Applicants must be current investigators in this Center. They should have multiple year appointments.

The goal of the University of Rochester EPA Particulate Matter Center is to test the hypothesis that ultrafine particles occurring in the urban atmosphere cause adverse health effects.

Funding decisions for the Pilot Project Program are based on scientific merit, relevance of the research to the goals of the Center, and potential for new insights into the problems of environmental health that are aimed at filling gaps in the Centerís program. The relevance of a proposed research will be addressed by the Executive Committee of the PM Center.

Specific Provisions and Priorities

1. Relevance of proposed research to the mission and goals of the EPA Particulate Matter Center is critical to funding. The intent of the Center is to provide initial funding of new projects, and it is expected that applicants will eventually seek outside grant support or continuation of their research projects. Therefore, low priority will be given to continuation of proposals.
2. One of the principal values of the Center is collaborative research. Proposal will be reviewed on the merit of new and creative research approaches which, ideally, are interdisciplinary.
3. The scientific merit of the proposed research and its feasibility are the primary factors in evaluating an application. Projects that may result in scientific publication after project completion will be considered for funding, as well as more preliminary work which is likely to lead to successful procurement of a full-study grant in the future.
4. Available funding for 1007/2008 is about $55,000 ($20,000 maximum funding available per proposal). The deadline for submission of proposals is February 10, 2008.

• Objective and relevance to the PM Center ñ State the overall objective or long-term goal of the proposed research as it relates to one or more of the research core areas of the Center.
• Background and rationale ñ Review briefly the most significant previous work and describe the current status of research, including your own in this field. Present concisely the justification for your approach to the problem, if it is not obvious from the preceding material. When you are choosing one of several possible approaches, note briefly why the others have been rejected.
• Methods: Describe those to be used.
• Facilities to be used: Use of core facilities is encouraged.
• Collaborative arrangements:Indicate any current Center members involved as collaborators in the project. If the proposed project requires collaboration with other institutions, community organizations, or any group whose cooperation is essential, describe this collaboration and provide evidence to assure the reviewers that those involved agree.
• A budget including a brief budget justification (see attached form). Equipment and meeting travel costs are not supported by pilot project funds. Salary support for technical staff only should reflect the effort necessary for the pilot.
• A Biographical Sketch for all key professional personnel as well as a complete list of current and pending funding, including project title, source, amount and period of funding. If the proposed project is being partially supported by other sources, please specify source and amount of support.
• Other Support listing current and pending support.
• A copy of the animal ethics and/or human subjects review board is not required at this time. However, after approval, funding will only start after Ethics Committee approval.