Whereas translational research focuses on the specific case of a target or disease, translational science is “disease universal” because it focuses on the scientific and operational bottlenecks that are common to translational research for most or all diseases. A key tenet of TS is to understand common causes of inefficiency and failure in translational research projects with the goal of developing generalizable principles to accelerate translational research (e.g., incorrect predictions of the toxicity or efficacy of new drugs, lack of data interoperability, ineffective clinical trial recruitment). You can learn more about TS research here.
Translational research projects, i.e., projects focused on crossing a particular step of the translational process for a particular target or disease, do not qualify for funding under this program.
Funding: Awards are for one year, up to $40,000 direct cost. Funds may be used for non-faculty salary support (research staff, lab tech, study coordinator, etc.). Funds may not be used for faculty salary support. Awarded funds must be expended by the closing date of the CTSA grant year. For funded projects, NIH required documentation must be submitted prior to award start date. IRB or IACUC approval must be obtained prior to project start date.
Eligibility: Faculty only. One proposal may be submitted per faculty member. Any faculty member who has a current grant with overlapping aims is not eligible to apply. Anyone who received a CTSA pilot in the past 3 years is not eligible to apply. The CTS Pilot Program strongly encourage proposals that involve:
- Collaborations among clinical, translational and basic scientists.
- Established investigators exploring innovative new leads or directions in TS.
- Investigators from other areas to lend their expertise in research in TS.
Timeline: The Letter of Intent (LOI) is due on December 1, 2025 at 5pm EST. Proposals are due on January 23th 2026, 5 pm EST. Award notifications will be sent by early March 2026. Earliest anticipated start date March-April 2026 (Note: awards cannot start until all pre-award required documentation is provided, see below).
Application Process: The application process consists of two steps.
- Letter of Intent: Applicants first MUST submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) expressing their interest to apply and clearly outlining the translational research roadblock1 that will be addressed by the research project. Submit LOI using this link: https://redcap.einsteinmed.org/surveys/?s=DANHDP7RCAFPJT4X After review of LOIs, select applicants will be invited to submit a full application.
- Application Submission :Applications will be by invitation only. Invited applicants will be e-mailed a link to the online submission portal and should upload the application and all required supporting documents as a single pdf file. If required, IRB or IACUC approval MUST be obtained or be pending at the time of application.
- Proposals should contain the following components:
- Title and Abstract (500 words maximum) of the proposed project.
- Project proposal (3 pages maximum) containing the following sections, Background, Significance, Specific Aims, and Approach, and description of:
- The translational barrier(s) / roadblock(s)1 that will be addressed.
- Expected generalizability of study outcomes (i.e., to other disease areas, patient cohorts, etc).
- Future directions and long-term impact.
- Principal Investigator (PI) and other key personnel NIH biosketches.
- PI and key personnel other research support (in NIH format).
- Budget justification and itemized budget (use NIH PHS 398 form).
Review Criteria: Projects will be scored based on their alignment with the TS principles and the following additional criteria: Feasibility, Approach, Investigators, and likelihood to lead to extramural funding. Priority will be given to investigators for whom TS represents a new direction. Novelty and risk-taking with potential for major scientific advancement in TS, as well as potential impact on health equity, will also be considered during the review process.
Pre-Award Documentation: Applicants selected for CTSA Pilot Project funding must submit all the required pre-award documentation requested in the online pre-award submission portal. These include the required NIH documentation attesting study compliance with human or animal subject protections (IRB or IACUC approval, respectively), and use of genetic material and stem cells, if applicable. Delay in providing this documentation will also delay the project’s start date, which may impact the project performance as funds must be used before the closing date of the CTSA grant year, February 28, 2027.
All applicants are encouraged to contact the ICTR Administrative Director, Ms. Elizabeth Castro (elizabeth.castro@einsteinmed.edu) at 845-494-5066, to make sure that all the NIH required documentation is prepared in advance of funding date (including IRB or IACUC review of the proposed research and approval). This ensures that if your project is approved for funding, your award notice will be issued on time for project performance and use of funds before the closing date of the CTSA grant year.
1. Austin CP. Opportunities and Challenges in Translational Science. Clin Transl Sci 2021;14(5):1629-1647. PMCID.PMC8504824.DOI: 10.1111/cts. 13055.
2025 Awardees
Mirnova Ceide, MD, MS
A Virtual Life Story Club Intervention to Improve Loneliness and Apathy in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Mixed-Methods Feasibility Study
Associate Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medicine (Geriatrics), and Neurology
Carlo Lutz, MD
Bridging the Gap: Assessing Digital Health Literacy and Readiness for Behavioral Change in Emergency Department Populations
Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
Srilakshmi Raj, PhD
Predicting population-specific genetic disease risks in biobank-scale data
Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics
Kamini Singh, PhD
Finding Neoantigens Using An mRNA Translational-Based Approach
Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Pharmacology
