PROJECT DEVELOPMENT TEAMS
Project Development Teams (PDTs) are committees consisting of multidisciplinary researchers who assist investigators in developing ideas or hypotheses into well-designed translational research projects. The teams serve as “one stop shops” by providing investigators access to protocol development, pilot funding, biostatistics, IRB/regulatory and nursing support, facilitation of collaboration with other investigators and access to the Research Service Cores, all in one meeting. Pilot awards are typically up to $15,000 for two years. Currently there are eight PDTs, the newest of which is focused on research in Structural and Social Determinants of Health.
- Community, Healthcare Delivery, and Implementation Science
- Concepts to Clinic
- Human Health and Biomedical Technology
- Networks, Complex Systems and Health
- Pediatric Sciences
- Structural and Social Sciences Determinants of Health
- Obesity and Metabolism
- Neuroscience and Cancer
The PDTs are free to use with an overall return on investment of 31:1. This means that after receiving one award through a PDT, the same researcher on average goes on to secure more than 31 times that initial amount in additional external funding. The PDTs are provided by the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI), which enables research through a variety of programs, services and training.
Here’s a success story shared by Stanley Spinola, MD, who used a PDT after his grant was initially not discussed by an NIH study section. To engage with the PDTs, please contact Lane Coffee, PhD.
RESEARCH SERVICE CORES
Research Service Cores are another tool to enhance grant submissions by providing access to state-of-the-art technologies, equipment and capabilities that are not normally available in a primary investigator's lab. There are more than 80 research service cores available at different institutions including IU Bloomington, IU School of Medicine, Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame. The cores can provide specific instrumentation and services needed for your research. Some examples are shown below and here's the link to the full cores website.
The research service cores may even give you new ideas or directions for your research that you hadn’t previously considered. For questions about the Research Service Cores, reach out to Padma Portonovo, PhD.
INDIANA CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCES INSTITUTE
Once a year, the Indiana CTSI hosts the Research Rally as part of its annual meeting. It’s an opportunity for researchers to better understand all of the capabilities of the Research Service Cores. The Friday, September 24, 2021 event will be offered through a hybrid approach for those choosing to attend in person or online. Here's a link to register.
Nancy J. Brown, MD, is this year’s winner of the August M. Watanabe Prize in Translational Research and is currently the Jean and David W. Wallace Dean of the Yale School of Medicine. As winner of the Watanabe Prize, Dr. Brown will be the keynote speaker at the Indiana CTSI annual meeting. Dr. Brown has led a translational research program that focuses on developing new pharmacological approaches to prevent vascular disease in patients with high blood pressure and diabetes. Her research has defined the molecular mechanisms through which commonly prescribed blood pressure and diabetes drugs affect the risk of cardiovascular and kidney disease.
I look forward to seeing you at the meeting.
Sincerely,
Tatiana Foroud, PhD
Executive Associate Dean for Research Affairs,
Indiana University School of Medicine
Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs for Clinical Research, IU Health
