Key Translational Research Centers and Funding Programs

In the United States, translational research is funded, in large part, by Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs), a program that is part of the Division of Clinical Innovation at the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). In addition, funding is available through the Specialized Centers of Clinically Oriented Research (SCCOR) program, which also fosters multidisciplinary research on clinically relevant questions.

The institutional CTSAs provide support for developing resources, infrastructure, training, and academic centers for clinical and translational research. A valuable aspect of the CTSAs consortium is the consolidation of translational research programs, infrastructure, and services.

In the United Kingdom, the NIHR Office for Clinical Research Infrastructure (NOCRI) has, at the request of the life sciences industry, established two Translational Research Partnerships (TRPs) designed to help companies address challenges in evolving drug, device, and diagnostic development. The TRPs combine personnel and resources from 36 universities and National Health Service organizations to drive translational research.

Translational research is also supported by, and funding is available from, a variety of private foundations and other nonprofit, non-governmental organizations.