Clinical and translational science award (ctsa) UM1 at columbia university

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) awarded a Cooperative Agreement totaling $21.429 million to The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York on June 1, 2026, under the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program (CFDA 93.350).

Columbia's Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, based at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in upper Manhattan, will operate as a CTSA Hub to catalyze clinical and translational science and clinical and translational research in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian. The hub will deploy programs and services through research navigation and optimization, using dissemination and implementation science to identify, develop, demonstrate, and disseminate innovations addressing clinical translational research gaps. Proposed innovations include near-peer mentoring, digital health in communities, data and design, cell therapeutics, research core utilization, health system-embedded trials, federated learning, artificial intelligence, and return of research results to participants. Irving Institute leaders will integrate into Columbia University Irving Medical Center governance to implement the hub's vision.

The award obligates $21.429 million with a period of performance from June 1, 2026, through May 31, 2033. Work is performed in New York, New York 10032.

Abstract

Our clinical and translational science award (ctsa) hub is situated in upper manhattan at the irving institute for clinical and translational research (irving institute) of columbia university (CU), based at the CU irving medical center (cuimc). Our evolution as institutional leaders and maturation as a comprehensive ctsa hub enables US to drive innovative clinical and translational science (CTS) and clinical and translational research (CTR), in collaboration with our hospital partner newyork-presbyterian. The mission of our hub is to improve the health and wellbeing of patients and communities through our strategic vision and goals to catalyze all phases of CTS and CTR to achieve a fully integrated research environment locally and across the ctsa program. We now prioritize systematic and deep engagement with all our stakeholders to achieve the greatest impact on research and health through CTS and CTR. Programs and services will be deployed through user-friendly research navigation and optimization using dissemination and implementation science (is) to inform our cyclical approach to identify, develop, demonstrate, and disseminate (ID3) innovations that address CTR gaps and opportunities. Our record of innovation permeates our education, services, and research and guides our evaluation and continuous quality improvement strategy. CTS innovations are proposed for near-peer mentoring, digital health in communities, data and design, cell therapeutics, research core utilization, health system- embedded trials, federated learning, artificial intelligence (AI) and return of research results to participants. Irving institute leaders are integrated into cuimc governance to successfully implement our vision and goals. Module b strategic management approach and infrastructure will be optimized to catalyze CTS innovations. The ID3 approach, enhanced by tailored engagement and is, will integrate institutional and community priorities, stimulate CTS innovations across the T0-T4 spectrum, and broadly disseminate services and programs with greatest potential to address major CTR gaps. Through personalized training, module C1 will create and expand models to train a skilled, interdisciplinary workforce to advance rigorous CTR and CTS and enhance participation of the workforce and communities in CTR. Module C2 will deploy bidirectional engagement with our community ambassadors, patients, and local communities to develop and disseminate programs that address community priorities to improve health. Modules D1 and D3 will use research navigation and optimization to develop and cyclically refine research-friendly service programs as well as innovations in AI, informatics, precision medicine, and federated learning to accelerate CTR and CTS. Through our module D2 pilots and element e CTS program, we will work directly with stakeholders to tackle major CTS challenges, such as a system for return of individual results to research participants as well as opportunities in cell therapy, -omic core utilization in CTR, and AI in research, operations and health. Through these innovations, our hub will drive research efficiency, quality, and impact and align with ctsa program goals to deliver more treatments to more patients more quickly.