Pilot Grant Program FAQ
Applicant eligibility
Do I need to work at Salk, UCSD or SBP to apply to this call?
No, applicants from all US academic institutions are encouraged to apply.
Can I apply if I work at an Institution outside the United States?
Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate foreign components.
Can Graduate students apply for this call?
Unfortunately, no Graduate Students cannot apply. This opportunity requires applicants to have finished their PhD.
Application submission
Do I need to login into Salk Institute Competitions Portal to submit my application?
Yes, please follow these instructions to create a user and login into https://salk.infoready4.com/.
Can I save a draft of my application or do I have to complete it and send it all at once?
You don’t have to finish your application all at once. You can save your progress as a draft and submit it later on, any time before the deadline.
Can I include collaborators on my proposal?
Yes, please include with your proposal submission a Biosketch and a letter of support from each of them.
Proposal review/input
Can someone from the Center review my proposal idea, suitability, and experimental design before the application deadline?
No, the review committee will assess proposals ALL at the same time during the review period scheduled to be in October 2021.
Award use and conditions
Could the funds be used to cover the cost for experiments not performed by the SD-NSC Cores, or prepare samples before they are shipped to the SD-NSC cores?
Unfortunately, these funds can only be used to pay for core services or to travel to the Cores.
Do I have to spend all funds before May 31st 2022?
We strongly encourage you to meet this deadline, but if your experimental plan requires longer timeframes, please email sdnsc_rdcore@salk.edu briefly explaining why you would need an extended timeline and we will assess case by case.
Which is the fund number I need to use?
No fund number will be provided. The SD-NSC Core personnel will take care of the financial aspect of your pilot grant project.
Planning
When will it be the next SD-NSC Pilot Grant call?
Likely in the fall of 2022. After having a first call in Winter 2021 and this second call in Fall 2021. SD-NSC Pilot grant call will be offered only once a year.
For any other questions about the program, or if you have issues when submitting your application, please email sdnsc_rdcore@salk.edu. Responses to inquires sent to other email addresses may be delayed.
