The NC TraCS Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) Pilot Program supports investigation focused on understanding the scientific and operational principles underlying each step of the translational process, so that advances can be applied to research on any target or disease.
We are seeking proposals that focus on understanding a scientific or operational principle underlying a step of the translational research process with the goal of developing generalizable principles to accelerate translation.
The NC TraCS Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) Pilot Program supports investigation focused on understanding the scientific and operational principles underlying each step of the translational process, so that advances can be applied to research on any target or disease.
Projects must be feasible within the proposed one-year timeframe, have high methodological and scientific quality.
Attend an upcoming educational session to learn more:
View slides from the April 2023 information session: TraCS CTS Pilot info session slides (pdf)
The National Center for the Advancement of Translational Science (NCATS) defines Translational Science as "the field of investigation focused on understanding the scientific and operational principles underlying each step of the translational process."
Whereas translational research focuses on the specific case of a target or disease, translational science is focused on the general case that applies to any target or disease.
A key tenet of translational science is to understand common causes of inefficiency and failure in translational research projects (e.g., incorrect predictions of the toxicity or efficacy of new drugs, lack of data interoperability, ineffective clinical trial recruitment).
The TraCS Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) pilot award program is intended to support Clinical and Translational Science (CTS), the field of investigation focused on understanding the scientific and operational principles underlying each step of the translational process.
Projects are intended to:
Projects must be feasible within the proposed timeframe, have high methodological and scientific quality, and answer important scientific questions. Pilot project support is not intended for large projects by established investigators that would otherwise be submitted as separate research grant applications.
Whereas translational research focuses on the specific case of a target or disease, translational science focuses on the general case that can be applied to research on any target or disease. The below example illustrates the distinction between Translational Research and Translational Science.
Translational Research (TR)The endeavor to traverse a particular step of the translational process for a particular target or disease |
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Translational Science (TS)The field of investigation focused on understanding the scientific and operational principles underlying each step of the translational process |
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Source: grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-21-293.html
Applications submitted to the TraCS CTS Pilot Program must focus on translational science ; translational research projects are generally not allowed. However, the proposed research may use a specific use case to test a CTS hypothesis (see above), in which case the CTS relevance of the work should be clearly described.
Types of pilot activities that may be supported include the following. Note that these are examples, not an exhaustive or complete list:
Here are some specific examples of translational pilot project topics with CTS application:
1. Identifying barriers to participation in prospective autism infant sibling research for Black families: a qualitative and quantitative approach
This project proposed to:
This project has CTS application since the goal is to improve recruitment methods using Autism as the use case.
2. Non-invasive optoelectronic systems for diabetes health monitoring at the skin interface
This project describes the development of an advanced wireless, noninvasive, wearable glucose sensor, integrating optical polarimetry, near-infrared spectroscopy in a soft, patchable, and miniaturized construction, that incorporates a novel multi-modality sensing algorithm for enhanced accuracy and stability.
While the use case here is specific to diabetes, these technologies may, if successful, be applicable to other use cases.
3. Validating Claims-based Definitions for Deprescribing Using Electronic Health Records: Bridging the Gap Between Clinical and Administrative Data Sources
The goal of this study is to better understand and improve claims-based deprescribing definitions by comparing claims with detailed EHR data. It focuses on a clinical scenario in which deprescribing is clearly indicatedbenzodiazepine use following a fall-related hospitalization in older adults. Comparing claims data to unstructured EHR data will enable assessment of when a patient's medication was deprescribed, and how well gaps in medication use in claims data can identify intentional deprescribing and distinguish it from stoppages for other reasons (e.g., patient nonadherence). The results of this study will provide pilot data for a larger study that will help better implement deprescribing interventions by study patterns and outcomes of deprescribing of various medication types.
Using benzodiazepine deprescription as a use case, this is designed to be an improvement on an important data tool used in all sorts of research.
A list of common roadblocks to clinical and translational science:
TraCS CTS Pilot Roadblocks Table (pdf)
For each annual CTS pilot grant cycle, NC TraCS will award up to eight (8) grants of $25,000 – $50,000 direct costs. Awards are to be expended within a 12-month period starting from the date of issue of a Notice of Award. Budget details and procedures, including allowed expenses, are detailed in the Application Instructions.
FOA Release Date | September 18, 2023 |
FAQ Sessions | October 11, 2023, 3 p.m. October 13, 2023, 10 a.m. |
*Meetings with TraCS service reps | September 25, 2023 – November 10, 2023 |
Application Due Date | November 14, 2023 |
Anticipated Funding Announcement | January 19, 2024 |
Anticipated Funding Start | April 1, 2024 |
All applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with TraCS pilot program staff prior to submitting a full proposal, to ensure optimal responsiveness to the FOA.
* Applicants proposing to use TraCS services are required to meet with service representatives prior to submitting a proposal.
View slides from the April 2023 information session: TraCS CTS Pilot info session slides (pdf)
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