The goal of the Clinical and Translational Science (CTSA) planning grant is to enable universities to plan for the content, governance, administration, and evaluation of a full CTSA application. As a research-intensive university, we believe that the University of North Carolina (UNC) has the resources on our campus to develop an outstanding CTSA that will have a profound impact upon the scientific quality of the clinical and translational research being conducted at this institution. However, much planning is needed to identify the most effective administrative structure in which to organize this exciting new science. Thus, our planning grant has developed 3 Specific Aims: (1) identify, develop, and then coordinate in a centralized and highly organized fashion the on- and off-campus resources and core facilities that are needed to support all of the aspects of clinical and translational research; (2) develop the structures and curricula that will prepare investigators who are well-trained in all aspects of the multidisciplinary science of clinical and translational research; and (3) establish an environment and an administrative structure that will provide a true academic home for investigators from across the entire UNC campus, especially those who are fully committed to the conduct of clinical and translational research. We will achieve these specific aims through an Executive Committee that is Chaired by the Principal Investigator (Dr. Orringer) and is comprised of individuals selected by their respective Deans for both their leadership and their clinical and translational research skills. We will establish six multidisciplinary Working groups, each chaired by a member of the Executive Committee, to gather the information required to establish an administrative structure for clinical and translational sciences. These working groups are: (1) Education, Training, and Career Development; (2) Clinical Research Informatics; (3) Intra- and Inter-Institutional Collaboration; (4)The Academic Home for Clinical and Translational Sciences; (5) Facilitation of Clinical and Translational Research; and (6) Core Services for Community Outreach. Efforts of these Working Groups will be coordinated through the Executive Committee, which will work closely with senior leadership at UNC. At the end of this planning period, it is our intent is to have in place a comprehensive strategic plan for an institutional CTSA. ? ? ?
