As part of UNC Chapel Hill's Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA),funded by the National Institutes for Health (NIH) and implemented by NC TraCS, the CTS Research Program supports cutting-edge translational science research that addresses challenges along the translational research pipeline.
Our goal is to support the development of innovative solutions to scientific and operational roadblocks in translational research that speed up the discovery and implementation of effective treatments. We aim to achieve this by funding investigators and their teams to implement translational science research projects through our Innovation to Impact Awards. These projects:
- 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
View slides from the March 25th FAQ Session: FAQ session (pdf)
Questions? Contact the CTS Research Program staff at
Request for Applications
The CTS Research Program invites applications for our i2i Awards. Proposals must focus on a research project that includes a translational science aim applied to a translational research question—in other words, proposals focus on developing innovative methods or approaches that enhance the research process while also addressing a specific disease or condition.
Key information:
- $125,000/year in years 1 and 2, up to $250,000 in year 3
- Awards operate as Cooperative Agreements, with NC TraCS providing substantial involvement and oversight
- Concept Proposals are due May 26, 2026
Wayfinding for Prognostic Modeling: A Translational Science (TS) Process for Developing an Oncology Risk-Stratified Intervention System (OR-SIS)
While the use of prognostic models has grown tremendously in biomedical research, including to support practice-based risk stratification, a persistent TS challenge is the disconnect between model development and the delivery of actionable, patient-centered clinical interventions.
This project aimed to address this gap by developing a "wayfinding" process that combined clinician judgement, statistical analyses, model verification, and risk-targeted care plan development. The wayfinding process was used to design and implement an oncology risk-stratified intervention system (OR-SIS) within UNC Health's Epic environment to predict who may be at elevated risk for Acute Care Events (ACEs), which may enable clinicians to intervene earlier and prevent avoidable complications. The resulting generalizable TS prototype for prognostic modeling is one that can be adapted across clinical contexts to enhance patient care. It also offers a repeatable pathway for accelerating the translation of predictive analytics into clinical workflows across diverse care settings, ultimately increasing the efficiency, timeliness, and impact of care delivery (see also TraCS Feature Story).
Collaboration with TraCS resources and services: Informatics & Data Science (IDSci) and Biostatistics.
CAR-T Beyond Cancer: Expanding Perceptions and Participation in Clinical Trials for Cell-Based Therapies in Lupus and Autoimmunity
Although CAR-T cell therapy shows significant promise for autoimmune diseases like lupus, its translation beyond oncology remains limited. Key barriers including cost, low patient and clinician awareness, and its strong association as a cancer treatment, have constrained clinical trial participation in non-oncology settings.
This project seeks to overcome these TS barriers by developing engagement strategies and educational resources grounded in the perspectives of both patients and clinicians. This project aims to enhance understanding of and participation in CAR-T lupus clinical trials as a TR use-case, ultimately enabling the broader adoption of cell-based therapy trials across diverse disease areas. The resulting strategies will form a generalizable TS framework for improving recruitment, communication, and stakeholder engagement in emerging therapeutic trials.
Collaboration with TraCS resources and services: Qualitative Research Service, Recruitment and Retention, Patient and Community Engagement in Research (PaCER), and Biostatistics.
| FOA Release Date | March 9, 2026 |
| FAQ Session | March 25, 2026 |
| Concept Proposal Due Date | May 26, 2026 |
| Invitations for Full Proposals | June 2026 |
| Full Proposal Due Date | October 1, 2026 |
| Review of Full Proposals | Fall 2026 |
| Anticipated Negotiations and Revisions | Winter 2027 |
| Anticipated Project Initiation Activities | Spring 2027 |
| Anticipated Funding/Project Start | April 1, 2027 (earliest) |
Concept Proposals are due May 26, 2026, and if invited, Full Proposals are due October 1, 2026.
| Concept Proposals | Review & Invitation | Full Proposals (by invitation only) | Review & Invitation | Negotiations & Revisions |
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- General questions? email
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Questions regarding applicant eligibility and the application process may be directed by email to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , Program Manager for TraCS Funding Programs
For requesters with a UNC ONYEN or TraCS Connect account:
If you do not have a UNC ONYEN or TraCS Connect account, request an account first.
