To keep DUPRI scholars and affiliates at the forefront of population research, DUPRI supports a Pilot Award program to fund risky or highly innovative projects that span a broad range of population research interests. Often these seed grants support primary data collection efforts that frequently lead to NIH or similar extramural funding for larger projects. Pilot Awards have also been used to test ideas that are time-sensitive to either research or funding opportunities.
The criteria for pilot grant selection includes topics that integrate the social, health and biological sciences; collaborative projects that have the potential to enrich the research environment for all involved; and projects that pursue outreach to other disciplines.