The U., one of 40 institutions that applied for the grant in October, joins NIH's Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) consortium, a network of medical research institutions working to reduce the time it takes for scientific discoveries to move from bench-side to bed-side.
"This is a huge expansion of what we were capable of doing with the General Clinical Research Center (at the U.)," said director James Kushner, an M.M. Wintrobe distinguished professor of medicine.
Kushner said the grant will fund an expansion of the infrastructure needed to develop treatments. That includes statistical and computer analysis to help investigators design projects, as well as research education for new faculty, residents and fellows.
The U. and the 13 other academic health centers join 24 others announced in 2006 and 2007. Total funding for these new awards is $533 million over five years. In 2012, when the program is fully implemented, some 60 General Clinical Research Centers will be connected with an annual budget of $500 million.
"Through the consortium, we are better able to leverage expertise and resources across the CTSA institutions," said NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni," and ultimately maximize NIH's investment in basic research, which should remain our top priority."
