2026 Clinical and Translational Science Research Program RFA

Funding 

Up to $125,000 per year in direct costs can be budgeted for a two-year period, for a maximum amount of $250,000. No-cost extensions are not allowed, thus unspent funds are not available past 12 months. 

• Salary support for faculty may be requested under the following guidelines:
  • Assistant Professor 15% effort up to NIH CAP
  • Associate professor 10% effort up to NIH CAP
  • Full professor 5% effort up to NIH CAP
• Salary and fringe support for students, graduate students, clinical trainees, post-doctoral and clinical fellows are permitted. 
• Subcontracts for personnel or services outside Ohio State or Nationwide Children’s Hospital are not permitted.
• Travel funds are permitted if necessary to conduct the study (e.g., participant travel). No international travel is allowed.
• Equipment that is essential for the study and not otherwise available may be requested, but equipment expenditures greater than $3,000 are discouraged. 

A notice of intent to fund will be sent in February 2026 and will be subject to NCATS prior approval. Contingent on NCATS prior approval, funds will be available beginning August 1, 2026.

Support for dissemination of validated methods across the regional and national CTSA networks for broader translational science impact will be provided to awardees.

Eligibility Requirements

PERSONNEL

• Applicants must have Principal Investigator (PI) status as defined by The Ohio State University or Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
• PIs are required to be members of CTSI before submitting an application. Join the CTSI 
• Applicants cannot have had a CTSI pilot award that activated on or after August 1, 2024, or a Research Program award that activated on or after August 1, 2023.
• Prior to submitting a full application, all applicants must complete all necessary research training (Responsible Code of Research, Human Subject Protection and Good Clinical Practice) if the proposed project involves human subjects. 

PROJECTS

• Proposals must develop new concepts, methods, technologies, or research practices that drive translational science, and should clearly identify the translational science challenges or barriers that their proposal addresses.
• Proposed work must be innovative, equitable and generalizable.
• Proposed work must be completed within two years. The NIH does not allow no cost extensions on these funds. Feasibility for completing the work within 24 months will be an important review criterion.

Application and Review Process 

PRE-APPLICATIONS

A pre-application is required and must be submitted via REDCap in the following format: 

• REDCap Form
  • Lead PI Information
  • Co-PI Information
  • Other Co-Investigators
  • Project Description
  • Translational Science Statement
  • Regulatory Considerations
  • Budget (non-itemized)
  • External Collaborators
• 1-Page Abstract of the proposed work that includes the questions and translational challenges addressed, significance, methods and specific aims
• MPI NIH Biosketch(es)

Directors of the Clinical and Translational Science Research Program review pre-applications to the Clinical and Translational Science Research Program and evaluate for significance, innovation and relevance. Selected projects will be invited for full applications.

FULL APPLICATIONS

Full applications are by invitation only. Invitations and a link to the REDCap full application form will be emailed the week of September 23, 2025.

CTSI participates in a national Center for Translational Science Award External Reviewer Exchange Consortium to improve fairness in the scientific review process and better match applicants with feedback from experts in their respective fields. Trained patient and practitioner reviewers are also included in the grant review process. In submitting an application, you agree to allow reviewers external to The Ohio State University and Nationwide Children’s Hospital to access to your application materials. 

Applications will be sent to 1-2 external reviewers with expertise in the subject matter and scored on the review criteria using the NIH 9-point scale. Applications will then be assessed in an NIH-type study section that takes into consideration external reviewer feedback, institutional context, and relevance to the CTSI mission.

Applications selected for funding are subject to NCATS prior approval before the release of funds. Teams selected for funding are required to meet with CTSI Regulatory Program Manager April Green before February 24, 2026, regarding the pre-approval submission process.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

IRB approval or determination of non-human subject research is required for NCATS Prior Approval submission. IRB submission must be submitted by March 31, 2026, or the offer for funding will be withdrawn.