Bench to bedside, the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) seeks to improve well-being and health equity in communities across the Deep South through collaborative partnerships and scientific innovation. Aligned with this mission, the CCTS seeks applications proposing the development of novel statistical and computational approaches and related methodologic innovations that bridge the gap between data and clinical application.

Key Dates

	Cycle I	Cycle II
Earliest Submission Date	January 7	July 1
Application Due Date*	February 25	August 25<
Award Period	May 1 – August 30	November 1 – February 28

*The CCTS anticipates continuing to make calls for this funding opportunity through October 2030.

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Instructions

Proposals: The CCTS seeks to support the development of novel, translationally applicable, statistical or computational methods (e.g. statistical models, clinical trial design, statistical genetics, mixed methods, clinical informatics, bioinformatics). Proposals seeking to develop novel analytic, statistical, or computational resources or tools, inclusive of educational assets, may also be supported through this program. Proposals should address how the proposed innovation(s) may be utilized by other researchers and/or projects (ongoing or planned). Priority will be given to applications that develop innovations addressing health challenges pertinent to the CCTS mission (e.g. addressing barriers to health and healthcare delivery). Projects must utilize extant (i.e. preexisting) data. Utilization of extant data derived from major CCTS-connected enclaves (e.g. UAB i2b2, National COVID Cohort Collaborative (NC3), All of Us, Alabama Genomic Health Initiative, ENACT, TriNetX, OneFlorida) is encouraged but not required.

Eligibility: Full-time faculty, especially early career scholars, from any of the CCTS Partner Network institutions may apply. Trainees are encouraged to be members of the research team. More than one proposal may be submitted per faculty member serving as PI, but the faculty member is only eligible to receive one award as PI during a given funding cycle. Awards are competitively renewable via subsequent application cycles up to two times (i.e. up to three awards per investigator).

Budget: Applicants may request up to $5,000 (Direct). The CCTS plans to support up to two (2) proposals per funding cycle contingent on merit, funds requested and feasibility. Support for indirect costs will be made available and amended to partner site’s CCTS UM1 consortium contract. No cost extensions/carryover beyond award periods will not be made available.

Regulatory Considerations: All regulatory approvals (e.g. IRB, IACUC) must be in place at the start of the award. Applications requiring external data that would necessitate Data Use Agreements are expected to initiate the agreements well before the start of the award.

Application Instructions: Applications should be prepared as a single PDF document using 11-point Arial font, ≥ 0.5” margins and contain the following elements:

1. Project Abstract (30 lines max)
2. Research Plan (2 page max). Succinctly explain a problem or critical barrier to progress. Address the work, if any, that has been done to address the problem. Present a research plan or solution(s) as testable hypotheses. If available, provide preliminary data. Clearly explain your research approach without using jargon. Define success and the criteria used to determine if the proposed work is successful. Address how the outcomes of the proposed work fit into a longer, larger research plan.
3. Project Timeline (1 page max). Please address how the proposed work will be carried out during the award period (i.e. 4 months).
4. Budget Justification (1 page max)
   1. Allowable costs include:
      • Salary/Fringe: Up to 10% effort for PI (or cumulative 10% for MPIs), up to the NIH Salary Cap. Other personnel as needed to fulfill the project aims. Graduate student effort (and tuition according to the accounting policies of the PI’s institution).
      • Supplies
      • Other Expenses
   2. Unallowable costs include travel, equipment, software licenses, consultant costs, alterations, renovations and inpatient/outpatient care.

Please submit applications by 5pm CT on the posted deadline via RED-ASSIST.

Review Criteria: Awards will assessed on aspects of significance, rigor and feasibility, and expertise and resources. Additional review criteria address Human Subject/Animal Protection, Budget and Timeline, and Extramural Competitiveness. Applications focused on the use of pre-existing methods and/or generation of new data will not be considered.

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Award Responsibilities:

• Award Selections - Selected investigators will receive a Notice of Award (NoA). Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. Awards resulting from this NOFO are subject to NIH grant terms and conditions (Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants).
• NIH Progress Reports - You will be asked to submit scientific progress reports – a template and the deadline(s) of such reports will be provided in the NoA.
• Publishing – Publications and related products that result from this award must cite the CCTS grant and fulfill NIH Public Access Policy

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Questions?

General inquiries can be sent to ccts@uab.edu or (205) 934-7442. More specific questions can be posed to:
Scientific/Research Contact, Robert Oster, PhD
Grants Management Contact, Anne Russell, PhD

Click here to view past recipients from 2022 and 2023.