History of the DERC Pilot and Feasibility Studies Program

Since the beginning of the DERC's NIH P&F Studies Program (PFSP) in 1977, 55 NIH-funded P&F Research Awards have been granted, mostly to junior faculty. Of the 50 DERC P&F projects that have been completed to date (seven are currently active), 39 of the awardees were successful in subsequently obtaining R01 or equivalent NIH grant support for research related to diabetes and endocrinology, a success rate of 78%. When we include the six NIH P&F Award recipients that subsequently obtained VA, ADA, or JDF grants, our PFSP has a 90% success rate (45 out of 50) for successful transitioning to national peer-reviewed funding.

In 1990, the DERC expanded the PFSP beyond the funds provided by NIH by partnering with the University of Washington's Diabetes Research and Training Program (DRTP), which provides an annual New Investigator Award (NIA) for diabetes research. Since the start of the NIA program in 1989, we have reviewed and administered ten NIA grants for the DRTP. Of the nine completed NIA projects, all recipients have been successful in obtaining subsequent NIH or national peer-reviewed funding (100% success) and all nine remain active in diabetes-related research.

The DERC also reviews and oversees the McAbee Fellowships, which are funded by the University of Washington DRTP. Since the start of the program in 1990, we have awarded McAbee Fellowships to 12 fellows, and of these 11 remain active in diabetes and endocrinology research today. Of the 10 McAbee Fellows that have finished their postdoctoral training, seven continue research in academic faculty positions and two have senior positions in pharmaceutical companies - an overall success rate of 90% for the McAbee Fellowship Program.

Historical Tables of DERC PFSP Awards