2026 NUCATS Institute Pilot Awards
The Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS) announces this Request for Applications (RFA) for the 2026 NUCATS Translational Science Pilot Awards.
NUCATS Focus
NUCATS advances Translational Science (TS)—the study of how to accelerate the movement of transformative scientific discoveries from the laboratory to patients and communities. The institute provides consultative resources and expertise to support TS, with a focus on:
- Improving the knowledge, skills, and capacity of the translational science workforce
- Accelerating discovery and development of innovations in interventions and processes to enhance the efficiency of translation
- Infusing implementation science (IS) methods across the translational research continuum
NUCATS strives to lead in developing and applying strategies that enhance the efficiency and impact of translational research.
Intention of the NUCATS Translational Science Pilot Awards
The NUCATS Translational Science Pilot Awards program seeks proposals for highly innovative, multi-disciplinary pilot projects that will advance Translational Science. For the definition as well as scientific and operational principles of TS, please see Faupel-Badger JM et al. Clin Transl Sci. 2022. Information on what qualifies as a TS proposal, as well as a mandatory self-assessment, is in “Proposal Eligibility” below.
Intention of the NUCATS Translational Science Pilot Awards
The NUCATS Translational Science Pilot Awards program seeks proposals for highly innovative, multi-disciplinary pilot projects that will advance Translational Science. For the definition as well as scientific and operational principles of TS, please see Faupel-Badger JM et al. Clin Transl Sci. 2022. Information on what qualifies as a TS proposal, as well as a mandatory self-assessment, is in “Proposal Eligibility” below.
These pilot awards are intended to help faculty generate preliminary data to support future applications for independent external funding. They are not designed for trainee career development.