Translational Science Pilot Award

The Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCaTS) Translational Science Pilot Award Program offered through Mayo Clinic's CCaTS provides one-year seed funding to advance innovative clinical and translational research. The program aligns with the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) principles of translational science that emphasize developing generalizable solutions that make research faster, more efficient, more inclusive and more impactful. Translational science focuses not only on advancing individual discoveries but also on improving the processes, tools and systems that move discoveries into practice.

Consistent with NCATS priorities, the program supports projects designed to overcome common barriers in research, including lengthy study start-up timelines, fragmented data systems, limited participation of diverse and underrepresented populations, regulatory and operational inefficiencies, and challenges in implementing findings into real-world clinical and community settings. Proposals should aim to generate preliminary data while also addressing broader translational roadblocks through innovative methods, cross-disciplinary collaboration and scalable approaches that can benefit multiple disease areas.

Areas of interest include:

• Innovative clinical trial methodologies.
• Use of real-world data and biorepositories.
• Community-engaged research.
• Strategies that enhance the efficiency, quality and impact of translational research.

Applications are reviewed competitively based on scientific rigor, innovation, feasibility within the funding period and potential for future external funding, with the ultimate goal of accelerating discoveries that improve patient and population health.