For the tenth year in a row, UW ICTR has awarded pilot funding for innovative clinical and translational research projects. $1.35 million has been awarded to 14 teams led by investigators in the UW Schools of Nursing, Pharmacy, Medicine & Public Health, and the College of Engineering.
Christine Sorkness, PharmD, ICTR Senior Associate Executive Director, comments,
We are especially proud to announce this year’s outstanding group of awardees, since the pilot award RFAs were released last winter when the result of our NIH CTSA renewal was very uncertain. It was an act of faith by our own staff and by investigators to move the application process forward in anticipation of another cycle of CTSA funding.
While ICTR does not yet have a notice of grant award (NOGA) from NIH, it now appears that the question is when? and not if? the award will be made.
The Wisconsin Partnership Program remains in place as a long-term supporter of the pilot awards focused on community-engaged and health equity research. Other co-funding partners this year include the UW Carbone Cancer Center, the UW Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, and the UW Department of Radiology. Co-funding allows scarce federal funds to be shared more widely as partners elect to advance high-scoring proposals in their research focus areas. Importantly, ICTR also serves as a co-funder for pilot awards programs administered by the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the Skin Disease Research Center and is supporting two projects from each in 2017.
Sorkness continues,
A big thank you to our many individual scientific reviewers and members of our ICTR Scientific Review Committee for their service to ICTR and the pilot awards programs. As team science expands on campus, it has become challenging to identify unconflicted reviewers with the required expertise, and our volunteers provide an essential service despite their busy schedules. Thank you!
ICTR pilot awards program managers Peggy Hatfield and Kate Judge are responsible for the annual application and review process. Given that a wide range of factors affect health outcomes, including social determinants of health, ICTR encourages applicants from across campus. We’re pleased to note that the 2017 awards include research teams from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the School of Education, in addition to our ICTR partner schools.