Fourteen academic health centers in 11 states are the latest members to become a part of the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) consortium. The Centers will receive $533 million over 5 years to help researchers turn laboratory discoveries into treatments for patients, to engage communities in clinical research efforts, and to train the next generation of clinical and translational researchers. The consortium is led by the National Center for Research Resources a part of NIH.
The institutions receiving the new CTSA funding include Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, Boston University, Harvard University, Indiana University School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, Scripps Research Institute, Stanford University, Tufts University, University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Colorado Denver, University of North Carolina, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and the University of Utah.
Since the launch in 2006, the consortium has:
- Leveraged CTSA resources to expand research and training opportunities in underserved states and communities
- Assembled interdisciplinary teams of biologists, clinical researchers, nurses, pharmacists, biomedical engineers and geneticists
- Partnered with researchers at minority institutions to enhance outreach to underserved populations, local community and advocacy organizations, and healthcare providers
- Created best practices to improve clinical research informatics tools to analyze research data and manage clinical trials
- Designated technologies for marketing and licensing purposes that will increase global access to research tools
- Forged new partnerships with private and public healthcare organization, including pharmaceutical companies, VA hospitals, health maintenance organizations, as well as state health agencies
Most of the funding will come from terminating grants to General Clinical Research Centers supplemented by NIH Roadmap funds. In 2012, when the program is fully implemented approximately 60 CTSAs will be connected with an annual budget of $500 million.
A fourth funding opportunity announcement for CTSAs is now available, and the next round of applications need to be submitted by June 17, 2008 with the awards expected in March 2009. For more information, concerning this funding announcement go to www.ncrr.nih.gov/crfunding. For more information, on the academic health centers go to www.ncrr.nih.gov/ctsa2008.
