Einstein Internal Sources of Funding

Pilot Grants

Einstein-Montefiore Centers and Institutes offer opportunities to apply for pilot project grants throughout the year. This website provides investigators with a comprehensive list of pilot grants available and links to obtain more information about the funding opportunities.

Overview of Center/Institute Pilot Grant RFAs

Institutional Strategic Funding

Einstein 2030 Seed Fund

Office of the Dean

Funding: $50,000 – $150,000

Duration: Typically 1 year (renewable based on progress)

Purpose:
Supports basic science research projects with translational potential that generate preliminary data and proof-of-concept results to support future NIH or external grant funding. The program aims to accelerate promising new research directions and early-stage discoveries.

Eligibility:
Einstein faculty investigators at the rank of Assistant Professor or higher proposing a basic research project.

Deadline:
Application Deadline – December 2026

Contact: Harris Goldstein, M.D.

Einstein Acceleration Fund - 2030

Office of Biotechnology and Business Development

Funding:
Tier 1 – Up to $350,000 (for applications supporting filed Einstein intellectual property)
Tier 2 – Up to $100,000 (for applications which may lead to new intellectual property)

Duration: 1 year (potentially renewable for an additional year based on progress)

Purpose:
Supports translational research projects aimed at advancing discoveries toward commercialization by generating data needed for patenting, validation of new inventions, and early-stage therapeutic or technology development. The program helps bridge academic discoveries toward industry partnerships, licensing, or venture investment.

Eligibility:
Tenure-track Einstein faculty investigators (Assistant Professor or higher) proposing projects with commercialization potential.

Deadline:
Notice of Intent – January 2027
Full Application (invited) – March 2027

Contact:
Harris Goldstein, M.D.
Janis Paradiso, MBA, CLP

Einstein Acceleration Fund - 2030 RFA

Translational Research at Einstein and Montefiore (TEAM) Pilot Project Program

Einstein 2030 Strategic Plan

Funding: $50,000 – $125,000

Duration: 1 year

Purpose:
Supports collaborative bench-to-bedside and bedside-to-bench translational research projects that generate preliminary data and strengthen basic-clinical research collaborations.

Eligibility:
Faculty investigators at Einstein or Montefiore with ≥80% FTE; multidisciplinary teams encouraged.

Deadline:
LOI – October 2026
Full Application (invited) – January 2027

Contact:
Samuel Pugo, MPH
Britta Will, Ph.D.
Jessica Kahn, M.D., MPH

View RFA

Pivot Pilot Grant Program

Einstein 2030 Strategic Plan

Funding: $50,000 – $125,000

Duration: 1 year

Purpose:
Supports investigators pivoting or expanding their research programs toward new NIH priority areas by generating preliminary data for new external funding applications.

Eligibility:
Einstein or Montefiore faculty with ≥80% FTE who currently hold or previously held external research funding.

Deadline:
LOI – March 2027
Full Application (invited) – June 2027

Contact:
Samuel Pugo, MPH
Jessica Kahn, M.D., MPH
Harris Goldstein, M.D.

View RFA

Center and Institute Pilot Funding

The Institute for Clinical and Translational Research

ICTR Translational Science Pilot Award

Funding: Up to $40,000

Duration: 1 year

Purpose:
Supports translational science projects that address bottlenecks in the translational research process and generate preliminary data to support future extramural funding.

Eligibility:
Einstein faculty

Deadline:
LOI – December 2026
Full Application – January 2027

Contact: Elizabeth Castro

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Shiu Y. Kwok, MD PhD Learning Health Systems Pilot Grant

Funding: Up to $10,000 (direct costs)

Duration: 1 year

Purpose:
Supports Learning Health Systems (LHS) research projects that promote adoption, integration, scalability, and sustainability of evidence-based interventions across the Montefiore Health System.

Eligibility:
Einstein and Montefiore faculty

Deadline:
LOI – September 2026
Full Application (invited) – November 2026

Contact: Sharon Rikin, MD

View RFA

NYC RING Practice-Based Research Network

Funding: Up to $15,000

Duration: 1 year (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027)

Purpose:
Supports innovative primary care research addressing quality of care, access to care, implementation of best practices, and health equity within primary care settings.

Eligibility:
Einstein and Montefiore faculty, primary care clinicians (with a faculty sponsor if non-faculty), and trainees (with a faculty sponsor).

Deadline:
Statement of Intent – March 1, 2026
Full Application – March 15, 2026

Contact:
Hernidia Guerra
Jonathan Ross, MD
Andrew Telzak, MD

View RFA Visit Website

The New York Regional Diabetes Research Center

Funding: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Purpose:
Supports innovative basic and translational diabetes research projects designed to generate preliminary data for future extramural funding. The program encourages new research directions and development of novel approaches in diabetes and related metabolic diseases.

Eligibility:
Faculty investigators (instructor or higher), with priority given to early-stage investigators, investigators new to diabetes research, and those pursuing new research directions.

Deadline:
Varies by cycle

Contact: Streamson Chua, M.D., Ph.D.

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The Einstein-Rockefeller-CUNY-Mount Sinai Center for AIDS Research (ERCM-CFAR)

Funding: Typically, $50,000 (up to $75,000 for select projects)

Duration: 1 year

Purpose:
Supports catalytic pilot projects in HIV/AIDS research that foster translational science and cross-institutional collaboration and generate preliminary data for future NIH funding.

Eligibility:
Early-stage investigators (ESI) and faculty investigators (Assistant Professor or higher) affiliated with CFAR who have not previously held an NIH HIV/AIDS R01 or equivalent, submitting collaborative HIV/AIDS research projects.

Deadline:
Varies by cycle (typically, early spring and/or late fall)

Contact:
Georgia Veroutis
Vinayaka Prasad, Ph.D.

The Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center

The Cancer Center has four research programs; each has an RFA every year. You can learn more about the programs here.

The Cancer Dormancy Institute Developmental Fund Award

Funding: Up to $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Purpose:
Supports collaborative basic, translational, epidemiological, and behavioral cancer research focused on cancer dormancy, minimal residual disease biology, and relapse dynamics. The program aims to stimulate collaborations among investigators and generate preliminary data for future NIH funding.

Eligibility:
Einstein faculty investigators submitting collaborative proposals with two Co-Principal Investigators, with at least one PI being a member of the Cancer Dormancy Institute.

Deadline:
Application Deadline – August 2026

Contact: Nuri Panjaton

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Cancer Therapeutics Research Program Pilot Project Award

Funding: $50,000 per project (2 awards)

Duration: 1 year

Purpose:
Supports innovative and collaborative basic and translational cancer research projects led by multidisciplinary teams. The program is designed to stimulate intra- and inter-programmatic collaborations within the Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center and generate preliminary data for future NIH/NCI team-based grant submissions. Priority is given to projects aligned with MECCC priority cancers (e.g., lung, prostate, multiple myeloma, breast, liver, colorectal, leukemia).

Eligibility:
Multidisciplinary teams of two or more Principal Investigators. Investigators may be affiliated with different MECCC research programs. Senior leaders may participate as mentors but are not eligible to serve as PI/Co-PI.

Deadline:
Application Deadline – May 15, 2026
Anticipated Award Date – June 15, 2026

Contact:
Steve Almo, Ph.D.
Evris Gavathiotis, Ph.D.

Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Institute for Immunotherapy (KII) Pilot Project Award

Funding: $50,000

Duration: 1 year

Purpose:
Supports collaborative basic and translational research in cancer immunotherapy and related diseases, with the goal of generating preliminary data for future extramural funding.

Eligibility:
Einstein faculty investigators submitting collaborative proposals with two Co-Principal Investigators, with at least one PI being a member of KII.

Deadline:
Application Deadline – April 30, 2026

Contact:
Xingxing Zang, Ph.D.

Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Institute for Immunotherapy (KII) and Data Science Institute (DSI) Joint Pilot Project Award

Funding: Up to $100,000 (over 2 years; $50,000/year)

Duration: 2 years

Purpose:
Supports collaborative basic and translational research integrating immunotherapy and data science approaches to generate innovative, computationally driven pilot studies and preliminary data for future external funding.

Eligibility:
Einstein faculty investigators submitting collaborative proposals with two Co-Principal Investigators, with one PI from KII and one from DSI.

Deadline:
Application Deadline – May 30, 2026

Contact:
Xingxing Zang, Ph.D.
Mimi Kim, Sc.D.

The Center for Diabetes Translation Research (CDTR)

Funding: Up to $50,000 per year for one year, or up to $25,000 per year for two years

Duration: August 1, 2025 – July 31, 2026

Purpose:
Funding for preliminary studies to support planned future extramural funding applications (NIH preferred) for diabetes-related T2-T4 translational research.

Eligibility:
Must hold a faculty appointment at the time of the award (postdoctoral fellows are not eligible)

Deadline:
Application Deadline – April 16, 2026

Contact:
Jeffery Gonzalez, Ph.D.
Keyla Ordonez

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The Institute for Aging Research

No current pilot or seed funding programs identified.

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The Rose F. Kennedy Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC)

Funding: Approximately $50,000 per project; total available: $100,000

Duration: 1 year

Purpose:
Supports innovative research in intellectual and developmental disabilities designed to generate preliminary data for future external funding.

Eligibility:
Faculty investigators (Instructor or higher)

Contact: Anita Wlazlo

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Data Science Institute

Funding: Up to $40,000

Duration: 1 year

Purpose:
Supports innovative data science research in areas such as bioinformatics, AI/ML, and health informatics, with the goal of generating preliminary data for external funding and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.

Eligibility:
Einstein faculty investigators, with the PI or the Co-PI required to be a member of the Data Science Institute.

Deadline:
May 1, 2026

Contact:
Samuel Pugo
Mimi Kim, Sc.D.

Quick Links

Office of Grant Support

Einstein Internal Sources of Funding

Pilot Grants

Overview of Center/Institute Pilot Grant RFAs

Office of the Dean

Office of Biotechnology and Business Development

Einstein 2030 Strategic Plan

Einstein 2030 Strategic Plan

Center and Institute Pilot Funding