PILOT TRANSLATIONAL AND CLINICAL STUDIES

The CCTST offers three pilot funding mechanisms:

1. Pilot Translational Research and Innovative Core grants

2. Just in Time (JIT) grants

3. Processes and Methods grants

The Pilot Grant Program supports projects by established principal investigators or by new/early stage investigators mentored by established investigators, and also promotes the establishment of new, innovative cores with a clear translational focus, to build a local or networked infrastructure.

Pilot Translational Research & Innovative Core Grant

An integral part of the CCTST mission is stimulating development of pre-clinical and human clinical trials that seek to improve medical care. The CCTST Pilot Translational Research and Innovative Core Grant Program will support projects by established principal investigators, or by new/early stage investigators mentored by established investigators, focused on applying discoveries generated during research in the laboratory, and in preclinical studies, to the development of trials and studies in humans. The Program also promotes the establishment of new, innovative cores with a clear translational focus, to build a local or networked infrastructure.

Important Dates​

• LOI applications accepted April 17, 2024 - May 13, 2024

• Full applications (invited only) accepted August 14, 2024 - September 9, 2024

• Funding period: April 1, 2025 - March 31, 2026

Grant Types

There are three specific grant types within the Pilot Translational Research and Innovative Core grants program:

• Translational Research Grant (TRG): Supports established investigators seeking to conduct a novel translational research project. The funding period is limited to one year. The maximum allowable budget (direct costs) is $75,000. Applicants with more than $500,000 in total direct costs for all currently funded research will not be eligible to apply for this grant type.

• Mentored Translational Research Grant (MTRG): Supports new and early stage investigators seeking to conduct a novel translational research project. Important requirements of this grant mechanism are the inclusion of a clear letter of support from an established mentor and a detailed description of the Mentee’s training plan and interactions with the mentor. The funding period is limited to one year. The maximum allowable budget (direct costs) is $75,000. Applicants with more than $500,000 in total direct costs for all currently funded research will not be eligible to apply for this grant type.

• Innovative Core Grant (ICG): Helps build adequate local infrastructure to support clinical and translational research by providing funds to establish new shared Core facilities with a clear translational focus. The maximum allowable budget (direct costs) is $65,000 per year. The funding period is limited to up to two years.

ICG Applicants seeking a second year of funding are required to submit a Letter of Intent and a one page “Progress to Date” report justifying the need for continued support.

Research Priorities

Priority will be given to projects which:

• Are farthest along in preclinical or early clinical development

• Seek to increase communication and collaboration between clinicians or clinical researchers and basic scientists

• Seek to increase collaboration between investigators in different institutions within the Academic Health Center (AHC). The program is particularly interested in promoting collaborations between investigators at UCMC and CCHMC and between investigators at either UCMC or CCHMC and those at UC’s west campus

• Have clearly described plans to utilize the results as preliminary data in an application soliciting extramural funding

• Are focused on new research or technological development with a high likelihood of leading to patent or licensing opportunities

When and as appropriate, consideration will be given to proposals that promote interactions between AHC investigators and members of the community.

Eligibility

Investigators with a faculty appointment of at least 80% FTE at the AHC (UC, UCMC, CCHMC, VAMC) or UC west campus, including basic scientists, physicians, nurses, and other health care faculty with advanced degrees (MD, PhD, MD-PhD, or equivalent) are potentially eligible. The PI or Co-I who is applying must either currently hold a faculty appointment at UC or CCHMC or expect to hold one at the time of the award at the level of Instructor, Assistant Professor, Research Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor. Collaborative teams of investigators spanning disciplines and programs made up of basic and clinical faculty are strongly encouraged to apply. See the program announcement for complete details on eligibility. Applicants must be CCTST members. Join here free of charge.

Details & Submission

Grant requirements:

• FY26 RFA

• LOI Application Documents

• Full Application Documents

LOIs and invited full applications must be submitted through the CCTST Competition and Awards Program Site (CCAPS). Log in using your UC (“6+2”) or CCHMC username and password. Click here for the CCAPS login guide. If you have questions about this grant mechanism, please contact Venois Peebles. If you do not have a UC or CCHMC username and password, please contact Jamie Tharrington.

Previous Funding Rounds

Just-in-Time Grant

The mission of the Just-In-Time (JIT) grant mechanism is to enable investigators to use UC or CCHMC Core facilities to obtain critical data for submission of a competitive extramural proposal, patent application or commercialization agreement. This small grants program is designed to support clinical and translational science investigators who require the services of an institutional core to develop key preliminary data for federal  (R01, DOD, VA, etc.), foundation or professional association grant funding.

Investigators may apply for up to $10,000 for core services that would directly facilitate the submission of a new or revised application for extramural funding. The Just-In-Time funding must be spent within funding period.

Important Dates​

• Cycle 1: Applications accepted January 16, 2024 - February 12, 2024

  Funding period: April 25, 2024 - March 31, 2025

• Cycle 2: Applications accepted April 24, 2024 - June 3, 2024

  Funding period: August 22, 2024 - March 31, 2025

• Cycle 3: Applications accepted July 16, 2024 - August 16, 2024

  Funding period: November 11, 2024 - March 31, 2025

Submission & Details

Grant Requirements:

• Cycle 2 RFA

• Application Documents

LOIs and invited full applications must be submitted through the CCTST Competition and Awards Program Site (CCAPS). Log in using your UC (“6+2”) or CCHMC username and password. Click here for the CCAPS login guide. If you have questions about this grant mechanism, please contact Venois Peebles. If you do not have a UC or CCHMC username and password, please contact Jamie Tharrington.

