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Office of Research and Grant Development

Program Details

NIH: Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Program Infrastructure for Clinical and Translational Research (IDeA-CTR)(U54)PAR-17-304

Sponsor: NIH
Internal Deadline: 11/17/2017
Institutional Submission Limit: 1
Sponsor Deadline: 10/02/2018
Program Website

NIH: Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Program Infrastructure for Clinical and Translational Research (IDeA-CTR)(U54)PAR-17-304

NIH has released the IDeA Program Infrastructure for Clinical and Translational Research to support the development of infrastructure and other resources required for the conduct of Clinical and Translational Research (CTR) in IDeA-eligible states (South Carolina is one).

IDeA-CTR Centers are expected to provide added value to the biomedical research efforts in the participating institutions through support of activities that cannot easily be provided through standard research grant awards.

The proposed activities will provide the infrastructure and resources that will enhance the competitiveness of the investigators to obtain additional funding for clinical and translational research. Applicants must establish a statewide network of collaborating and partnering institutions/organizations.

Other institutions/organizations outside the state may be included if forming a network of wider reach.

NIH established the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Program in 1993 to enhance biomedical research activities in states that have had historically low NIH grant funding success rates. The IDeA Program has enabled and continues to foster the development of capacity and infrastructure that allow many investigators in IDeA states to compete successfully for more traditional NIH funding, particularly in the areas of basic biomedical and behavioral research.

While the progress achieved by IDeA investigators in basic research has been significant, tremendous challenges and opportunities remain for pursuing activities focused on clinical and translational research. It is critical that the many advances in basic biomedical research emerging from IDeA states be translated into better patient care and improved public health by fostering partnerships between basic and clinical scientists in IDeA institutions and among other NIH-funded programs.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) encourages applications from IDeA states for the development of intra- and/or interstate network infrastructure for clinical and translational research.

The Office of Research is looking for applicants interested in leading a submission for the October, 2018 deadline. An IDeA-CTR application will provide details for supporting clinical and translational activities, particularly research focused on health concerns prevalent in the participating IDeA states.

An IDeA-CTR Center will have the appropriate infrastructure and/or activities that will support the following required Key Component Activities (KCAs):
• Professional Development Core
• Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) Core
• Community Engagement and Outreach (CEO) Core
• Pilot Projects Program
• Tracking and Evaluation

In addition to required KCAs, the applicant may also propose other KCAs to achieve the specific objectives of the IDeA-CTR. Optional KCAs that may be proposed include but are not limited to the following:
• Clinical Research Resources and Facilities
• Biomedical Informatics, Bioinformatics, and Cyberinfrastructure Enhancement Core
• Ethics, Regulatory Knowledge, and Other Support Activities
• Technologies and Resources for Research Laboratories

IDeA applications are limited to academic health centers and one per state; MUSC is not eligible because it has a current CTSA Award but it may be a partner or collaborator.

For the internal competition, please prepare the following:
• A three page description of how you would lead the proposed IDeA-CTR center, including scientific opportunities the Center intends to pursue over five years. While you may name potential collaborators, the Office of Research also can assist in forming teams.
• NIH Biosketches of the PI/Multiple PIs. Please note PIs (and any multiple PIs) must have NIH R01 funding or equivalent.


Submit the description and biosketches as a single PDF file to Richard White (whitejrw@mailbox.sc.edu) in the Office of Research and Grant Development by 5 pm on Friday, November 17, 2017.

For questions regarding the internal competition, please contact either Richard or Beth Herron (bherron@mailbox.sc.edu)at 803-777-2885.

The NIH deadline for this competition in 2018 is October 2. For the full PAR, please see: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-17-304.html

Office of Research and Grant Development


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