Determination as to what extent a research project will be supported will be determined by the CTRC Leadership.

A research protocol is designated as one of the following categories:

• Category A Studies: Study initiated by a senior investigator** and funded by NIH/Grant, Foundation, Network studies, Department sponsored, or unfunded research. This category of studies pays 50% of the CTRC level of care fee.
• Category B Studies: Study initiated by an early stage investigator* and funded by NIH/Grant, Foundation, Network studies, Department sponsored, or unfunded research. This category of studies pays 50% of the CTRC level of care fee.
• Category D Studies: Study initiated by an investigator or industry and sponsored by industry. This category of studies pays 100% of the CTRC level of care fee.

Investigator-initiated Protocols

Investigator-initiated studies are generally funded by a non-profit, state, or government agency; however in some cases, studies may also receive industry funding. For multi-center studies, UNC does not have to be the coordinating center; however; the research must meet ALL of the following criteria to receive a designation as an Investigator-initiated protocol:

• The research is within the investigators' area(s) of academic research interest.
• The investigator(s) have had substantial input into protocol design for the proposed protocol and take responsibility for the quality of the protocol.
• The principal investigator will have full control of the data and will be the responsible author for all major publications that result from the research.

Industry-Initiated Protocols

Industry-initiated studies are those in which an industry sponsor has approached an investigator to conduct a study where the protocol design was initiated by the sponsor and the investigator and study expenses are paid for by the industry sponsor.