Funding Opportunities 2024

The overall goal of the Funding Opportunities at the University of Washington (UW) Diabetes Research Center is to promote the development of new and innovative research projects directed at basic, clinical and translational aspects of diabetes. Using funds provided by NIDDK and additional funds provided by the University of Washington, the Program has the following specific objectives:

  • To provide initial research support for junior faculty who have not yet had independent peer-reviewed NIH funding;
  • To provide pilot funding for established faculty who are entering the field of diabetes research for the first time;
  • To support pilot projects by established investigators that propose to pursue a new and novel direction in their diabetes research; and
  • To foster training in research related to diabetes by offering postdoctoral and graduate fellowships for mentored research in the laboratories of Diabetes Research Center affiliate investigators.

Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) Awards

This year, the Diabetes Research Center (DRC) will once again be collaborating with the UW Medicine Diabetes Institute (UWMDI) and UW Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (NORC) in a joint Pilot and Feasibility Research Program. The program collectively offers multiple awards of $50,000/year for up to 2 years to promising investigators from any disciplinary background performing research in the fields of nutrition, metabolism, diabetes, and obesity. Proposals may include basic, clinical, translational, or population-based studies that align with one or more of the institutions’ respective research themes. Awards are funded by the NIH (P30 grants DK017047 and DK035816) and the UW.

There is currently no call for P&F awards.

New Investigator Award

The New Investigator Award is sponsored by the UW and provides $25,000 per year for up to two years to a member of the UW faculty making a first entry into diabetes research. Junior faculty interested in diabetes research, who have not yet obtained a major peer-reviewed grant, such as from NIH or NSF are eligible to apply.

There is currently no call for New Investigator awards.

McAbee Postdoctoral Fellowship

The Dick and Julia McAbee Endowed Fellowship in Diabetes Research Fellowship Program, sponsored by the UW, provides support equivalent to the NIH fellowship level appropriate to the awardee for up to two years to support a postdoctoral fellow (M.D. or Ph.D.) engaged in full time research training. The scientific merit of the proposed project, research environment provided by the mentor, as well as the quality of the research training experience are evaluated.

There is currently no call for McAbee Postdoctoral Fellowship awards.

Stroum Graduate Fellowship

The Samuel and Althea Stroum Endowed Graduate Fellowship, sponsored by the UW, is administered by the UW Graduate School in conjunction with the Diabetes Research Center. This graduate fellowship provides financial support towards graduate student stipend and benefits, and is designed to broaden participation in diabetes-related research. Awards are made on the basis of academic merit, research training environment, and relevance of the applicant’s graduate research to diabetes. Any registered UW full-time graduate student pursing diabetes-related research may be eligible to apply.

There is currently no call for Stroum Graduate Fellowship awards.

Service Awards

These are small grants ($3000), to provide a limited amount of core services for Diabetes Research Center Affiliates who wish to obtain pilot data for startup projects that may not otherwise have funding or are major departures from an affiliate’s existing funding. Priority will be given to investigators who have limited research funds.

Service Award Applications may be submitted at any time. These are small grants, designed to provide a limited amount of core services for Diabetes Research Center Affiliates. Priority will be given to investigators who have limited research funds. Applicants are advised to discuss their project and service needs with the respective core directors prior to submitting an application. Please visit the Biomedical Cores webpages to find information on services provided by the cores. Priority will be given to investigators who have limited research funds. The applications will be reviewed for funding by the Diabetes Research Center Executive Committee. The award levels and number of Service Awards will depend on the availability of funds. Click here for more information.

Medical Student Diabetes Research Training

Opportunities for medical students to gain training in diabetes research is available through the UW Diabetes Research Center’s participation in the national NIDDK Medical Student Research Program in Diabetes. This program enables medical students to be paired with a mentor and undertake a summer research project over an 8-12 week period at the end of their first year.