The Kaul Pediatric Research Institute (KPRI), established by the Boards of Trustees of Children’s of Alabama and the Alabama Children’s Hospital Foundation, is accepting applications for its competitive pediatric research grant program for the 2027 funding cycle. The program supports basic, translational, clinical, and outcomes research directed toward improving child health care.
Current deadline: The current UAB KPRI application page states that final applications must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on September 30, 2026 to Mary Tubbs at mary.tubbs@childrensal.org. The page does not publish a time zone. Department of Pediatrics faculty have an earlier internal review date of September 15, 2026 through dopgrants@uabmc.edu; faculty in other departments are instructed to check with their local leadership.
Funding: Established Investigator Awards provide up to two awards of $60,000 per year for up to two years. New Investigator Awards provide up to five awards of $40,000 per year for up to two years. Second year funding is contingent on acceptable first year progress. Funding is for direct costs only, indirect costs are not covered, and PI salary support is not covered. Appropriate co-investigator support may be considered.
Eligibility: Established Investigator Awards are open to Children’s of Alabama medical staff and full time UAB faculty in a pediatric discipline who meet the established investigator criteria and have not worked under a KPRI grant for at least one year. New Investigator Awards are open to Children’s medical staff, full time UAB faculty in a pediatric discipline, and eligible nonfaculty Children’s of Alabama employees who meet the new investigator requirements and have not worked under a KPRI grant for at least one year. New investigators must have a mentor and provide the required support letter and mentoring plan. Only one KPRI application per principal investigator is permitted in a funding cycle.
Required application components: The published guidelines require the standardized KPRI application format, including a face page; project summary, relevance, reviewers, and key personnel; table of contents; year one budget; budget justification; current NIH format biographical sketches; research plan; human subjects materials when applicable; vertebrate animal materials when applicable; literature cited; long term research goals; Pediatric Research Office resources; and required letters. Human subjects work requires UAB IRB approval before funds are released, and animal work requires UAB IACUC approval before funds are released. Multicenter clinical trials are not considered.
Important document note: The live KPRI application page has been updated to the 2026 application dates for the 2027 funding cycle. The linked file titled KPRI Grant Guidelines 2026 still displays September 2025 dates in its award process and resource consultation sections. Applicants should therefore use the current live application page for the 2026 cycle dates and confirm any legacy date shown in the linked PDF before relying on it for submission logistics.
Match or cost share: No mandatory applicant match or cost share is stated in the current public KPRI materials reviewed by Atlas.
Atlas analysis: Atlas Opportunity Score 84/100. N9+ Fit Score 70/100. KPRI is a strong pediatric clinical research and innovation opportunity. Prior KPRI funded work has included teleneonatology and technology enabled patient support, demonstrating that technology based pediatric research can fit the program. A role for the Nonagon N9+ device and platform would still need to arise from a genuine investigator led pediatric research question, fit the study design and direct cost rules, and satisfy all applicable Children’s of Alabama and UAB research approvals. Initial applicant outreach should not introduce N9+.
Official source: UAB Pediatrics — KPRI Research Grant Award Application.