Pediatric Fungal Network Study of Rare Invasive Fungal DisEases in Immunocompromised Pediatric Patients (PFN-STRIDE) Pilot Grant-Pre Application

Application Process
The application process for the PFN-STRIDE pilot grant has two phases: pre-application and full application. Pre-applications must be submitted by 5 pm EST January 7, 2026. Selected applicants will receive an invitation to submit a full application by January 23rd, 2026. Here, only a brief outline of the pre-application requirements is provided.

For further information on the pilot grant (award, other requirements, review criteria, rare fungal organisms included in the PFN-STRIDE scope, etc), along with background on the three PFN-STRIDE projects and organization, please review the full RFA.
 
Background 
Invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) are rare but life-threatening infections that cause substantial morbidity and mortality, especially among immunocompromised children. Pediatric IFDs are particularly difficult to diagnose and manage due to limited age-specific data and unique clinical challenges. PFN-STRIDE aims to improve diagnostic, therapeutic, and supportive care approaches for rare pediatric IFDs, building on prior Pediatric Fungal Network efforts. The parent U54 grant is specific to the study of rare diseases, defined as those that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the United States (per the Rare Diseases Act 2002). Most IFDs in the pediatric population meet the definition of rare diseases.

To stimulate innovative research that generates preliminary data to inform future full-scale, high-impact clinical or translational studies, implementation science studies, and health services research, this RFA invites applications for one-year pilot projects that establish feasibility, refine the analytic design, or generate preliminary data to support future studies addressing critical knowledge gaps or improving patient-centered outcomes for pediatric IFDs. Proposals can be adjunctive to, but distinct from, the three central PFN-STRIDE projects (See full RFA, Appendix 1) or address unique knowledge gaps in pediatric IFDs.

Projects focused on rare IFD-causing pathogens under these categories will be considered (See full RFA, Appendix 2): 
  • Aspergillus species
  • Non-Aspergillus molds
  • Rare yeasts (generally non-Candida species)
  • Dimorphic fungi
Projects involving animal models will not be considered, consistent with current NIH guidance. 

Awards will provide up to $30,000 in direct costs for a one-year period. Applicants are encouraged to pursue co-sponsorship with institutional partners, research networks, industry collaborators, or other stakeholders to expand available resources. Collaborative projects involving multiple PFN-STRIDE sites are particularly encouraged to enhance feasibility, generalizability, and impact.  

Eligibility 
This program is primarily intended to support full-time, early-career faculty. Any member of a PFN-STRIDE participating institution is eligible to apply. Investigators from institutions outside PFN-STRIDE may apply for an award but must agree to have their site join the PFN-STRIDE during the award period. 

Early-career is defined as:  
  • Junior faculty within 7 years of Assistant Professor appointment OR 
  • 3rd year fellows anticipating faculty appointment at the time of award distribution. 
Senior or mid-career faculty initiating new lines of investigation may apply with justification for pilot funding. However, in the case of similar review scores, priority will be given to proposals from early-career faculty. 

Pre-Application Requirements
Applicants are required to submit a Letter of Intent (2-page limit), along with other materials/questions directly on the RDCRN Grant portal by 5 pm EST January 7, 2026. All proposals should represent the ideas of the Principal Investigator directly.  Artificial intelligence programs cannot be used for grant development.  Pre-applications will be scored using the NIH 9-point scale and reviewed for compatibility with the PFN-STRIDE goals and Pilot Program scope/eligibility.  Eligible applicants receiving the best scores will be notified of the invitation to submit Full Applications by January 23, 2026.

Answer all questions in the grant portal and submit the following materials separately (File size 15 mb MAX) :
 Letter of intent requirements (2-page limit, excluding references):   
  • Project title  
  • Expanded Specific Aims Page (see below) 
  • Need for PFN-STRIDE resources and description of current/proposed work with any partnering institutions or stakeholder groups, if applicable.
LOI must use a font size no smaller than 11 point and spacing of no more than 6 lines per vertical inch.  Figures can be smaller but must be legible at 100%. Margins should be no smaller than one-half inch. 

The Expanded Specific Aims Page should be organized as follows: 
INTRODUCTION  
  • Explain the importance of the problem 
  • State project relationship to the Pilot/Feasibility scope 
  • Describe the knowledge gap or critical barrier to progress in the field that the proposed project addresses. 
PROPOSED SOLUTION 
  • Describe objective(s) of the project 
SPECIFIC AIMS 
  • State aims and corresponding hypothesis   
  • Provide concise description of anticipated methods to achieve aims  
 SIGNIFICANCE 
  • Explain the innovation of the project and the expected outcomes 
  • Describe how the pilot project will facilitate progression to larger-scale research project(s) 
REFERENCES CITED (NOTE: References do not count toward the page limit.) 
Provide a bibliography of all references cited. Each reference must include the names of all authors, the article and journal title, book title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication.  

For any inquiries, please contact:
Program Lead: Anna Huppler, MD| ahuppler@mcw.edu
Program Manager: Subhi Karthikeyan| karthikeys@chop.edu