NIBIB Supplements to NCATS CTSA Programs for Translational Research Teams of Quantitative Researchers and Clinician-Scientists (Admin Supp) | PA 18 426

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 426

This opportunity (PA 18-426) is an NIH administrative supplement focused on strengthening team-based translational research within existing NCATS Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) hubs. Its central aim is to make it easier for quantitative researchers (for example, experts in biomedical engineering, imaging, data science, computational modeling, biostatistics, or related quantitative fields) to work directly with clinician-scientists who are already being developed through a CTSA KL2 career development program. Rather than creating a brand-new standalone grant, the supplement adds targeted support onto an active parent CTSA KL2 structure at an eligible institution, with the intent of accelerating practical, clinically relevant translation that aligns with the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) mission.

The supplement specifically provides salary and research support for a quantitative researcher, but that support is explicitly tied to a collaboration with a clinician-scientist who is a KL2 scholar. In other words, the funded “team” is built around a pairing: a quantitative researcher who receives supplement-backed support, and a KL2 clinician-scientist who remains funded through the existing parent KL2 award for the full period of the supplement. The design makes the collaboration the centerpiece of the request: the quantitative researcher’s involvement is not incidental, and the supplement is intended to enable real joint work on a translational team project (such as developing and validating an imaging method, creating a modeling approach for diagnosis or prognosis, designing quantitative tools for intervention monitoring, or other NIBIB-relevant translational efforts). The expectation is that the collaboration will be guided by appropriate basic and clinical science mentors, ensuring the project is both methodologically strong and clinically grounded.

In terms of how the team and project come together, the KL2 Program Director/Principal Investigator plays a key leadership role. The KL2 PI selects both members of the team (the quantitative researcher and the clinician-scientist KL2 scholar) and helps them shape a well-defined translational research project. That project must fit NIBIB’s research mission, meaning it should be tied to biomedical imaging, bioengineering, or closely related quantitative technologies that can move along the translational pathway. After helping assemble the team and refine the project plan with mentor input, the KL2 PI submits the administrative supplement request under this funding opportunity announcement. This structure reinforces that the supplement is meant to leverage the existing CTSA training and mentoring environment, while adding targeted resources to bring quantitative innovation into direct partnership with clinical investigation.

Eligibility is anchored to institutions that already have active CTSA programs under PAR-15-304, since the supplement is designed to attach to that CTSA/KL2 ecosystem. The eligible applicant types include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and other qualifying organizations tied to CTSA hubs. The announcement also highlights eligibility for several categories of institutions that serve specific populations, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible; however, foreign components as defined by NIH policy are allowed, which can matter when part of the work, expertise, or a collaborating element involves an allowable foreign component under NIH rules.

Administratively, the opportunity is listed as a discretionary grant in the health funding activity category, associated with CFDA number 93.286 and administered by NIH. The original closing date provided for the announcement was January 23, 2018, and the posting date reflected in the source data is December 6, 2017. Award ceiling and expected award counts are not specified in the provided excerpt, which is typical for certain supplement announcements where amounts and totals may depend on available funds, the scope of the parent award, and the specific supplement request.

Overall, the practical takeaway is that this supplement is meant to rapidly enable “two-culture” translational teams: quantitative experts who can build or adapt rigorous methods and tools, and clinician-scientists positioned to test and implement those advances in ways that address real clinical needs. The funding mechanism intentionally keeps the clinician-scientist’s salary/support on the existing KL2 award while adding incremental support for the quantitative collaborator, lowering barriers to forming effective partnerships and producing tangible translational outcomes within the CTSA environment.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIBIB Supplements to NCATS CTSA Programs for Translational Research Teams of Quantitative Researchers and Clinician-Scientists (Admin Supp)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.286.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-12-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-01-23. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for PA 18 426

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