ACG Clinical Research Pilot Award

Eligibility

ACG Membership Requirement: 

*Important! The Principal Investigator must be an ACG member in good standing. Applicants awaiting final approval of their applications are ineligible (membership applications MUST be submitted by September 19th). ACG membership must be active no later than October 2025. No exceptions will be made. To Join ACG, click here. For questions on ACG membership, please email membership@gi.org or call (301) 263-9000.

Applicants must meet all the following criteria: 

• ACG Member at time of application 
• U.S., Canadian, and International Members eligible 
• Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, Physician, PhD, or equivalent (e.g., MD, DO, MBBS, PhD) 
• Physicians in training (fellows) are eligible to apply provided that the work is conducted under the supervision of a Responsible Investigator, who is a more senior or experienced investigator at the faculty level, who is also part of a gastroenterology or hepatology department 
• No Pilot Data Required (if pilot data is available, choose a different grant category: Clinical Research Award) 

The following are not eligible for this award: 

• ACG will not grant more than one Clinical Research Award to former or current Principal Investigators on R01, P01, U01, VA Merit Awards or Hughes grants 
• Projects that support laboratory or animal research projects. 
• Those who hold the position of full professor at an academic institution. 
• Award overlap: ACG does not provide duplicate funding [If part of a larger study, must explain how funds are not duplicated] 
• Applications utilizing the same science may not be submitted for two different ACG grant categories (for example the same project/science is submitted for both the Junior Faculty Award and Clinical Research Award) and if this occurs they will not be evaluated by the Committee. 
• ACG limits funding for a PI to one grant in a single award cycle. If a given investigator submits projects in two or more RFA categories and more than one is deemed worthy of funding, the larger grant will be funded. 
• If the applicant was awarded an ACG research award within the last three years, they cannot apply for the same grant category in which they were awarded. They may apply for a different grant category, as the College is not trying to limit progression of research (pilot award to CRA or JR Faculty Award), but rather the same investigators being funded repeatedly.

Summary

The ACG Institute for Clinical Research and Education and the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) are proud to support pilot projects of up to $30,000 to encourage clinical research, to be funded from July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027. Pilot awards do not require previous work or preliminary data, and do not cover randomized controlled trials. If you have pilot data, you must apply for a different grant category. 

All applications must be submitted online. The grant site will open to submissions on September 2, 2025, and close on Monday, December 1, 2025, at 11:59pm (Eastern time). 

The goal of the Clinical Research Pilot Award is to assist promising clinical researchers in developing research careers that have a direct bearing on clinical gastrointestinal practice. 

This grant is designed to support research that is principally focused on digestive or liver diseases. The patient population or disease target should be principally related to the gastrointestinal tract, liver, biliary system, pancreas, or neuroenteric science, including any translational, clinical, social science, or health services research studies that pertain to managing such patients or conditions. For example, a study about microbiota would be appropriate, if it pertains to a digestive disease. In contrast, a study that is principally about HIV would likely not be appropriate unless it directly relates to how HIV affects digestive health. (For questions on study relevancy, contact the grant administrator at research@gi.org.) Since its inception in 1994, the ACG Institute has provided over $34.3 Million in funding for Clinical Research Awards to over 764 recipients.

Overhead

Not supported. 

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

Full RFP Instructions for Applications found at this LINK.

IMPORTANT DATES

September 2, 2025 - Application submission period opens 
September 19, 2025 - ACG Membership application deadline (only for applications who are not ACG members or are not in good standing—see the Eligibility Section for further details) 
December 1, 2025 - Application submission period closes (11:59 pm Eastern time) 
By/before April 1, 2026 - Award notifications are sent 
July 1, 2026 - Award period begins / disbursement check provided 
December 31, 2027 - Final report and financial statement are due

RESOURCES

Reminder: The sooner the researcher engages with Research Services, the more help we can be!

Contact the following Research Service units for support with:

Projects Involving Indigenous Research:

Support with incorporating wise practices in Indigenous research, community engagement, and Indigenous data management is available through the Indigenous Research Support Team (IRST).

Applicants can reach out by email to IRST at IRST@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information about IRST, please visit the IRST webpage.

Knowledge Mobilization, Research Impact Assessment, DORA:

Support for knowledge mobilization/engagement/translation, community partnerships, research impact, responsible research assessment (DORA), and open science, is available through the Knowledge to Impact team.

Applicants can reach out by email to the KI team at knowledge.impact@ucalgary.ca.

For more information and access to resource archives, please visit the KI team webpage.

Research Data Management:

For information on research data management plans, processes, or best practices for your research program, please contact research.data@ucalgary.ca.

EDI in Research:

RSO can provide resources and support to research teams on the integration of equitable and inclusive practices in research design and research practice.

Contact edi.rso@ucalgary.ca for more information.

Research Security:

The Research Security Division is available to ensure researchers adhere to research security guidelines and policies, including the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP) and the policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC).

Visit the Research Security website to learn more or contact researchsecurity@ucalgary.ca.

Pre-Award Submissions:

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award LOI
RMS: Creating a Pre-Award Application