Participating Core Facilities

Previous Funding Rounds

Processes & Methods Grants

Important dates

• Step 1: Applications accepted February 1, 2024 - March 22, 2024
  Funding period: May 1, 2024 - September 1, 2024

• Step 2 (invited only): Additional information will be provided by late June

Overview

This two-step pilot grant program is designed to support clinical research professionals as well as patient advocacy groups at a local, regional or national level in the conduction of projects focused on advancing specific processes and/or methods important to clinical and translational research. The proposals awarded in the first step of this grant mechanism will receive funds of up to $5,000 and will be given four months to produce a more complete 6-page research proposal. Awardees of the second step will receive seed funds up to $40,000/year to help them develop a long-term (two to five year) extramural grant. Examples of previous Processes and Methods awards have included funding for research designed to improve complex data acquisition and harmonization methods as well as innovative methods for improving recruitment of underrepresented minorities and vulnerable populations. 

Care should be taken to include relevant details on expected outcomes, algorithms, programming software languages, staffing/training needs, dissemination plans, as well as the specific areas of science that are likely to be improved with the proposed processes/methods. The full, 6-page proposal must identify early results/deliverables to be produced by the end of the first year. The full proposals will be reviewed by members of the CCTST executive committee as well as a panel of external peer reviewers.

Priority thematic areas include:

1. Improved mitigation of health disparities among traditionally underserved populations, including improved methods of dissemination and implementation among affected communities.

2. Development and application of artificial intelligence and/or deep learning methods needed for decision making in clinical research, including mitigation of barriers and limitations related to improved biomedical treatments and response patterns.

3. Methods and processes to improve translational research for chronic illnesses experienced by health care systems and institutions today.

4. Development of tools and technologies to increase the efficiency of human subjects research.

5. Improving the strength of evidence in prevention research.

6. Previously submitted proposals to the CCTST Processes and Methods Grants Program that received external reviews but were not funded in previous rounds may be re-submitted: use the one-page proposal format to outline how the revised full proposal will respond to the reviewer comments received in the previous cycle.

Eligibility

Applications will be accepted from faculty or staff from all UC campuses, the Academic Health Center (including CCHMC, UC, VA Medical Center), or any of the regional colleges/universities including Xavier, Mount Saint Joseph, NKU, Thomas More, and Miami. This program is also open to members of the Greater Cincinnati community and patient advocacy groups at a local, regional or national level. Advanced degrees (MD, PhD, MD-PhD or equivalent) are not required for eligibility. Post-doctoral fellows are not eligible to apply. Collaborative groups of investigators spanning disciplines and programs are strongly encouraged. Submissions from underrepresented and minority investigators are also encouraged. Applicants must be CCTST members. Join free of charge.

Process

Step 1 Applicants must submit a 1-page preliminary proposal in the format listed within the RFA. Funding requests of up to $5,000 are acceptable for this step. Funds for the initial $5,000 award may not be used to support faculty salaries or salaries of the investigators but can be used for support staff or other expenses related to the application. 

Investigators awarded in step 1 of this grant program will have three months to produce a 6-page full proposal and apply for Step 2. The Step 2 application should include background and scientific merit of their research, specific aims, significance and how your research will facilitate clinical and translational research more broadly, innovation, and approach sections, along with a budget not to exceed $40,000/year of direct costs for a 12 month period that must be contained within the 6-page limit. The more complete 6-page proposal budget may include limited offset of faculty/investigator salaries (up to 15% effort). A separate RFA will be provided with further instructions to investigators who successfully complete Step 1 and are invited to apply for Step 2.

Submission

Grant Requirements:

• 2024 Step 1 RFA

• Step 1 Application Documents

• 2023 Step 2 RFA (Only for those invited to develop a full application)

• Step 2 Application Documents

LOIs and invited full applications must be submitted through the CCTST Competition and Awards Program Site (CCAPS). Log in using your UC (“6+2”) or CCHMC username and password. Click here for the CCAPS login guide. If you have questions about this grant mechanism, please contact Venois Peebles. If you do not have a UC or CCHMC username and password, please contact Jamie Tharrington.

Previous Rounds

Retreats, Workshops, and Symposia Matching Funds Program

Retreat applications are accepted year-round.

Support is available for multidisciplinary retreats/workshops/symposia (on- or off-campus) that will further the mission of the CCTST. Ideally, these events will provide a rich forum for basic, translational, and clinical scientists to interact and develop new initiatives.

Up to $3,000 per event is available from the CCTST, contingent upon the availability of matching funds derived from other sources (typically clinical or research division resources or grants). UC faculty with 80% or greater FTE, including those based at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center, are generally eligible to apply. Funds are limited and awards are made on a continuing basis, so application early in the fiscal year is encouraged. All Retreat funded events must take place at CCHMC, UC or off-campus in the Greater Cincinnati metropolitan area.

An application must be submitted at least 60 days in advance of the proposed event. For more information, email Venois Peebles. See link below for complete details.

• Retreats/Workshops/Symposia Matching Funds Program RFA

• Application Documents

Team