This program utilizes a two-phase application process. Pre-applications will be scored using a NIH 1-9 scale by CCTS members from across the partner network. If invited to submit a full application, the CCTS will help applicants coordinate a CCTS PDQ Panel and BERD consult to help sharpen full proposals before they are submitted. Full applications will then be reviewed internally and externally (e.g. via the CTSA External Reviewer Exchange Consortium (CEREC)). After review, selected proposals will be subject to NIH prior approval before an award can be made.

Applicants may request up to $60,000 in Direct Costs with the CCTS Hub committing up to half (see more on co-sponsorship below). Indirect costs will be factored into awards made to partner institutions. Allowable costs include personnel (PIs salary support must be less than 15%), inpatient/outpatient care, core services, supplies and consultant and equipment costs (with pre-approval by CCTS pilot program leadership). Unallowable costs include renovations, alterations, publication and travel expenses. The maximum project period is 12 months.

Applicants are expected to identify at least one non-CCTS co-sponsor to provide a 1:1 match for funds provided by the CCTS Hub. A co-sponsor may include an institution, school, department, division, a University-wide Interdisciplinary Research Center or a combination thereof, based at the PI’s home institution. When submitting a pre-application, applicants acknowledge this program requires co-sponsorship. The source of co-sponsorship only needs to be formalized when submitting a full application by way of a Letter of Support from each co-sponsor outlining their financial pledge.

Early stage investigators and those with previous and/or active K-awards are strongly encouraged to apply. PIs must be full-time faculty located at a partner network institution. Projects already supported by extramural funding cannot be considered. More established PIs may comment on how the proposed aims represent a major shift from his/her scientific portfolio to date by providing an Eligibility Statement as part of the pre-application.

Applicants from the following partner network institutes are welcome to apply: Auburn University, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Southern Research, Tuskegee University, University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa), University of Alabama at Birmingham (Hub), University of Mississippi and University of South Alabama.

Pre-Applications

Pre-applications are accepted via RED-ASSIST (https://redcap.dom.uab.edu/surveys/?s=XKRYLHKE34). This online submission form requests applicants to provide contact information, affiliations, demographic information, project title, a lay summary, regulatory information, and a proposal uploaded as a single PDF containing the following information:

• A declaration of the Principal Investigator’s (PI) eligibility – 2-3 sentences
• A statement of CCTS Vision/Mission alignment – Up to 20 lines
• A Pre-Application Research Plan – 2 pages containing the following sections:
  • • Significance
    • Innovation
    • Approach
    • References (excluded from page limit)
• NIH biosketch (PI only)

Full Applications

If invited to submit a full application, applicants will be asked to supply a statement on mission alignment, a research strategy (4-pages), authentication of key resources, NIH biosketches, Budget, Budget Justification, Co-sponsorship Letter(s) of Support, Project Timeline and a CCTS Consultation Summary. Detailed application instructions, templates (budget, project timeline and CCTS consultation summary) and information regarding the NIH prior approval process, award responsibilities and reporting requirements will be made available when applicants are invited to submit a full application.