Developmental Grants

Eligibility

• The NIH, which funds the SD CFAR, designed Developmental grants to support early-stage investigators dedicated to a career in HIV research. Therefore, we prioritize applicant submissions as follows:
  • Early stage investigators who have not yet received their own R01-level NIH funding.
    • UCSD/SDSU: Be at the level of Assistant Professor, Project Scientist, or Research Scientist
    • SCRIPPS/LJI: Junior faculty positions, staff scientists (with chair approval), institute investigators, and Scripps Fellows
  • Senior (post-R01) investigators who are new recruits to SD CFAR member institutions.

Restrictions

• All work must be conducted within the United States, as foreign components are no longer allowed under the current NIH–CFAR funding structure.
• Applicants may submit only one Developmental grant application per cycle and may only serve as PI on one active Developmental grant at a time.
• Postdoctoral fellows may not apply for Developmental grants, and these grants may not be used to provide salaries for postdoctoral fellows.
• Developmental grants cannot:
  • Support clinical trials or studies involving new drugs, treatments, or devices, or off-label use of a licensed drug.
  • Fund travel to scientific meetings, with one exception: Early stage investigators may include travel to a scientific meeting to present the results of their Developmental grant research.
• If an awarded grant includes research in humans or animals, Institutional Review Board or Institutional Animal Care Use Committee approval must be submitted to the SD CFAR Developmental Core before funds may be spent. Regulatory approvals should be emailed to cfar@ucsd.edu.

Resources & Help

CORE SERVICES

Our cores can help you design your study, collect and process specimens, and even help you analyze the results! If you anticipate needing core services, please reach out to them while you are preparing your application to obtain pricing information for your budget. Please complete and include the service core checklist in your application.

MENTORS

• Early stage investigators require a mentor; newly recruited senior investigators do not. However, as a new recruit, you may find a mentor to be quite helpful. Recruits in the second year of their new positions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please email cfar@ucsd.edu if you have questions.
• Mentors assist in preparing the proposal, and if funded, advise on conduct and publication of the study. Mentors need not be experts in HIV research but should have received their own NIH R01 or equivalent (R23, R29, R37, or DP2) funding and have familiarity with submitting and managing NIH grants. Mentors’ qualifications will be evaluated during the review process to ensure they can support the applicants.
• Several questions are included in the Developmental grant application to confirm that applicants have a strong relationship with their mentors. Allow time to work with your mentor on preparing your application.

For assistance in identifying a mentor, please use our Mentor Match form or contact any of the following:

• Developmental Core Director, Dr. Mary Lewinski
• Developmental Core Leadership Trainee: Dr. Laramie Smith
• SD CFAR Co-Directors, Dr. Davey Smith
• SD CFAR Core Directors (see Core Services)
• San Diego State University: Dr. Eileen Pitpitan
• Scripps Research: Dr. Richard Wyatt
• La Jolla Institute for Immunology: Dr. Alessandro Sette

VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS

The SD CFAR Administrative Core hosts virtual office hours to assist you with your Developmental grant submission.

• TBD

If the above times don’t work for your schedule, please email your questions to cfar@ucsd.edu.

ONBOARDING MEETINGS

The Developmental and Administrative Cores host onboarding meetings for all new Developmental grant recipients. During these meetings grant recipients will learn about regulatory compliance, fund management, and NIH reporting. Attendance is mandatory for grant recipients and encouraged for their mentors and fund managers.

If you have any questions about working with one or more of our cores for your Developmental grant, please contact the cores directly, or the SD CFAR Administrative Core.

Requirements

• Submissions should address at least one of the NIH Office of AIDS Research Priorities and/or an and an intersecting aspect of addiction science.
• Core Services: Contact SD CFAR service cores at least 4 weeks prior to your submission to discuss assistance needed if you require cores’ assistance. See service core checklist below.
• Mentor:
  • Early stage (pre-R01) investigators must work with at least one mentor. Newly recruited senior investigators are not required to have a mentor, though it is encouraged. Recruits in their second year will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Mentors must certify that they have reviewed and provided input on the application prior to submission. Applications will only be accepted after this pre-submission review. Mentors need not be HIV experts but should have received NIH R01 (or equivalent) funding and have experience with NIH grants. Qualifications will be evaluated during the review process.

• For assistance in identifying a mentor, please email cfar@ucsd.edu with any questions.

Application Details

DUE DATE

Applications for San Diego Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) traditional Developmental grants are accepted twice each year and must be submitted via REDCap. Applications for the next cycle are due by 5:00 pm Pacific Time on August 3, 2026. All investigators are encouraged to submit their applications up to a week in advance so that errors or technical difficulties can be addressed before the submission deadline. SD CFAR staff will let you know if your application needs corrections or is ready to be reviewed. Applications that do not conform to the posted guidelines will be returned without further review.

