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Clinical & Translational Science Institute / Funding / Faculty UNYTE Translational Research Network Pilot Award

Faculty UNYTE Translational Research Network Pilot Award

These awards aim to stimulate new inter-institutional collaborations in health research. University of Rochester faculty are encouraged to work with faculty from other institutions in the UNYTE Translational Research Network to develop an innovative, team-based approach to a problem in health research that reflects the particular strengths of the members and their institutions. 

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Eligibility

Proposals in the UNYTE category must involve a new or expanded collaboration between a University of Rochester faculty member and one or multiple principal investigators (MPIs) from at least one of the participating UNYTE institutions.  

The multiple principal investigator (MPI) with a primary appointment at the University of Rochester must be the contact PI for the project.    

Faculty may participate as PI, MPI, faculty sponsor/primary mentor on only one submission per award category. Faculty may participate in multiple submissions per category as co-investigator or co-mentor. Any faculty member who has a current grant with overlapping aims is not eligible to apply. 

Funding Amount

This TS01 award provides up to $50,000 over one year.

Important Dates

The following dates apply to the current solicitation: 

  • Initial Letter of Intent (LOI) and Specific Aims due - October 21, 2024 at 5:00 PM 
  • Notification of full proposal solicitation - December 9, 2024 
  • Full proposals due - January 27, 2025 at 5:00 PM 
  • Notifications of Award - March 24, 2025 
  • Anticipated start date - July 1, 2025 
  • Award period ends - June 30, 2026 

Apply

Solicitation and Review Process

Phase 1: Applicants submit a two-page Letter of Intent (LOI) stating their specific aims and summarizing their proposals. The UR CTSI review committee specific to each submission category will evaluate, score, and discuss the LOIs.  
 
Phase 2: A subset of applicants will be invited to submit full proposals. The UR CTSI Review Committee specific to each submission category will engage in a formal study section-style discussion and scoring meeting for proposals. Funding recommendations go to the UR CTSI Executive Team for a final review and decision on funding.  

The Pilot Studies Funding Attestation must be submitted with the initial Letter of Intent and full proposal.

Note: All animal and human subject protocols must be approved by NCATS, the NIH institute funding the UR CTSI, prior to the start date. No funds for research project costs may be released until all required human subjects and animal welfare approvals have been received.

Please note that UR CTSI awards and funding are dependent upon the renewal of grants from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

Application Selection

Proposals must address a translational challenge or barrier and meet the definition of translational science research. Translational science is the field of investigation focused on understanding the scientific and operational principles underlying each step of the translational research process. 

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Contact

If you have questions regarding this RFA, please contact one of the following.

General inquiries
Karen Grabowski, ctsi@urmc.rochester.edu

Scientific and Peer Review
OJ Sahler, MD, oj_sahler@urmc.rochester.edu
Edward Schwarz, PhD, edward_schwarz@urmc.rochester.edu

Financial inquiries
Mary Lyons, mary_lyons@urmc.rochester.edu

Awardees and Projects

Current Projects

A Neural Network to Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death among Rural Volunteer Firefighters in New York
Dillon Dzikowicz, PhD, RN, PCCN, Assistant Professor, Nursing
Wendy Brunner, PhD, MS, Deputy Director, Center for Rural Community Health, Bassett Research Institute

Past Projects

Wearable Multisystem Recordings to Improve Seizure Diagnostics and SUDEP Risk
Inna Hughes, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at URMC
David Auerbach, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at SUNY Upstate Medical University

Non-Invasive Measurement of Human Hand Flexor Tendon Forces Using Ultrasound Elastography
Alayna Loiselle, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics, Biomedical Engineering, and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at URMC 
Constantinos Ketonis, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics at URMC
Michael Richards, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology

Novel hearing assessment method to predict communication challenges for pre-term infants
Ross Maddox, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Neuroscience at URMC
Beth Prieve, Ph.D., Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Syracuse University

Lymphoma and its microenvironment; a novel in vivo model to study its interplay
Steven Bernstein, M.D.
Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Oncology)

Regional Ultrasound Wall Strain Measurements to Predict Risk of AAA Rupture
Ankur Chandra, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Surgery (Vascular Surgery)

Validity of Self-Reported Data for Studying Cognitive Problems and Depression
Katia Noyes, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Professor, Public Health Sciences

Regional stat tumor procurement to support studies of lymphoma
Richard Burack, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Co-Investigator: Robert Hutchison, MD (SUNY Upstate Medical University)