Pilot Grant in Pediatric Fungal Disease

• Establish feasibility of proposed pediatric IFD studies
• Refine study design or analytic approaches
• Generate preliminary data to strengthen future large-scale research
• Expand and support a diverse investigator community in pediatric IFD research
• Encourage multi-site collaboration and incorporation of patient/caregiver perspectives

PFN-STRIDE investigators or external applicants willing to join PFN-STRIDE; early-career applicants will be prioritized. Projects must focus on rare pediatric IFDs (see RFA for pathogens that will be considered); must be distinct from main PFN-STRIDE projects

Awards will provide up to $30,000 (inclusive of direct and indirect costs) for a one-year period. Applicants are encouraged to pursue co-sponsorship with institutional partners, research networks, industry collaborators, or other stakeholders to expand available resources. Meritorious applicants will receive formal notice of award by June 1, 2026. To receive the award, investigators must submit their full study protocol for approval by the RDCRN. Award recipients will be offered a project management team that meets quarterly to help ensure that progress is consistent with timelines and benchmarks. Funded investigators will also be required to submit quarterly progress reports and an end-of-project report to be reviewed by the Pilot Project Committee.

The PFN-STRIDE P&F Program involves a two-phased application process: a Pre-Application and a Full Application. The pre-application should be submitted on the RDCRN Grant portal. Only select applicants will be invited to submit a full application.

PFN-STRIDE Pilot/Feasibility Committee Members (with lay summaries reviewed by the PFN-STRIDE Patient & Public Advisory Group) and additional reviewers will be assigned to full-applications (TBD; junior and senior faculty reviewers will be paired).

Reviewers will utilize the 2025 NIH simplified review framework, with an additional criterion of PFN-STRIDE–specific project-alignment and investigator qualifications.

Review focuses on: