Overview

The Gateway Exposome Coordinating Center (GECC) seeks pilot projects each year that advance research on the various environmental exposures over the life course — known as the “exposome” — that affect health outcomes, with a focus Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and AD-Related Dementias (ADRD) risk and resilience. The GECC anticipates selecting between 3-6 proposals to receive between $32,000-60,000 each (including indirect costs).

Pilot projects should support the GECC’s mission to provide consistent guidance and measures for open science research that advance understanding on links between life course exposures and health, with a focus on AD/ADRD risk and resilience. The most competitive pilot projects will create novel measures, data sets, or data guidance for exposome research. Projects may be related to or build on one or more of the six GECC domains of study: extreme weather domain, physical environment, social environment, policy environment, community services environment, and life experiences. Pilots focused on methodological topics cutting across multiple substantive domains are encouraged. If you have questions about whether your project is a good fit for the GECC, please contact us at pilots@gatewayexposome.org.

Proposal Due Date: The application period for 2026-27 pilot projects is now closed. The call for 2027-28 pilot project proposals will be in early January 2027. Please sign-up for the GECC mailing list to receive announcements (see bottom of page).
2026-2027 Pilot Project Period: August 1, 2026–July 31, 2027

Eligibility

We welcome pilot studies across disciplines and from researchers at any stage of their career and background, especially from investigators transitioning into AD/ADRD research, researchers from less traditional disciplines than those that normally engage in AD/ADRD research, and those working with underrepresented groups. 

Proposals must be submitted by U.S.-based applicants. We welcome proposals from public and private non-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, hospitals, and non-profit research institutes.

Evaluation Criteria

• Significance, innovation, and approach
• Alignment with NIH goals and objectives for the GECC (link)
• Project’s potential to grow into a larger research project and/or to make a significant advancement to the GECC’s aims

Click here for evaluation criteria used in the previous application cycle.

How to Apply

Note: The application period for 2026-27 pilot projects is now closed. Please check back in January 2027 for more information regarding the next application cycle.

• 1. Project title
• 2. Name(s) of applicant(s)
• 3. Email for primary/corresponding applicant
• 4. Institutional affiliation of primary/corresponding applicant
• 5. Project proposal (3 pages + References )
  ⇒ The pilot project proposal documents should include all elements of a standard NIH project description: one page should outline specific aims and the remaining two pages should explain the pilot project's approach (including methods, data, and scientific merit), innovation, project relevance for a future R01 grant proposal, and team. References, as necessary, should follow this 3-page project proposal on their own page but as part of the same document. Proposals should be typeset on 8.5 by 11-inch documents, with 0.5-inch margins, and be in 11-point Arial font.
• 6. Biosketch
  ⇒ Please upload biosketches for all project contributors as one document. All biosketches should adhere to the current NIH format; eRA Commons account is not required.
• 7. Budget
  ⇒ Please submit a completed G.300 R&R Budget Form for the proposed pilot project costs. For more information and a blank form, see the NIH website. GECC pilot project budgets are capped at $60,000 including indirect costs.
• 8. Total sum of funds requested (including indirect costs).
• 9. Indicate which of the GECC domain(s) is most relevant to your proposed project.

Award Notification

Applicants were notified of funding decisions in May 2026. The 2026-27 pilot projects will be announced after GECC’s funding for 2026-2027 is awarded (expected August 2026).

Questions

Are graduate students and postdocs eligible to receive GECC pilot funding?
Yes, we welcome pilot studies across disciplines and from researchers at any stage of their career.

Are international (non-U.S.) applicants eligible to receive GECC pilot project funding?
No, applicants must be U.S.-based. 

Does the $60,000 budget include indirect costs?
Yes, pilot budgets may not exceed $60,000 and this must include indirect (i.e. overhead or F&A) costs. The feasibility of a project is considered during the review process — the scope of the pilot project should be appropriate for the requested budget.

May I sponsor labor for a research assistant, graduate student, or consultant with pilot project funds?
Yes, a portion of pilot project funding for a given study can be used to cover labor expenses.

For other questions about the application process, please email pilots@gatewayexposome.org.