Funding for Translational Research at NIH

This month, The National Institutes of Health will be accepting its first round of applications for a new funding opportunity focused on supporting collaborative translational research projects.  First announced last fall, this U01 research program – Opportunities for Collaborative Research at the NIH Clinical Center – is designed to provide extramural (non-NIH) investigators a mechanism to establish collaborations with NIH intramural investigators and to take advantage of the unique research opportunities available at the NIH Clinical Center.

It is being offered by 12 NIH institutions and is intended to facilitate the translation of basic biological discoveries into therapeutic candidates for clinical testing.

With the creation of this funding opportunity and the establishment of NIH’s newest Center, NCATS, NIH continues to push forward its vision to transform the translational process for the benefit of patients. Recognizing the critical advancements that have been made in the understanding of basic disease biology, the agency continues to look for ways to infuse new and innovative thinking into not only the scientific discovery process, but also the process of getting important new medicines from discovery to patient.

We’re excited to see the increased focus on collaboration – for entry to the program, extramural research projects must have a collaborating investigator in the NIH Intramural Program as well as a “Collaboration Plan” – and eagerly await the first crop of awardees.

Fully utilizing the NIH Clinical Center was one of the recommendations that FasterCures had put forward in 2008 through its blue-ribbon task force focused on the NIH Intramural Research Program led by Nobel Laureate and FasterCures board member Dr. David Baltimore. In fact, of the five recommendations the task force presented, three have been acted on, with outcomes that will save lives by shortening the time it takes to turn breakthroughs into medical solutions.

To learn more about the application process for this grant program, watch the pre-application webinar or visit the official announcement page.

Resources:
Sequestration Station – Check out FasterCures’ Sequestration Station for more information on how sequestration will affect the National Institutes of Health.

Outside In: NIH Opens Clinical Center to Extramural Researchers

Researchers from academia, nonprofits, and other institutions not within the National Institutes of Health can now access the world-class facilities at the NIH Clinical Center.

Scientists interested in pursuing access to specific Clinical Center resources – including an impressive metabolic unit, pharmaceutical development capabilities, and advanced research-related radiology imaging services – can now explore opportunities and pathways for collaboration with the Center.

Until now, the Clinical Center —NIH’s crown jewel – has been exclusively available to the NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP).  But with a new grant mechanism, a website that provides information on opportunities and pathways for collaboration with the Center, and a toolkit for researchers interested in pursuing access to specific hospital resources, the doors (and medical possibilities) are opening up.

In 2008, FasterCures convened a task force chaired by Nobel Laureate Dr. David Baltimore, which called for the IRP to adopt a new mission that was outcomes-focused, capable of responding quickly to new opportunities, and fully utilized its world-class research hospital and other infrastructure (which at the time rarely reached 60% occupancy). Among the task force’s key recommendations  was that the NIH create streamlined mechanisms by which extramural researchers and industry could more fully use the Clinical Center for projects in collaboration with the IRP.

A few years later, in 2010, FasterCures and 86 other patient organizations sent a letter urging the NIH’s Scientific Management Review Board to open up the Clinical Center facilities to external researchers.

With some of the most advanced medical technologies in the world, the Clinical Center has a distinguished history of discovery. We are delighted to see NIH continue with this important initiative and we encourage researchers to take them up on their offer and make use of the Center’s incredible resources. After all – no one can do this alone.