Lauren S. Aaronson Clinical and Translational Science Pilot Program

The Lauren S. Aaronson Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) Pilot Program provides educational opportunities and resources during application development and project implementation, proposal review, research funding, and support to cultivate multidisciplinary, investigator-initiated CTS projects. The Frontiers CTS Pilot Program advances original, promising investigation addressing translational science questions, promoting subsequent externally funded high-impact research, with the objective of developing generalizable solutions to accelerate CTS innovation to benefit human health. Translational science seeks to develop, demonstrate, and disseminate generalizable innovations and strategies to improve the process of translational research.

The Pilot Program goal is to accelerate high quality, innovative CTS through infrastructure and funding support for pilot research projects that generate preliminary data for subsequent extramural funding applications. The Frontiers CTS Pilot Program will promote advances in CTS by supporting early- and mid-career investigators through one-year pilot funding. Pilot projects will demonstrate highly significant, collaborative projects that address key challenges in CTS with high potential for future external funding.

Up to four awards are issued annually for up to $50,000 each. 

Full request for applications.

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences’ (NCATS) mission is to turn biomedical research discoveries into health solutions, including diagnostics, treatments, and interventions, through the application of translational science. Their vision is “More treatments for all people more quickly”. The NCATS Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program supports translational research and science through fostering collaborations among academic institutions that will improve the efficiency, quality and impact of the process for improving human health.

Translational Science and Translational Research: Complementary Concepts:

Key Definitions from NCATS:

• Translation is “the process of turning laboratory, clinic, and community observations into health-improving interventions like diagnostics, therapeutics and behavioral changes”.
• Translational research focuses on advancing a step of the translational process for a specific target/disease.
• Translational science seeks to develop, demonstrate, and disseminate generalizable innovations and strategies to improve the process of translational research. These terms are not mutually exclusive in many cases.

Translational science projects seek to 1. identify and understand barriers that delay progress or limit the quality or impact of translational research (e.g., clinical trial recruitment, data interoperability, implementation, etc.), and 2. develop innovative solutions (e.g., methods, best practices, tools, technologies) to overcome these barriers. Addressing critical barriers will allow subsequent translational research to accelerate the time from discovery to improved human health. The innovative solutions will have broad applicability to multiple research projects, increasing capacity and efficiency.

Pilot projects are required to include a focus on translational science, i.e., understanding a scientific or operational principle underlying a step of the translational process with the goal of developing generalizable principles to accelerate translational research. Applicants are required to address at least one of the principles but should include all relevant principles. For this funding program it is likely, and acceptable, for applicants to include both translational research and translational science in their proposal.

Pilot Award Program has identified the following areas for Programmatic Fit.

• Studies that include multidisciplinary perspectives.
• Studies that address health issues among local populations, including rural communities.
• Community-based research involving participants/patients, families, caregivers and/or communities, which test new treatments, interventions, recruitment/retention strategies, or policies that impact health outcomes.
• Implementation and dissemination studies, effectiveness, and/or dissemination of clinical research findings into practice.

Examples of activities that may be supported:

• Development of new research methodology and/or new technologies/tools/resources that will advance CTS and thus increase the efficiency and effectiveness of translation.
• Early-stage development of new therapy/technology with generalizable application to an identified translational roadblock.
• Demonstration in a particular use case(s) that the new methodology or technology advances translational science by successfully making one or more steps of the translational process more effective or efficient.
• Dissemination of effective tools, methods, processes, and training paradigms.
• Feasibility/proof of concept studies to support future CTS projects.

Please make sure to review the National Institutes of Health's current priorities. 

This opportunity is open to principal investigators who are members of Frontiers, eligible to receive federal funding and employed by any Frontiers partner institution.

• Children's Mercy
• Kansas City University
• Kansas State University
• Saint Luke's, BJC Health West Region  
• University of Kansas
• University of Kansas Medical Center (all campuses)
• The University of Kansas Health System
• University of Missouri-Kansas City

Community organizations are encouraged to collaborate with academic partners to develop and submit an application.

Principal Investigators (PIs) are allowed to apply for more than one funding mechanism but will only be awarded one award annually. Applicants may serve as PI on only one application but may be included as collaborators on any number of applications.

Applications are invited from multidisciplinary teams comprised of faculty investigators from Frontiers partner institutions.

All questions regarding eligibility and application submissions should be directed to Robin Liston, MPH, Project Director.