Hitchcock Foundation Pilot Research Grants

The Hitchcock Foundation funds research grants to address any of the broad areas of biomedical research, including basic, translational, clinical, and/or population-based studies. Persons with a formal affiliation with Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center or Dartmouth College are eligible.

Medical students at the Geisel School of Medicine and Dartmouth College graduate students are ineligible for this award but are encouraged to apply for the Student Research Award.

The goals of providing these Pilot Research Grants are to:

  • Develop pilot data to be used as the basis for submission of research applications to national funding sources
  • Encourage research by young investigators and those new to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center who have not yet gained outside funding
  • Encourage clinical research at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
  • Provide support for established investigators with a new research emphasis

In general, the Hitchcock Foundation will give preference to well-written and independently conceived proposals submitted by early career investigators, including junior faculty, fellows, and residents. Special consideration will be given to proposals from early career investigators that propose pilot studies and preliminary investigations aimed at testing methods or providing data that will support a subsequent application for an externally funded grant.

There are two grant funding cycles per year. Applicants may only be listed as PI or Co-PI on one application per cycle.

Applicants planning to submit new proposals must first submit a Letter of Intent (LOI).

LOI instructions

Please review the LOI Guidance (DOCX), then download and fill out the Letter of Intent Cover Sheet (DOCX). Send the cover sheet, LOI, and CVs of all investigators, as a single PDF, to both tracy.l.ostler@hitchcock.org and karen.e.jones@hitchcock.org. The materials must be received no later than 12 pm (noon) on the due date.

Following review, a subset of LOIs will be invited to submit a full Pilot proposal.

Resubmissions

If you were invited to resubmit your application, you are not required to submit an LOI. Resubmitted applications must include a new signed and dated cover sheet as well as a cover letter (immediately after the cover sheet) indicating how reviewers' questions have been addressed. In addition, revisions to the body of the proposal must be indicated in bold face or underlined.

Deadlines

Current deadlines can be seen on the Application Deadlines page. All submissions are due by 12 pm (noon).

Forms