SUGGESTED APPLICATION TIMELINE

APPLICATION

Applications are submitted through REDCap. You may start your online application, receive a personalized link, and return to complete your application at any time leading up to the due date. Please note the following recommendations and refer to the suggested timeline above:

1. NOTE: We are unable to accept proposals with international components at this time.
2. Your mentor will be required to sign off on your application. Allow 5-7 business days for your mentor to review and provide feedback.
3. We strongly recommend that you submit your completed application with your mentor’s signature, at least one week before the due date for administrative preview and corrections, if needed.

Download the following forms to start preparing your application. Note that you will enter some content directly into REDCap, while other pages will be uploaded as indicated below.

INFORMATION TO BE ENTERED INTO REDCAP:

• Face page and demographic information
• Budget in Excel or Budget in Word
  • ESIs (pre-R01) may apply for a maximum of $50,000.
  • Newly recruited, established investigators may apply for a maximim of $30,000.
• Budget justification
  • Please explain how each item in your requested budget will further your research plan. Briefly describe the specific expertise and role of each person listed in the budget, and the reasons you are requesting specific equipment, supplies, or other expenses, such as participant reimbursement.
  • Travel is only allowed for early stage investigators to present results of their Developmental grants at scientific conferences.
• Service core checklist
  • If you plan to request assistance from SD CFAR service cores, you must contact the cores at least 4 weeks before grant submission. Although many services are offered for free to SD CFAR grant recipients, there may still be some costs that you need to include in your budget. Additionally, the cores work with many investigators and you need to know of any time and schedule limitations.

FILES TO BE UPLOADED INTO REDCAP:

• Abstract
• Applicant Goals and Mentoring Plan – Required for applicants who have not yet earned NIH R01 or equivalent funding
• Research Environment and Institutional Commitment

• Other Support
  • Only required by the Developmental grant PI
  • Visit this NIH webpage for links to detailed instructions, FAQs, and a sample other support file.
• Blank NIH non-fellowship biosketch
  • Visit this NIH webpage for links to detailed instructions, FAQs, and a sample biosketch.
  • Include one for the Developmental grant PI, mentor if applicable, and each co-investigator.
  • Combine all biosketches into a single PDF before uploading.
• Research plan and literature cited
  • Describe your research plan following the outline below:

1. Specific Aims
2. Significance
3. Preliminary Studies (if applicable)
4. Experimental Design and Methods
5. Literature Cited (not included in 4 page limit)

• Sections 1-4 must be covered in four pages. You may take as many pages as needed for section 5. Follow NIH guidelines for typeface and size (minimum 11 point type).

Evaluation Process

Applications for Developmental Grants are evaluated by local, national, and international experts, with applicants recommending three to six reviewers to ensure appropriate expertise and avoid conflicts of interest. Additional reviewers may be selected by Developmental Core leadership.

Each application is assessed based on eligibility, mentorship quality, mentor qualifications, scientific merit, alignment with HIV research goals, and potential for future funding and publications. Reviewers provide scores and constructive feedback, while the Developmental Grant Review Committee makes funding recommendations based on scientific quality and program priorities, with final decisions dependent on available funding.

Evaluation Criteria

• Eligibility: Reviewers assess whether each applicant meets the established eligibility requirements. Please confirm your eligibility before submitting an application.
• Scientific Merit: Reviewers evaluate proposals based on their innovation, feasibility, and likely contribution to ongoing HIV research efforts. Reviewers are selected for their expertise in relevant scientific fields.
• Relevance to HIV Research: Proposals must align with the research priorities of the NIH Office of AIDS Research. Applications should introduce a new concept or explore an under-investigated area of HIV research. Projects may involve basic, clinical, behavioral, or public health science.
• Potential for Future Impact: As SD CFAR is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), each funded project is expected to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of HIV research. Reviewers assess whether a proposal is likely to result in peer-reviewed publications and external grant funding.

Notification

Applicants are typically notified of the Core’s decision within four to six weeks following the submission deadline. The decision notice includes written critiques prepared by the reviewers; reviewer identities are not disclosed. These critiques are intended to provide constructive feedback to help applicants strengthen their proposals, regardless of the funding outcome.

Revisions

Applicants whose proposals are not funded are encouraged to work with their SD CFAR mentors to submit a revised application. Minor revisions may be addressed within 30 days. Major revisions should be submitted during a future funding cycle. Mentorship is required for early-stage investigators and is available to other applicants upon request.