PROVIDENCE – The Advance Clinical Translational Research program has received a $19.9 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the University of Rhode Island announced Wednesday.
The federally funded research program is a statewide partnership between URI, Brown University, Care New England Health System, Lifespan Corp. and the Rhode Island Quality Institute that supports public health scholars across Rhode Island who are working to turn scientific discoveries into solutions for patients. Researchers apply for funding from the program directly, and disbursement is decided by the program’s local directors.
The grant will be used to fund the program’s expansion into a second five-year phase, URI said.
“Ultimately, the aim of this grant is to foster research that improves the health and quality of life of Rhode Islanders through impacts on health care and health care services,” URI pharmacy Professor Stephen Kogut, one of the core directors of the program, said in a statement. “In the shorter term, the aim is to improve the competency of researchers in our state in the area of health and health science, and to accelerate the ability for research to translate into practice.”
To date, the Advance-CTR program has awarded funding to 85 investigators addressing health priorities in Rhode Island, URI said. The program’s previous grantees have gone onto receive a combined 58 additional grant awards, including 32 from the National Institutes of Health.
The program includes a pilot project awards program, a professional development core, and it provides direct assistance to researchers.
