Health Resources (HR) Core

The overarching goal of the University of Louisville (UofL) CTR-D application is to develop, promote and support clinical and translational research at UofL and our affiliated partners. A critical component of this effort is the Health Resources core (HRC) which will manage all research supported by the CTR-D. It will support two types of projects with the goal of developing a Clinical and Translational (C&T) workforce and strengthening investigator-initiated C&T research. The HRC is responsible for establishing appropriate mechanisms to administer these projects, including soliciting applications, arranging for their review, and selecting meritorious applications for funding, with priority given to investigations of diseases that affect CTR-D populations or involve collaborations of basic, clinical, and translational researchers. Our objective is to provide new clinical and translational investigators with the necessary resources to increase their competitiveness to secure extramural funding and to create the next generation innovations to improve the quality of life of Kentuckians and beyond. We will achieve our goal through the following Specific Aims: Specific Aim 1—Solicit, review, and select new Pilot Projects to allow investigators to test ideas with the potential to develop independent applications such as NIH career development (K-series) or small, developmental research project awards (e.g., R21). Specific Aim 2—Solicit, review, and select new Developmental Projects for 2 years of support for independent investigators with the requisite background and scientific expertise. Specific Aim 3—Pair project leads of HR Core projects that involve clinical trials with experienced clinician scientists who serve as mentors and make necessary core resources available to investigators. Specific Aim 4—Monitor HR Core projects to ensure study participant safety and that all federal, state, local and organizational regulatory requirements are met. We will also monitor projects for abstract, paper, grant application and external funding productivity. IMPACT: The research supported in this core will result in a critical increase in clinical and translational research at UofL and it partners and will develop our next generation of clinical and translational scientists.