The pilot award program is open to all UCSF faculty. Any faculty member may submit a grant application for a specific project. Each application is evaluated by a committee of three external reviewers, experts in cell therapies and/or transfusion medicine - who are unaffiliated with UCSF.
The reviewers independently assess each application using a simple ranking system (1–5), prioritizing projects for funding. They then meet to reach a consensus on the final ranking.
Selection decisions are guided by five main criteria:
- Relevance to the CTMCT mission, supporting research in cell therapies and transfusion medicine.
- Potential to generate meaningful data that can support future grants and publications.
- Multidisciplinary scope of the proposal, including collaboration across fields and teams.
- Feasibility and clarity of the proposed research plan.
- Likelihood of fostering collaboration that advances the mission of CTMCT.