Apply to Join nPOD

First-time applicants in academia should use the nPOD New Project and Addendum Application Form and applicants in industry should use the nPOD New Project and Addendum Application Form – Industry. Both will also need to submit a completed nPOD Material Transfer Agreement (nPOD MTA) to apply to become an nPOD investigator and gain access to nPOD tissues. Please note the nPOD MTA is non-negotiable, but is created to be very simple and non-restrictive by University of Florida legal counsel, and requires no signature on the provider side. The Project PI should sign as the Recipient Scientist, and someone with signing authority from the PI’s institution should sign as the Recipient. All diabetes researchers are welcome to apply and it is not necessary to have funding in order to receive samples.

nPOD New Investigator Application Review Process:

All new nPOD applications will be reviewed by nPOD’s Tissue Prioritization Committee, typically on a quarterly basis. When completing your application, please consider that some of nPOD’s precious tissue samples are a finite resource. Meritorious applications will be given access to samples in a prioritized fashion. Before filling out your application, please review the list of current nPOD projects. If your project may appear to duplicate work by an approved nPOD investigator, you are strongly encouraged to justify how your new study will provide additional insights above and beyond what will be gained from the ongoing project. For available sample types and typical distribution, please view more information on this table.

Approximately every two months, nPOD’s Tissue Prioritization Committee meets to review applications. Please make sure to submit your application three weeks before the date of the meeting.

2024 Deadlines	2024 TPC Meeting Date
Friday, January 19	Friday, February 9
Friday, April 5	Friday, April 26
Tuesday, May 21	Tuesday, June 11
Friday, August 2	Friday, August 23
Wednesday, October 2	Wednesday, October 23
Tuesday, November 19	Tuesday, December 10

For more information about the TPC, you can view the TPC Guidelines, and visit this page: The Tissue Prioritization Committee.

Availability of nPOD Cases for Assay Validation and Generation of Preliminary Data

The JDRF nPOD has now several available cases that have been retired for distribution to research projects, but can be used for assay validation or generation of preliminary data. Please read more for details.

Special instructions for first-time applicants:

To ensure that your application is reviewed in a timely manner, please be sure to submit the following information with your file:

• NIH-formatted Biographical Sketch for the PI and Co-Investigator(s)
• Research Plan (background, hypothesis, specific aims, preliminary data, study plan)
• Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval or exemption documentation from your institution (unless pending); view nPOD’s current IRB
• nPOD Material Transfer Agreement

To request an extension of your original application, please submit the sections of the nPOD Project Application form corresponding to an addendum. Do not request samples before receiving approval as this could jeopardize your current nPOD approval. Reasons projects will need an addendum to include:

• Adding a Co-Investigator
• Changing the donor type one was originally approved for
• Changing the sample type one was originally approved for
• Requests for Medalist tissue, if not originally approved to receive them

Current nPOD investigators should visit Request nPOD Samples for information on how to request slides and tissue samples.

View Investigator-Related Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Please email completed applications and other required files to npod@pathology.ufl.edu.

Electronic signatures are acceptable. 

For additional questions, please contact nPOD at npod@pathology.ufl.edu or (352) 273-8277.