The field of translational science aims to transform the process of turning biomedical research discoveries into health solutions, to deliver more health solutions, to all people, more quickly. Translational science identifies longstanding challenges that slow or stop translational research progress and generates innovations that overcome these challenges. These include scientific and operational innovations that make our research faster, more efficient, and more impactful. A key feature of translational science innovations is that they are designed to advance research across diseases and conditions, as well as research initiatives and projects.
A few recent examples of initiatives led, partnered in, or supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) highlight the impact of translational science to advance research across the translational research continuum:
The SMART institutional review board (IRB) platform streamlines single or central IRB approval for multisite trials, enabling rapid start‐up for multi-site clinical trials research.
The National Clinical Cohort Collaborative (N3C) was initially created to answer critical research questions about COVID‐19 disease and treatment. NCATS is now re-envisioning this data platform to enable research on additional health conditions.
The Tissue Chip for Drug Screening Program and 3-D Tissue Bioprinting Program create preclinical models for drug discovery and development research that more accurately predict the effectiveness and safety of potential new medicines compared to conventional models.
The Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN) partnership model involves Patient Advocacy Groups (PAGs) as active partners with scientists to advance rare disease research.
Continuing to develop and expand transformative research initiatives like these requires education and training opportunities that equip the translational science workforce with specialized knowledge and skills for identifying and overcoming translational challenges and advancing translational progress. These example initiatives also highlight the importance of training the many varied contributors to the translational enterprise, including scientists across the translational continuum; science leaders, administrators, and managers; and patient advocacy groups and community organizations that are critical research partners.
Nationally, trailblazers in translational science education and training are leading the way, with novel training and education opportunities that convey knowledge and skills for translational science to varied participants. These opportunities are being offered through a variety of settings, including academic institutions, private industry, professional societies, patient advocacy groups, and community-based organizations. In addition, they are employing a range of teaching approaches that effectively deliver core content to varied participants and enhance accessibility to reach broad audiences.
A number of these education and training opportunities have been described in the scientific literature or shared at conferences and on websites that serve as clearinghouses for the translational science community. Yet many more exist that have not been disseminated broadly, that may serve as excellent models for colleagues and that have the potential to be expanded or adapted to reach broader audiences.
The Challenge
This Challenge from the NCATS Education Branch will identify, amplify and disseminate exemplary models of translational science education and training from across the nation to a broad national audience. Participants will have already designed and implemented exemplary translational science education and training opportunities. These may take any form, including but not restricted to courses, workshops, seminar series, consulting, coaching, certificate programs, and badging programs.
The competition will award five prizes in the amount of $10,000 each. Prize winners will be announced broadly via a robust communications and outreach campaign using all communications channels typically employed by NCATS. As part of this effort, a detailed description of each winner’s education or training opportunity will be shared on the NCATS website, to facilitate dissemination and implementation.
The competition will raise collective knowledge of translational science education and training — including key educational content, effective teaching approaches, and the breadth of audiences that can be engaged in translational science education and training. It will also raise awareness of the value of translational science education and training to advance the translational enterprise.
Overall, the prize winners’ work will showcase innovative approaches to translational science education and training that help to develop a highly skilled, large, and diverse translational science workforce.
Successful submissions will:
Provide an Overview of the Translational Science Education or Training Opportunity. This overview should describe the education or training goals, educational content being conveyed, the education or training approaches and modalities being used, and the participants being reached.
Describe the Translational Science Focus of the Education or Training Opportunity. Submissions should describe how the education or training opportunity aligns with NCATS’ understanding of translational science. This description should address the knowledge and skills the opportunity conveys to participants to enable them to identify commonly found challenges in translation, and to generate innovations in their domains of expertise to address these challenges, with applications across diseases and conditions. This educational content may be aligned with the NCATS Translational Science Principles, or other approaches that improve or accelerate translational progress.
Describe how the Education or Training Opportunity is Designed to Serve key Learners. Submissions should describe how the opportunity leverages education and training approaches (e.g., case study-based teaching, tabletop exercises, problem solving labs, team-based learning, flipped classroom) and modalities (e.g., courses, workshops, coaching, advising) that are tailored to effectively deliver educational content to the target audience(s). If the opportunity engages learners who are not typically served by translational science education or training opportunities, the submission should describe the importance of serving this audience, and their role the translational enterprise.
Demonstrate the Potential for Broader Dissemination and Uptake of the Education or Training Opportunity. Submissions should document effective implementation of the opportunity, including, for example, years since launch and number and characteristics of participants to date. When information is available, they may include evidence of outcomes or impacts to date. In addition, they should include evidence that the opportunity has the potential to be disseminated effectively to reach broader audiences. This might include evidence of resources to effectively disseminate the opportunity, past steps toward dissemination, or evidence of interest or need in the scientific community. Prize monies may be used to support any in-progress or planned dissemination efforts.
Entries will be accepted on a rolling basis beginning September 30, 2024. There will be a judging season annually, with judging occurring in June 2025 and in June of subsequent years, if needed, until all five prizes have been allocated, up until the close of the Challenge. The Challenge will be open for a maximum of three years, beginning on September 30, 2024. But NCATS reserves the right to close the Challenge early if five worthy prize winners are identified in a shorter period of time.
Statutory Authority to Conduct the Challenge
The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) is conducting this Challenge under the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (COMPETES) Reauthorization Act of 2010, as amended [15 U.S.C. § 3719].
The mission of NCATS is to turn research observations into health solutions through translational science. Its statutory authority highlights the purpose of the Center to advance translational science, including by (1) coordinating and developing resources that leverage basic research in support of translational science; and (2) developing partnerships and working cooperatively to foster synergy in ways that do not create duplication, redundancy, and competition with industry activities. The Center’s strategic plan highlights five goals: (1) Apply Approaches to Foster the Identification of, Development of, and Access to More Treatments, (2) Enable All People to Contribute to and Benefit From Translational Science, (3) Accelerate Translation by Addressing Both Scientific and Operational Challenges, (4) Broadly Utilize Research and Operations That Cut Across Translational Science Efforts, and (5) Work Together as Stewards for Advancing Translational Science to Promote Transparency, Integrity, Accountability, and Social Responsibility. Building a large, diverse, and highly skilled translational science workforce is essential to achieving each of these goals, and to advancing toward the NCATS vision of more treatments, for all people, more quickly. This Challenge will identify, amplify and disseminate exemplary models of translational science education and training from across the nation to a broad national audience, with the aims of enhancing the quality of translational science education and training opportunities and expanding access to these opportunities. This, in turn, will help to equip more members of the translational science community with the skills and knowledge needed to help advance translational progress.
