FUNDING
FUNDING
ABOUT PILOT AWARDS
The SW CACTI funds two (2) individual institutional and two (2) collaborative (UA/UNM) Pilot Project Awards each year that utilize the SW CACTI infrastructure to produce preliminary data for competitive NIH grant proposals in clinical and translational science (CTS).
These Pilot Project Awards are open to University of Arizona faculty members whose focus is on advancing CTS by promoting the development, demonstration, and dissemination of innovative practices to improve health outcomes, reduce health disparities, and address urgent public health needs across the Southwest region.
Individual Translational Science Pilot
Amount: $25,000 to $50,000
The purpose of this RFA is to support pilot projects that utilize the SW CACTI infrastructure to produce preliminary data for competitive NIH grant proposals in clinical and translational science.
Translational Science goals must be highly methodological and demonstrate feasible and generalizable solutions to CTS problems.
All awards are dependent upon the availability of SW CACTI funds.
Collaborative Translational Science Pilot
Amount: $25,000 to $50,000
Collaborative projects are defined as projects between UNM HSC and UA investigators and align with the mission of the SW CACTI to foster regional partnerships that advance Clinical and Translational Science.
These collaborations are intended to leverage complementary expertise, resources, and infrastructure across both institutions to generate innovative, generalizable, and impactful translational science solutions.
Application Process
Application Release Date: November 12, 2025
Pilot Pre-proposal due to SW CACTI: January 30, 2026, by 12 noon (Mountain Time)
SW CACTI invitation to submit full application: February 27, 2026
Full Application Deadline: March 27, 2026, by 12 noon (Mountain Time)
IRB Submission Deadline: March 27, 2026
Notice of Intent to Fund/Decline: May 12, 2026
IRB Approval Deadline for NIH Review: May 12, 2026
Notice of Award: May 12, 2026
Funding Cycle: July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027
- Choose a Funding Opportunity
- Submit a Pilot Pre-Proposal
- Pilot Pre-proposals are limited to 2 pages
- The pre-proposal should include a title, description of objectives/aims, the most innovative and novel aspects of your proposed translational science project, description of how the project can be completed in 12 months and must directly address how the project meets the definition of Translational Science.
- Utilization of SW CACTI Core services is strongly encouraged and will be a review of consideration. It is important that you schedule a meeting with the SW CACTI Translational Science Navigator All requests for consultations and services are made through a centralized request form.
- Additional documents (not included in the 2-page limit):
- NIH formatted biosketch for the PI
- A letter of support from your Department Chair/Dean noting your qualifications, availability of protected time, and the potential impact of your work.
- Investigators with highly qualified pre-proposals will be invited to submit a full research proposal on January 30, 2026.
- Instructions on how to prepare a full research proposal will be provided by email with the invitation to participate.
- Full proposals will be due by noon on March 27, 2026.
Cite the Grant: This project is supported by an award from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health under grant number UM1TR005466.
Link the Grant: To your publication in NCBI My Bibliography (Pandhi, Radovick; PIs)
PILOT AWARDEES
FY26 Awardees
Julie Armin, PhD, Assistant Professor, Family and Community Medicine
Translating best practices for interprofessional health care into a clinical cancer research intervention for people with disabilities
Scott Carvajal, PhD, Department Chair and Professor, Health Promotion Sciences
Improving the lives of Cancer Survivors through Enhancing Support Receptivity
Allison Huff, BA, MEd, DHEd, Associate Professor, Family and Community Medicine
Substance Use Communication and Outreach for Prevention and Education (SCOPE)
Tomas Nuño, PhD, Associate Research Professor, Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Development of an Artificial Intelligence Augmentation Program for Community Health Workers and Community/Patient Advisory Boards for a 21st Century Model of Chronic Disease and Prevention and Community Engagement
FUNDING CALENDARS
SW CACTI provides a variety of Requests for Pilot Funding that distribute intramural funding for clinical and translational research at the Health Sciences Center, including two rounds of funding for our standard RFAs annually. If you have questions, please contact the SW CACTI Translational Science Navigator.
Funding Opportunity | RFA Release | Pre-Proposal Due Date | Funding Period | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
November 12, 2025 | January 30, 2026 | July 1, 2026 through | $25,000 - $50,000 | |
Collaborative – Clinical Translational Science Pilot Project Award | November 12, 2025 | January 30, 2026 | July 1, 2026 through | $25,000 - $50,000 |
