. Minigrants may be funded up to $10,000 for one year.
- CCSD P&F Grants: Applicants should be faculty at the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor proposing studies that develop and/or apply rigorous epidemiological, statistical, and/or informatics approaches to defining skin disease etiology and natural history, improving dermatology clinical practice, and community-based or population-based cutaneous health. Funding will be awarded up to $25,000-50,000 for one year. Learn more about CCSD at: https://dermatology.upenn.edu/ccsd/ccsd_about/
Next application due date: August 29, 2025
Next anticipated notification date: October 2025
Next anticipated funding start date: January 1, 2026 – December 31, 2026