Center for Natural Products Research
CNPR Pilot Grant Program - Discovering Nature's Solutions for Human Health
Supporting research on natural products for disease treatment and health enhancement
Applications Now Open! Submit by May 29, 2026
Previous Natural Product Research Awardees
See who has received funding in past years
Funding Opportunity Description
The Center for Natural Product Research (CNPR) Program of WV-INBRE is announcing a Request for Applications for network investigators to conduct pilot research on projects related to the discovery and/or application of natural products for the treatment of diseases or to enhance human health.
Research Focus Areas
- • Anti-cancer compounds
- • Anti-inflammatory agents
- • Antimicrobial & antifungal compounds
- • Anti-parasitic agents
- • Memory enhancement products
- • Immunity-targeting compounds
Study Types
- • Discovery of new chemotherapeutic agents
- • Mechanistic studies of chemotherapeutic agents
- • Combination chemotherapies with natural products
- • Toxicity reduction studies
Program Goal: To allow investigators to gather data to increase competitiveness for NIH R15, R03, R21, R01 and other investigator-initiated proposals in the biomedical sciences.
Award Information
Note: All funds must be expended by July 31, 2027. Awardees must receive 25% release time from their institution.
Eligibility Requirements
Eligible Applicants
- Tenure track and tenured faculty at PUIs and CTCs
- Research track faculty at network partner institutions
- Must commit to 25% effort with release time
Not Eligible
- Faculty at lead institutions (MU and WVU)
- Postdoctoral fellows and students
- Major research award recipients
- Simultaneous funding from multiple IDeA programs
Application Requirements
Required Components
Page Limit: Combined narratives (Goals & Specific Aims through Plans for External Grant Applications) must not exceed 6 pages total.
Achievement Milestones Required: List proposal-specific deliverables including completion of aims, new methods, presentations, and publications. At minimum, a presentation at a scientific meeting is required each year.
Allowable Costs
✓ Allowable Expenses
- Salaries for PI, students, technicians (up to 25% of directs)
- Supplies, reagents, research-relevant software
- Services (animal care, next generation sequencing)
- Travel for research conferences (up to $2,000, presenter only)
- Equipment (up to $5,000)
- Publication costs
📋 Important Notes
- Mentor Fees: $2,500/year paid separately - do not include in budget
- Indirect Costs: Allowed for PUIs/CTCs based on negotiated rate
- Collaborative Grants: Separate budgets required for each investigator
- De Minimis Rate: 15% of MTDC for institutions without negotiated rate
Review Process & Criteria
Early Stage Investigator (ESI) Benefit: Applications from ESIs receive a 0.5 point reduction in the scoring system. ESIs are defined as new investigators who completed terminal degree within past 10 years and have not yet competed successfully for a substantial NIH research grant.
Responsibilities of CNPR Recipients
Required Activities
- Work with assigned mentor on experimental design and analysis
- Present research at Summer Research Symposium
- Submit annual progress report with publications and grants
- Complete Undergraduate Student Tracking Form
Core Facility Requirements
- Consult with SMART Core for Next Gen Sequencing projects
- Consult with Data Science Core for multiomics analyses
- Acknowledge core support in all presentations and publications
- Cite WV-INBRE grant P20GM103434
Program Contacts
CNPR Program Director
Joseph Horzempa, PhD
304-336-8284724-630-1756 (cell)joseph.horzempa@westliberty.eduAdditional Contacts
Stan Hileman, PhD: smhileman@hsc.wvu.edu | 304-319-2254
Scott Levick, PhD (Mentoring): scott.levick@hsc.wvu.edu | 304-293-2418
Piyali Dasgupta, PhD (Student Data): dasgupta@marshall.edu | 304-696-3612
Don Primerano, PhD (Indirect Costs): primeran@marshall.edu
Submission Information
Email complete application as single PDF to:
joseph.horzempa@westliberty.eduDeadline: May 29, 2026, 5:00 PM
Letter of Intent due March 11, 2026