The Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center (SCEHSC) and USC Center for Translational Research on Environmental Health (USC R-TEN) are pleased to announce the 2022 Pilot Projects Program, supporting one-year research projects that aim to promote the understanding of environmental exposures and human disease. The goal of the program is to provide investigators with an opportunity to collect preliminary data and/or validate the utility of specific methods or techniques to establish the feasibility of larger-scale research projects and ultimately seek external (especially NIEHS) funding. Special consideration will be given to early-stage investigators.
Cancer and the Environment
Environment and Metabolic Diseases including Human and Experimental Approaches
(Additional Funds Available*)
Climate Change, Adaptation and Environmental Health
(The SCEHSC intends to fund at least one pilot project in this research area.)
New Approaches for Exposure Assessment
New Approaches for Environmental Disaster Response Research
Environment, Neurodevelopment, and Neurological Diseases
Novel Approaches in Environmental Disparities Assessment
Complex Mixtures in Environmental Health
Environmental Contributions to Obesity and Metabolic Dysfunction
Application of Omics’ Technologies to Environmental Health Research
Community-Based Participatory Research
Individuals with a full-time faculty appointment in any department or school at the University of Southern California are eligible to apply. Applicants are encouraged to pursue multidisciplinary collaborations, including with investigators at other institutions affiliated with the Center (UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Riverside, UCSD, Caltech, CSUN, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, and CHLA).
Postdoctoral researchers at USC with a full-time faculty sponsor may submit proposals for up to $10,000 in direct costs, subject to the same application requirements and deadlines.
*Proposals which incorporate translational research on environment and metabolic diseases including human and experimental approaches may submit proposals up to $90,000 in direct costs.
Non-binding Letter of Intent & Specific Aims – September 8, 2021 at 5pm PT
Invitation to Submit Application – September 13, 2021
Full Application Deadline – October 11, 2021 at 5pm PT
Notification of Award – January 2022
Anticipated Award Start Date – February 1, 2022
For questions for more information, please contact Sarah Rock (srock@usc.edu)