Round 7 Projected Funding Period – August 1, 2025 through May 31, 2026

GC-CPEH Round 7 Pilot Project Applications

The Gulf Coast Center for Precision Environmental Health (GC-CPEH), an NIEHS-funded P30 Center (P30ES030285), is pleased to announce the opening of Round 7 of the Pilot Project Program. GC-CPEH is a joint initiative of Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB), and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health. Funding is available to support innovative pilot studies that advance precision environmental health research. Projects should focus on the intersection of genetics/epigenetics, environmental exposures, data science, and community research to understand individual and place-based determinants of disease risk.

Keywords:  Exposure, biomarkers; epigenomics; genomics; genome/epigenome-environment interactions; comparative biology; big data; bioinformatics; epidemiology; toxicology; disease susceptibility; public health; community health; Research-to-Action.

Award Information

• Duration: 1 year (no extensions, including no-cost extensions)
• Funding: Up to $40,000 in direct costs (F&A costs not allowed)
• Core Access with Matching Funds: Non-Center members awarded funding will receive Center member privileges, including access to subsidies through the Matching Funds Core Utilization Program, which may cover up to 100% of costs for Center-supported Facility Core services.

How to Apply

To be considered for a full application invitation, applicants must submit an electronic Letter of Intent (LOI) package via [REDCap Link] by May 23, 2025, at 11:00 PM CT. The LOI must include:

1. Cover letter introducing the proposed project and its relevance to environmental health
2. One-page summary of research objectives (Background and Specific Aims)
3. NIH Biosketch for the PI (required); include for the key collaborator if their role is central to the project (optional).

Up to 13 LOIs will be selected for full application submission and invited to an in-person presentation and review session for a full proposal. Detailed instructions will be provided to invited applicants.

Full Proposal Review Process

Round 7 Presentation Slides Submission Deadline – June 30 Finalists should submit their presentation slides, which serve as the full proposal application, by Monday, June 30 via the BCM Box folder.

Finalists invited to submit full proposals will present their projects in person to the GC-CPEH Internal Advisory Committee at Baylor College of Medicine on July 8, 2025, between 12:00 PM and 5:00 PM. Each applicant will be assigned a 15-minute presentation slot, followed by a 5-minute Q&A session. All applicants must reserve the full-time block until schedules are finalized; once confirmed, attendance is only required during the assigned 20-minute window.

Just-in-Time (JIT) Requirements

JIT requests will be sent only to selected applicants (up to six proposals) a few days after the presentation. JIT materials must be submitted by July 25, 2025 and must include the following:

• Current Other Support for all senior/key personnel: Provide details on active and pending support for all senior/key personnel—those devoting measurable effort to the project. This includes all direct research support, whether federal, non-federal, commercial, or institutional (e.g., grants, contracts, cooperative agreements). Training awards, gifts, or prizes are excluded. Effort should be reported in person-months using the NIH Other Support Format.
• IRB Approval and Protocol: If the proposed project involves human subjects research, applicants must submit an IRB approval letter and the approved IRB protocol, which must include a summary of planned human subject activities. This summary should describe the research objectives, study population, recruitment strategies, informed consent process, and measures to protect participant privacy and data confidentiality. All materials must align with NIH guidelines and institutional policies, and demonstrate compliance with applicable federal regulations for the protection of human subjects.
• Human Subjects Education Certification: If the proposed project involves human subjects research, certification must be submitted that any person identified as senior or key personnel involved in human subjects research has completed an education program in the protection of human subjects.
•  IACUC Approval: If the proposed project involves research with live vertebrate animals, the verification of the date of IACUC approval of those sections of the application that involve the use of vertebrate animals, along with any IACUC-imposed changes, must be submitted. Pending or out-of-date approvals are not acceptable.
• Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESCs): If the proposed project involves hESCs and the applicant did not identify a hESC line from the NIH Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry in the application, the line(s) should be included.
• Data Management and Sharing Plan: If the proposed project involves generating scientific data (e.g., imaging, genomics, mobile, surveys, this application is subject to the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing and requires submission of a Data Management and Sharing Plan. The forms and instructions for completing them can be found on the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy website.

GC-CPEH Translational Research Support Core and Pilot Project leaders will review the certifications to ensure that all pilot project awards involving human subjects or animal subjects have IRB or IACUC approval in accordance with the approved assurance on file with the Office of Human Research Protection or the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, respectively All applicants will receive communications within four weeks following the presentation indicating funding decisions and JIT requests as required. IRB and/or IACUC approvals, if applicable, must be in place before the project start date.