Call for Pilot Project Applications
Letter of Intent (LOI) Due: Friday, November 13 2026
The Dartmouth COBRE Center for Implementation Science Pilot Program is pleased to offer a pilot grant opportunity for an early- or mid-career investigator seeking to develop an implementation science research project for extramural funding.
Pilot Program Aims:
- Support investigators in the development of early-phase research projects, in preparation for large-scale extramural funding applications;
- Develop future COBRE Research Project Leads in the Center; and
- Develop implementation research, expertise, and capacity at Dartmouth.
Applicants: Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Health faculty, researchers, and clinician-scientists are eligible to apply, with preference given to those who have the potential to serve as future COBRE Research Project Leads. Applicants must hold an Assistant or Associate Professor appointment at Dartmouth.
Awards and Eligibility:
This pilot award is for a one-year project, with a maximum available budget of $75,000 including all direct and indirect/F&A costs. All projects must include multiple PIs (MPIs) and multiple institutions: One MPI must be the Pilot Project Lead (PPL) applicant, who must hold an Assistant or Associate Professor appointment at Dartmouth. The project must include at least one additional MPI with a faculty position at a different IDeA-state institution.
PPL Eligibility:
- Early-stage or new investigators who have not had the equivalent of R01 support;
- Investigators who propose a novel project within implementation science that is a significant departure from their currently funded program of research.
All PPL applicants must have availability and Department Chair approval to dedicate a minimum of 1 person-month FTE to the project, if funded. PPL responsibilities include attending regular in-person meetings and events on the Dartmouth and Dartmouth Health campuses.
Review Criteria
This pilot opportunity supports a multidisciplinary pilot project that develops or tests implementation strategies to support the routine adoption of an evidence-based intervention or practice and supports its sustainability, scalability, and dissemination.
The successful proposal will include application of at least one of the following established implementation science frameworks:
- Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to guide identification of multilevel implementation determinants;
- Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Expanded (FRAME) for documenting adaptations to interventions and strategies used to improve uptake of interventions;
- Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) to evaluate implementation outcomes.
The successful proposal will demonstrate a strong, scientifically rigorous, mixed-methods approach to develop preliminary and feasibility data to compete for a Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health R01 application.
Applications from early-stage investigators must include a mentor.
Timeline
- Nov 13: Letter of Intent due
- Dec 11: Applicants notified, successful applicants invited to prepare review committee presentations
- Jan 7 & 14: Review committee presentations
- Jan 18: Applicants receive feedback and invitations for full proposal submission, if applicable
- Jan 25-29: Required consultations with the COBRE Implementation Research Core (IRC)
- Feb 1-19: Additional IRC Consultation(s), as recommended by the review committee
- March 1: Full proposals due from invited applicants
- March: Review committee selection of application to advance
- April: Advisory committee review of selected application
- May: Submission of selected application to NIGMS for funding review
**Note: The actual project start date will depend on NIGMS review. For the purposes of your proposal, please use a start date between September 1, 2027 and January 1, 2028.
Center Support, Resources, and Expectations
In addition to financial support, PPLs receive access to Center trainings and Core resources. PPLs are required to attend Center meetings, trainings, and educational offerings, including meetings with the Implementation Research Core (2-4x/month), monthly Fundamentals seminars, monthly Works in Progress sessions, the annual Dartmouth Implementation Science Symposium, and other trainings and workshops. These required meetings generally take place on Wednesdays, and in-person attendance is required when applicable.
Letter of Intent (LOI)
The LOI should include:
- Full name, affiliation, and email address of the project lead
- Names and affiliations of co-investigator(s)
- Names and affiliations of mentor(s)
- Project title
- Specific aims (1-page maximum)
- IRB approval date (if approved); submission date (if pending); if not approved or pending, IRB submission timeline
- NIH-formatted (SciENcv) biosketches for PPL, MPI(s), and key personnel (including primary mentor for early-stage investigators)
- Signed statement from the applicant’s Department Chair supporting a minimum of 1 person-month FTE for the PPL for the proposed project.
Submission Instructions
Please save all LOI components as a single PDF.
Email to: implementation.science@dartmouth.edu
Subject Line: COBRE Year 2 Pilot LOI
COBRE Contact Information
Jeremiah Brown, PhD
Director and Principal Investigator
Director, Administrative Core
jbrown@dartmouth.edu
Sarah Lord, PhD
Director, Implementation Research Core
sarah.e.lord@dartmouth.edu
Kelly Aschbrenner, PhD
Co-Director, Implementation Research Core
kelly.a.aschbrenner@dartmouth.edu
Gloria Guevara Alvarez, PhD
Research Scientist, Implementation Research Core
gloria.guevara@dartmouth.edu
Julia Shaw, MPH
Director of Research and Programs, Administrative Core
julia.g.shaw@dartmouth.edu
Laura Pickrell, MPH
Research Project Manager, Administrative Core
laura.e.pickrell@dartmouth.edu
The Dartmouth Center for Implementation Science is a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Award Number P20GM156710.