CFF Clinical Pilot and Feasibility Award

CFF Clinical Pilot and Feasibility Award

Provides clinicians and translational researchers for CFF Clinical Pilot and Feasibility Award in biotechnology and medical technology.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Clinical Pilot and Feasibility Award provides early-stage support for clinical investigators seeking to establish feasibility for studies in people with CF. The award is structured as a two-year grant providing $80,000 to $150,000 per year, plus a 12% indirect cost allowance. It is designed for investigators at a stage where initial human-data collection is needed to justify a larger clinical research effort.

The program runs two cycles per year under a letter-of-intent (LOI) gate. In the Fall cycle, LOIs are due in April and full applications in August. In the Spring cycle, LOIs are due in October and full applications in February. Both tracks are reviewed by the Clinical Research Committee (CRC), which includes patient and family representation for clinical proposals. The four-to-eight month review-to-notification timeline applies across cycles.

Eligibility is open to clinical investigators at academic medical centers and research institutions with access to CF patients. All applications are submitted via awards.cff.org. The program is distinct from the standard (basic-science) Pilot and Feasibility Award in that it is specifically oriented toward clinical and translational questions — including interventional feasibility studies, protocol development, and early biomarker work — and is reviewed by a committee with clinical expertise rather than the basic-science Research and Research Training Committee.