INSTITUTIONAL CLINICAL AND TRANSLATION SCIENCE AWARDS: NOT-RR-06-001
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) published on October 12, 2005, a request for applications (RFA) for institutional Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs) (RFA-RM-06-002). This new CTSA program, which the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) is leading on behalf of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research, will transform and advance clinical and translational science as a distinct discipline within a definable academic home. Since the RFA will be issued annually, academic health centers, including those with General Clinical Resource Centers (GCRCs), can build on their existing resources and transform into this new integrated program over a period of years.
Also, a one-time planning grant RFA has been announced to give institutions more time to prepare to apply for a CTSA (RFA-RM-06-001).
The CTSA program will build on existing programs by reconfiguring and adding to certain NIH awards (NCRR GCRC [M01], K12, and K30 and Roadmap T32 and K12) held by the applicant institution and its affiliates.
Complete details are available at http://grants.nih.gov/ grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-RR-06-001.html.
INSTITUTIONAL CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE AWARD: RFA-RM-06-002
Purpose: The goal of this request for applications is to enable the development of the disciplines of clinical and translational science by providing the resources to create an academic home and to benefit translational research. The academic home may be a center, department, or institute, as determined by institutional circumstances that support the discipline of clinical and translational research. Each individual center, department, or institute will
Provide opportunities and resources for original research on novel methods and approaches to translational and clinical science
Provide the translational technologies and knowledge base for the spectrum of clinical and translational science, including all types and sizes of studies and specialties
Integrate translational and clinical science by fostering collaboration between departments and schools of an institution and between institutions and industry
Provide a point of contact for partnerships with industry, foundations, and community physicians as appropriate
Provide research education, training, and career development leading to an advanced degree (master's or PhD) for the next generation of clinical and translational researchers (including physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and other allied health professionals)
Conduct self-evaluation activities and participate in a national evaluation of the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program
The CTSA program is intended to give new opportunities to institutions and their affiliates to be truly innovative in proposals that transform their programs and resources to foster clinical and translational science. The CTSA program will complement the programs of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Institutes and will work in cooperation with other NIH Roadmap activities and other relevant trans-NIH activities.
The CTSA should support the discipline of clinical and translational science and the needs of its researchers. Applicants are encouraged to propose novel concepts, methodologies, and approaches that are integrated into a comprehensive, effective, and efficient researcher-, trainee-, and participant-centered program.
The center, department, or institute should provide resources for researchers, trainees, and research projects across multiple health conditions studied by a wide range of NIH Institutes and Centers. Focusing CTSA resources on only a few diseases, specialties, or a limited number of investigators is strongly discouraged. Applicants are encouraged to partner with foundations and industry and community organizations as appropriate.
Term/Amount: The total funds available in fiscal year 2006 for the new awards are approximately $30 million. The anticipated number of awards from this solicitation is between four and seven.
Awards will vary in size owing to the consolidation of multiple programs within the CTSA program. Applicants may request total costs up to $6 million annually in addition to the combined current total costs of certain NIH awards (National Center for Research Resources [NCRR] K12, K30, and M01 and Roadmap T32 and K12) held by the applicant institution and its affiliates. If successful, all of the above-listed awards at each participating institution will be reconfigured into the CTSA program. Institutions without the above awards may request up to $6 million annually in total costs.
An applicant may request a project period of up to 5 years. Although the financial plans of the NIH Roadmap and NCRR provide support for this program, awards pursuant to this funding opportunity are contingent on the availability of funds and the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.
NIH is planning an additional 5-year competitive renewal of these awards.
Deadlines: Letters of intent must be received by February 27, 2006. Applications must be received by March 27, 2006.
Complete details are available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-06-002.html.
