Junior Translational Investigator Service (JrTIS) Award

The JrTIS award is intended for investigators at early stages of their independent research careers and available to MDs or MD/PhDs who are members of the Boston Children’s Hospital faculty and have held the rank of Assistant Professor for no more than three years.

2024 JrTIS RFA 

Eligibility

Individuals must be nominated by their departments. Multiple individuals can be nominated by each department. MD’s or MD/PhD’s who are members of the Boston Children’s Hospital faculty and have held the rank of Assistant Professor for no more than five years are eligible. This award is intended for investigators at early stages of their independent research careers. It is suitable for those in the final years of a career development award (e.g. K08). Emphasis will be placed upon training and productivity during faculty development award period.

Process

Applications will be reviewed by members of the Clinical and Translational Research Executive Committee. Top-ranked applicants will then be asked to participate in a panel interview with senior BCH translational researchers.

Funding
  1. Award duration is five years.
  2. Salary and Fringe: Cost-share between the Translational Research Program (TRP) and Divisional/Departmental Funds:
    • The TRP will provide funds up to $62,500 plus fringe for investigator’s salary.
    • Remaining salary funds should be derived from professional fees, grants and/or division/department investments.
    • Expectation is to develop NIH funding (e.g. R21, clinical R01’s, PPG’s and other programmatic or center grants).
  3. Minimum 50% of time must be devoted to translational research.
  4. TRP will provide additional funds for research support up to $40,000/yr total cost (inclusive of directs, costs (incl. fringe as applicable) plus indirects and/or fringe) with no carry over from year to year.
    • This supplemental funding can be used to fund clinical research associate or research nurse support as well as laboratory supplies.
    • Other protocol-specific uses of this funding will be considered (e.g. use of core facilities such as DNA sequencing or histology services).
    • A detailed budget must be approved annually by the Associate Director of the TRP for this supplemental funding.
  5. Chosen investigators will be expected to participate in various programmatic activities, including training activities, such as:
    • Participation at an annual off-site TRP retreat is required.
    • Participation in an intensive clinical trial or clinical investigation course such as the MGH Clinical Trials Course (given annually Sept/Oct, for 8 weeks, 2 hrs/wk), or Harvard Catalyst courses such as the Intensive Training in Translational Medicine course (2 week course, offered annually in July) or the Introduction to Clinical Investigation course (5 day course, offered three times per year).
    • Regularly scheduled meetings of program participants (including, but not limited to, presentations at quarterly meetings, monthly lecture series).
Previous JrTIS Awardees