CTSI Translational Science Pilot Award RFA

The Clinical Translational Science Pilot Program (CTSP) at The Ohio State University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), is now accepting applications for the 2026 CTSI Translational Science Pilot Award, funded through the NIH CTSA award. The goal of the Translational Science Pilot Award is to fund highly meritorious research for the development of preliminary data to enable researchers to be competitive in applying for extramural funding that advances clinical and translational science.

This request for applications (RFA) is designed to stimulate and support transformative, innovative, interdisciplinary studies that seek to advance team science, implementation science, inter-institutional partnerships and/or community partnerships through understanding and addressing the biological, behavioral, environmental, sociocultural and structural factors that influence chronic disease management. 

Successful translational science studies can emphasize specific clinical and translational research area, but must be designed to develop or test a translational science-directed hypothesis with potential for broader application that addresses a barrier to the progression of turning observations in the laboratory, clinic and community into interventions that improve the health of individuals or the population health. Through employing one or more translational science principles, a translational science-directed hypothesis should generate a scientific, operational, financial or administrative innovation that addresses longstanding challenges along the translational research pipeline, transforming the way that research is done, making it faster, more efficient and more impactful. For more information on translational science and the scientific and operational principles of translational science, please see Faupel-Badger JM, Vogel AL, Austin CP, Rutter JL. Advancing translational science education. Clin Transl Sci. 2022 Nov;15(11):2555-2566. PMID: 36045637.

In alignment with NIH priorities that include Executive Order 14212, which established the President’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, the CTSI is seeking applications for projects focused on chronic disease prevention and management. The CTSI invites proposals that address the root causes, early detection or innovative interventions for chronic conditions and their complications that affect children and/or adults. 

Projects may examine clinical and translational science questions for individual-level, community-level or structural determinants of chronic disease risk, including but not limited to diet and nutrition, physical activity, environmental exposures, medication and vaccine overuse, healthcare access and social determinants of health. Proposals that incorporate multidisciplinary, community-engaged or policy-informed approaches are encouraged, as are those that consider the life course, from early childhood through older adulthood.

CTSI Pilot funding is made available through the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program awarded to The Ohio State University by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). The NIH CTSA Funding Opportunity Announcement (PAR-21-293) stipulates that pilot studies funded through the CTSAs must be focused on translational science and understanding the scientific or operational principles underlying a step of the translational process, with the goal of developing generalizable solutions to accelerate translational research. 

The ultimate goal of this RFA is to strengthen efforts by The Ohio State University researchers in advancing clinical and translational science that aims to improve health for all. 

NIH rules require that CTSA pilot funding recipients may not have more than one year of funding under this mechanism (i.e. no cost extensions are not allowed), and thus proposals should clearly be achievable within 12 months. As such, investigators are encouraged to consider how proposing more than one aim impacts the feasibility of completing their work in the allocated timeframe. Feasibility for the work to be completed within 12 months will be an important review criterion. 

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must have Principal Investigator (PI) status as defined by The Ohio State University or Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
• Applicants have not received a CTSI pilot grant award or Clinical and Translational Science Research (CTSR) award within 24 months prior to the pre-application deadline September 19, 2025.
• Proposal for preliminary research that can be completed within one year with a high probability of obtaining future external funding.
• Development of new concepts, methods, technologies or research practices that drive and/or facilitate translational science beyond the research area of the proposal. Such proposals should clearly identify translational science challenges or barriers that their proposal addresses.

Application Requirements

A pre-application is required and must be submitted online through the REDCap form available here. The pre-application includes the following: 

• 2026 CTSI Translation Science Pilot Award REDCap Application Form
• Research plan – 1 page
• PI(s) Biosketch(es)

A full application will be submitted through an online REDCap form by invitation only following successful completion of the pre-application. 

Application Review Process

The Ohio State CTSI participates in a national CTSA External Reviewer Exchange Consortium (CEREC) to improve fairness in the scientific review process and better match applicants with feedback from experts in their respective fields. Trained patient and community 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.

Funding

$25,000 - $35,000 in direct costs can be budgeted for the 12 month project. No cost extensions are not allowed, thus unspent pilot funds by 12 months will not be available for further research. Salary support for faculty may be requested under the following guidelines:

• Assistant Professor 10% effort up to NIH CAP
• Associate professor 5% effort up to NIH CAP
• Full professor 2.5% effort up to NIH CAP

Graduate student and technician support, as well as laboratory supplies, are permitted. Notification of awards will be made no later than January 31, 2026. Funds will be available for the next fiscal year, 08/01/2026 to 07/31/2027, to conduct the proposed research. Funds will not be available after 7/31/2027. 

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

Additional Important Information

If the study meets human subject research criteria, IRB approval documentation is required for NCATS Prior Approval Submission. IRB submission must be submitted by March 13, 2026, or the offer for funding will be withdrawn.

Full applications will be sent to 1-2 external reviewers with expertise in the subject matter. All applications will be scored on each of the review criteria using NIH 9 point scale along with written reviews. Full proposals will be subject to a NIH-type study section assessment and interactive discussion based on the submitted written feedback from external reviewers, institutional context and the overall relevance to the mission of the CTSI.