Skip to main content

Services by category

Clinical Research Operations and Conduct

Clinical facility operations, nursing services, specimen processing and storage facilities.

Clinical regulatory assistance, guidance, and education for investigators and study coordinators.

Access to part-time study coordinators, project managers, and assistance hiring/onboarding for human subjects research.

Proposal Development, Funding, and Team Science

Funding opportunities in Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) research and other related awards

Funding your research

NC TraCS supports research that advances the science of translation, helping overcome barriers that slow the movement of discoveries into practice. Our funding opportunities support investigators across the translational spectrum—from early-stage ideas to implementation at scale.

Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) Funding

NC TraCS offers two funding opportunities for advancing CTS: the CTS Pilot Program and the Innovation to Impact (i2i) Awards.

logo for TraCS Funding - CTS Pilot Program

Purpose: Supports early-stage projects that improve understanding of the scientific and operational principles guiding translational research. Pilot projects are intended to:

  • Explore innovative new leads, or new directions for established investigators
  • Stimulate investigators from other areas to lend their expertise in research in CTS
  • Provide initial support to establish proof of concept

Key details:

  • Award amount: $25,000 - $50,000 in direct costs
  • Project period: 1 year
  • Awards available: 8 annually

Status: Accepting applications
Applications Due: 7/14/26

logo for TraCS Funding - CTS Innovation to Impact Awards

Purpose: Supports multi-year projects aimed at removing major translational barriers and enabling rapid implementation at UNC Health and beyond. i2i projects are intended to:

  • Enhance translational research effectiveness and efficiency with hypothesis-driven CTS
  • Integrate CTS with clinical and translational research
  • Address critical CTS questions with potential for rapid implementation at UNC Health and beyond

Key details:

  • Award amount: $125,000 in Years 1 and 2 and up to $250,000 in Year 3 in direct costs
  • Project period: 3 years
  • Awards available: varies

Status: Accepting applications
Concept Proposals due: 5/26/26
Full Proposals due: 10/1/26


more about CTS Funding

Additional CTSA-affiliated Funding

NC TraCS also coordinates with specialized opportunities that enhance CTS through associated grants awarded to and across CTSA program hubs.

(Limited Competition) High Impact Specialized Innovation Programs in CTS (RC2)

Purpose: Supports innovation resources, activities, and expertise that advance CTS.

Key details:

  • Award amount: Up to $500,000 per year in direct costs
  • Project period: Up to 5 years

Status: Accepting applications
Letters of Intent due: 4/14/26

Junior Faculty Career Development Program (K12)

Purpose: Provides mentored career development in translational science for early-career faculty. Activities include translational science projects and leadership and mentoring training.

Key details:

  • Award amount: Up to $120,000 per year, excluding fringe
  • Project period: Up to 2 years

Status: Accepting applications

CTSA Program Collaborative Innovation Awards (CCIA)

This NCATS CCIA opportunity supports multi-CTSA teams in developing, demonstrating, and disseminating innovative solutions that overcome major barriers in translational science. These awards focus on tackling challenges that no single hub can solve alone, accelerating the movement of scientific discoveries into real‑world health solutions. Funded projects span a wide range of translational science areas including diagnostics, clinical trial design, patient‑reported outcomes, and community engagement, and reflect the NCATS CTSA Program's mission to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of translational research.

Additional External Funding

Research Advisory Council (RAC)

The Research Advisory Council (RAC) an innovative, joint committee composed of research leaders from Novant Health, Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center, UNC Health, and the UNC School of Medicine, offers 4 funding opportunities for investigators conducting, or interested in conducting, research around health access concerns relevant to southeastern North Carolina.

  • Research Capacity Building Grants — with an explicit focus on building sustainable and high impact research teams (up to $500k over 2-3 years). Not currently accepting applications.
  • Promoting Health Access Research in Southeastern NC — promoting research to understand and improve relevant health challenges related to access to primary care, specialty care, community health, and optimal wellbeing (up to $50k over 1 year). Not currently accepting applications. Awards will provide up to $50,000 in funding for a 12-month project period.
  • Health Access Research Training Awards — sponsoring up to ten awards to reimburse up to $500-$1,650 to fund training for investigators or their students/research staff. Awards are made on a rolling basis.
  • Health Access Research Presentation Travel Fund — sponsoring up to five research travel awards to reimburse up to $1,650 each for investigators interested in presenting research around health access concerns to an academic or community outlet. Awards are made on a rolling basis.

Status: Not currently accepting applications

Funding Opportunities

see also

Categories

Proposal review and editorial support, identifying funding sources, grantsmanship training and education, sample applications, and TraCS Letters of Support.

Assistance with identifying collaborators, tools to develop and sustain teams, and team development and management.

Vouchers of up to $5,000 support engagement-related activities during the pre-award period.

Clinical Informatics and Electronic Health Record Data

Learn about or request data from the Carolina Data Warehouse for Health for research purposes.

Provides resources, through consultations and also developer time, to build initial versions of applications and help researchers move from concept to product.

Research Analytics, Design, and Data Management

Biostatistical collaboration, short-term consultation, statistical methodology support, assistance with grant and manuscript preparation

Quick translation of discoveries, ideas, and inventions into marketable products. R&D and research commercialization support.

Technical assistance for dissemination & implementation (D&I) science proposals, finding collaborators, and selecting and refining approaches to dissemination and implementation of evidence-based interventions.

Methodologies and best practices for qualitative data collection and analysis; tailored qualitative research study support and mentorship.

Assistance with mixed-method approaches; integrating dissimilar concepts/constructs; data collection techniques, data, and/or forms of analysis.

Engagement, Recruitment, and Demographic Support in Research

Trainings and resources for research teams and community/patient partners; tailored study support for engagement; facilitated connections between research teams and partners.

Planning or troubleshooting recruitment and retention efforts, creating/optimizing recruitment materials, MyChart recruitment.

Expert study design and methods support to address differential health outcomes. Population and participant demographic assessment.

Guidance for conducting research in healthcare and practice-based settings.

Training and Career Development

K12 program, R writing groups, mock reviews, Career Development Award (K) writing groups, mentor identification/training, responsible conduct of research.

Educational Events and Opportunities

View a monthly calendar of all TraCS-sponsored learning opportunities and other relevant trainings and events.

For a list of rates for NC TraCS services, visit tracs.unc.edu/rates.

Need help finding a service? Contact us.