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Pilot Awards

The University of Minnesota NSC Pilot Awards are intended to provide collaboration between the awardee and the core services provided by the UMN NSC.  Projects will primarily support junior level geroscience investigators. Applications from more established investigators whose research is pivoting to aging will also be considered. 

MN NSC Fall26 RFA Information:

Release Date: September 28th, 2026

Submission Deadline: October 30th, 2026

Funding Start Date: Dependent on Core Resources and Project Scope

Funding Amount: Between $5,000 and $20,000

Additional Information: 

  • Funding is for UMN NSC core use only. 
  • No salary, supplies, or F&A/IDC are allowed in the proposed budget.  
  • Per the NIH Division of Aging Biology (DAB) rules set forth for all NSCs, pilot applications will not fund Alzheimer's Disease (AD) or Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementias (ADRD) or clinical trials.   

Further Questions: Please contact Chastity Healy, UMN NSC Program Manager

MN Pilot Application

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MN Pilot Application

Core Summaries

Core Summaries
Core Descriptions:

DNA Damage & Epigenetics Core: This core provides quantitation of established age-related adduct-specific DNA damage including epigenetic DNA marks 5-methyl-dC,5-hydroxymethyl-dC, 5-formyl-dC, and N6-methyl-dA and performs global DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation analysis by LC-MS/MS and the distribution of DNA marks using an Illumina Epic 850 DNA methylation array.

DNA Damage Signaling & Repair Core: This Core provides two cutting-edge assays.  1. Cytometry by Time Of Flight (CyTOF), also known as Mass Cytometry, is an assay in which cells in suspension are stained with specific metal-conjugated antibodies which bind to proteins of interest in each sample. Samples tagged with these metal-conjugated antibodies are then injected into a mass cytometer, nebulized, and sprayed into an electric field where they interact with a detector based on how far they move in the electric field (time of flight). The detector measures atomic mass-to-charge ratio of metals present and gives a single-cell readout of metal abundance, which is the readout of protein amount during analysis. 2. Our Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER) assay provides a way to rapidly, quantitatively measure nucleotide excision repair to investigate DNA damage, DDR, senescence, and DNA repair activity during aging.

 

Models of Genome Instability & Aging Core: This core provides access to a unique and large collection of human cells and murine models (and a tissue bank from the mice) in which there is a DNA repair defect that can accelerated DNA damage, senescence, inflammation and aging systemically or in a cell-specific manner.

Application Details

Instructions for Applicants:

Program Manager/Core Director Consultation:

Contact the UMN NSC Program Manager and Core Leader(s) in advance to initiate planning for use of the core(s) services, budget planning, timeline development and data output expectations (analysis, figures, etc.) Consultations with Program Manager and Core Director are in lieu of a letter of intent and serve as a first step towards preparing the application. Please note that discussion with Core Directors does not guarantee pilot award funding. 

UMN NSC Program Manager: Chastity Healy

DNA Damage & Epigenetic Changes: 

DNA Adducts: Dr. Peter Villalta

DNA Epigenetic Changes, Methylation Array: Monica Kruk

WGBS, RNA-Methylation: Dr. Abdur Rahim 

DNA Damage Signaling & Repair:  CyTOF: Patrick Fehrenbach

                                                                 NER: Dr. Elizabeth Schmidt

Models of Genome Instability & Aging: Dr. Christina Camell                          

MN NSC Application

Formatting Requirements:

  1. Arial 11 pt font with 0.5” margins
  2. Figure and table font must be 9 pt or greater in size
  3. Final submission must be a single PDF file

Required Documents and page limits:

  1. COVER PAGE (1 page maximum)
     
    1. Proposal title
    2. PI/PIs – name, degree, position, academic institution, department

    3. Other Support: Describe any additional funding, in-kind support, or departmental resources that will be leveraged to complete this project.  List the source, amount and status in table format. 

    4. Future Development Statement – A brief statement on how the pilot project will leverage the investigator for additional future funding (NIA R01, F- or K-award, etc.), the estimated timeframe of these future application(s), and the anticipated publication(s) resulting from the pilot project. 

  2. PROPOSAL (3 pages maximum)
     
    1. Specific Aims (1 page)

    2. Research Plan (2 pages)

    3. References should be included but are not part of the page count

  3. BUDGET WITH JUSTIFICATION (2 pages maximum)
     
    1. A table detailing project scope (sample #s, mouse #s, cell numbers, etc.) including costs/sample as discussed with the Core Leader is required.
    2. A brief budget justification (3-5 sentences)

    3. A summary of project planning/budget discussions with Core Leader (3-5 sentences)

  4. APPLICATION SUBMISSION
     

    1. Combine the application with your NIH Biosketch into a single PDF and save in the following format: 

      LastName_FirstName_Institution 

      example: Healy_Chastity_UMN

  5. Please email the completed proposal to Chastity Healy, Program Manager. 

 


 

Announcing the MN NSC × WiNSC Collaborative Dual-Pilot Award

The Minnesota Nathan Shock Center (MN NSC) and the Wisconsin Nathan Shock Center (WiNSC) have joined forces to offer a unique dual-pilot opportunity. This collaborative award provides investigators with funded access to specialized cutting-edge cores from both institutions under a single, streamlined application.

Combine Minnesota’s world-class expertise in genome instability and cellular senescence with Wisconsin’s leadership in aging metabolism, energetics, and translational geroscience to build high-impact, multidimensional data for your next major NIH grant.

Stay Tuned for the Fall 2026 RFA

The Minnesota Nathan Shock Center (MN NSC) and the Wisconsin Nathan Shock Center (WiNSC) are currently finalizing joint administrative details, budget caps, and application guidelines for this collaborative award.

RFA Opening: The formal Request for Applications (RFA) will open in October 2026.

Application Structure: This dual-pilot program will feature a rolling submission deadline once the RFA opens. Proposals will be reviewed in batches as they arrive, so early submissions are strongly encouraged!

Budgets & Guidelines: Full budget parameters, allowable costs, and detailed submission instructions are being aligned between MN NSC and WiNSC leadership and will be published directly to this page upon launch.

Want to be notified the moment the RFA opens?

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