PLANNING GRANTS FOR INSTITUTIONAL CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE AWARDS: RFA-RM-06-001
Purpose: This request invites applications to support planning activities to design institutional Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) programs. The goal of the institutional CTSA program (which is described in RFA-RM-06-002) is to give the flexibility and stimulus for institutions to increase the synergy of their existing resources and talent and to propose ways to increase the efficiency and speed of clinical and translational research. This goal may be easier to reach if such efforts are conducted within a true academic home comprising a dedicated faculty and staff who share a transformative vision, mission, and strategy. The academic home, which can be a center, department, or institute, is expected to include faculty who conduct original research, develop graduate and postgraduate training curricula, and lead programs that integrate clinical and translational science across multiple departments, schools, clinical and research institutes, and hospitals. The purpose of this request for applications (RFA) is to provide resources to allow institutions to develop a plan for the content, governance, administration, and evaluation of a CTSA and to manage the necessary organizational and cultural changes needed to implement the program. Planning activities are intended to lay the foundation and prepare institutions for submitting a subsequent CTSA application.
CTSAs will provide resources and develop methodologies intended to overcome blocks at both the discovery (translational between bench and bedside) and implementation (translation between bedside and practice) steps. For the purpose of this initiative, “clinical research” comprises studies and trials in human subjects meeting the National Institutes of Health (NIH) definition in the PHS 398 instructions. Translational research includes two areas of translation. One is the process of applying discoveries generated during research in the laboratory and, in preclinical studies, to the development of trials and studies in human studies. The second area of translation concerns research aimed at enhancing the adoption of best practices in the community. The term “science” is meant to encompass the discovery of new knowledge about health and disease prevention, preemption, and treatment, as well as methodologic research to develop or improve research tools.
To enable institutions to assess the adjustments that would be needed to create an integrated CTSA program, this RFA solicits applications for P20 planning grants that will allow institutions to develop the content and governance for a CTSA program, as well as develop a plan to manage needed institutional organizational and cultural changes. The CTSA program that is planned, whether housed in a center, department, institute, or other entity, must be noncategoric (ie, broadly inclusive of different types of clinical and translational research and not limited to any discipline or group of disciplines).
RFA-RM-06-002 has been concurrently issued for the CTSA program. Institutions may submit applications for either solicitation but not both simultaneously. The NIH intends to issue solicitations for additional CTSAs in future years but may not issue additional solicitations for planning grants.
Term/Amount: The NIH Roadmap intends to commit approximately $11.5 million in FY 2006 to fund approximately 50 planning grants in response to this RFA. An applicant must request a project period of 1 year and a budget for direct costs of up to $150,000. Because the nature and scope of proposed centers will vary by application, it is anticipated that the size of each award also will vary. Although the NIH Roadmap budget includes support for these planning grants, awards pursuant to this RFA are contingent on the availability of funds and the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.
This RFA is a one-time solicitation with an anticipated award date of September 2006. Awards will remain active for 1 year, but no-cost extensions of 1 year may be granted.
Deadlines: Letters of intent must be received by February 27, 2006. Applications must be received by March 27, 2006.
Complete details are available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-06-001.html.
NIDDK CAREER TRANSITION AWARD IN PATIENT- ORIENTED RESEARCH: PAR-06-002
Purpose: This program announcement is a reissue of PAR-02-151, which was published in the National Institutes of Health guide on August 21, 2002.
The overall aim of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Career Transition Award (K22) is to enable outstanding physician-scientists to obtain clinical research training experiences in the NIDDK Intramural Research Program and to facilitate their successful transition to an extramural environment as independent researchers. The award will provide up to 3 years of support for research training in an NIDDK intramural clinical laboratory followed by 2 years of support for an independent research program at an extramural institution. The combined duration may not exceed 5 years. It is anticipated that awardees will subsequently obtain research project grants, such as the R01, to support the continuation of their research.
Term/Amount: Because the nature and scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of each award will also vary. Support during the intramural phase will include a fellowship stipend as well as research and travel expenses based on the candidate's years of postdoctoral experience and commensurate with the NIDDK intramural salary structure.
Deadlines: Applications submitted in response to this program announcement will be accepted at the standard application deadlines for Research Career Awards (K series). These deadlines may be reviewed at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm.
Complete details are available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-06-002.html.