Scientific Pilot Awards
Forecasted
Scientific Pilot Awards support early-career investigators’ site-based HIV immunology and vaccinology research to generate preliminary data, advance scientific careers, and strengthen HVTN collaborations.
Funder: HIV Vaccine Trials Network
Due Dates (Anticipated): September 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: Up to $35,000 in direct costs for 12 months; 4–6 awards anticipated per cycle
Summary: Supports early-career investigators conducting site-based HIV immunology and vaccinology research that advances career development and HVTN collaborations.
Key Information: Applicants must affiliate with an HVTN Core Site or actively enrolling HVTN trial site and have prior first-authorship.
Description
The HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) Scientific Pilot Awards support early-career investigators conducting research at their own sites. The program funds HIV immunology and vaccinology projects that advance investigators’ scientific careers, including by generating preliminary data, and strengthen collaborations with HVTN laboratories or statistical teams. Use of HVTN specimens or data is encouraged but not required. Original basic science and laboratory proposals that advance the HVTN research agenda and can be completed within one year are also supported.
Priority research ideas identified by the HVTN Concept Committee use data from the Cross-Protocol Study Initiative. These include antibody and B cell integration, relationships between neutralizing antibodies and epitope-specific immune measures, and T cell analyses. Qualitative and sociobehavioral research are outside the program’s scope.
