Pioneer Research Program

On my hunt for research programs, I found the Pioneer Research Program. I thought that it sounded like an amazing opportunity and I was hoping to get more information about it. I read through the past threads about it on CC and I was just wondering:

If you get accepted into the program, how would you go about applying for scholarships? I’m concerned about the high tuition.

How competitive is it? Are there certain fields that are more competitive than others?

Are there deadlines for applications? I can’t find any, but I might not be searching hard enough.

Any tips for the application? (especially the essay and the interview)

How rigorous is it?

I’m thinking about applying to the Spring-Summer session. Thoughts?

Thanks!