Trio Pilot Program
The Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE), Pension Research Council and Boettner Center, and the Population Studies Center invite investigators to submit pilot proposals for the annual Trio Pilot Program competition.
Program Overview
Request for Proposals: 2025-2026 Trio Pilot Research Project Competition
Submit your application via the ITMAT Pilot Grants application system
Applications are due by Monday, March 17, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Pilot funds are targeted to support small-scale, innovative, or exploratory projects with a duration of one year. Funded projects must have the potential to generate academic publications and priority will be given to projects with potential to develop small-scale or preliminary research findings that would lead to applications for extramural funding, especially to the National Institutes of Health. Total costs are generally limited to $10,000-$20,000 per application; however, larger budgets may be considered if the project is well-suited for generating applications for NIH funding.
Proposals focusing on Population Health, Life-course, and Healthy Aging in the following areas are encouraged:
- New Dynamics of Population Diversity (population composition, migration, race, health inequality, aging and mortality)
- Human Resources and Endowments
- International Population Research
- Population and the Environment
- Big Data and Population Science
- Health Disparities in Aging
- Aging and Household Finance
- Reproductive Health
- Health Care and Long-Term Care in Older Adults
- Early-Life Conditions and Older Adult Health, Behavior and Well-Being
- Global Aging and Health
- Lab or Field-based Behavioral Interventions
- Economic Causes & Consequences of Global Aging
- Mechanisms for Sustained behavior change
- Food is Medicine
Eligibility
Any faculty or researcher with an active appointment at the University of Pennsylvania is eligible to submit a proposal. Postdocs and PhD students may apply with a faculty member in a mentoring role on the project. Colleagues at other universities may be coinvestigators as long as a member of the Penn research community is the Principal Investigator. Early career scholars are encouraged to apply and priority consideration will be given to their applications. Funds can be used to support undergraduate or graduate research assistants, data collection, analyses of secondary data sets, publication costs, etc. For questions or assistance, please contact Abby Dolinger at abdol@sas.upenn.edu.
How to Submit a Proposal
PROPOSAL CONTENTS MUST INCLUDE:
a- NIH Biosketch to NIH guidelines found here
b- Abstract and Face Page
c- Detailed Budget
d- Budget Justification
e- Research Proposal
f- References
g- Protocol Letter (if your application involves Data Sharing or Human Subjects)
Format:
• Typeface: 11-point font: Arial, Helvetica, Palatino Linotype, or Georgia.
• Paper: 8.5 x 11 sheet with at least 0.5-inch margins (top, bottom, left and right)
• Single spaced
APPLICATION FILES
| Form (click to download) | Additional Instructions |
| a – NIH Biosketch | Include one NIH Biosketch per PI. Instructions from the NIH found here need to be followed. |
| b- Abstract and Face Page | “Abstract” and “Face Page” documents are combined into one document. |
| c- Detailed Budget | Total direct cost should be $20K or under. Direct costs can be used to support undergraduate or graduate student research assistants, data collection, analyses of secondary data sets, publication costs, etc. |
| d- Budget Justification | Include a narrative explaining all expenses for your proposed project as listed in your detailed budget. |
| e- Research Proposal | Include your Specific Aims and Research Strategy, not to exceed 2 pages in total combined. |
| f- References | Include citations to any references cited. |
| g- Protocol Letter | Please review NIH’s Key Elements to Consider in Preparing a Data Sharing Plan Please review NIH’s Exempt Human Subjects Research guide. “Data Sharing Plan,” “Human Subjects,” and “Planned Enrollment Report” documents are combined in one fillable PDF. |
| h- Terms and Conditions | Please review award terms and conditions. |
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: March 17, 2025
Funding notifications can be expected in April 2025
The project period is July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026
For questions or assistance, contact Abby Dolinger at abdol@sas.upenn.edu.
Other Information
Information about the centers is available at the following websites: