Current Requests for Applications

Requests for Applications

CIRM funds stem cell awards through periodic requests for applications.

Upcoming RFA Schedule

Funding Partners Anticipated RFA release date
RFA 12-02: CIRM Disease Modeling Awards June 2012
RFA 12-03: CIRM hiPSC Derivation Award June 2012
RFA 12-04: CIRM hPSC Bank Award June 2012
RFA 12-06: CIRM Genomics Award June/July 2012
RFA 12-07: CIRM Early Translational IV Research Awards November 2012

Current Requests for Applications

RFA 12-05: CIRM Strategic Partnership I Awards - UPDATED May 8, 2012
The purpose of the Strategic Partnership Awards Initiative is to attract industry engagement and investment in CIRM funded stem cell research.

This Initiative requires applicants to show evidence of either having the financial capacity to move the project through development or of being able to attract the capital to do so. This may be evidenced by, for example, (i) significant investment by venture capital firms, large biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies and/or disease foundations; or (ii) a licensing and development agreement with a large biotechnology or pharmaceutical company or a commitment to enter into such an agreement executed prior to the disbursement of CIRM funding. The objective of the first call under this Initiative, the Strategic Partnership I Awards, is to achieve, in 4 years or less, the completion of a clinical trial under an Investigational New Drug (IND) application filed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

RFA 12-01: CIRM New Faculty Physician Scientist Translational Research Awards - UPDATED April 10, 2012
The purpose of the CIRM New Faculty Physician Scientist Translational Research Awards is to encourage and facilitate the career development of physician scientists working in translational stem cell research. This award will fund promising new faculty physician scientists in the critical early stages of their careers as independent investigators and faculty members by providing salary and research support for up to five years. Through this funding mechanism, CIRM expects to help establish a cadre of physician scientist stem cell researchers in California who will help advance innovative translational stem cell science toward clinical development.

RFA 11-03: CIRM Basic Biology Awards IV 
The CIRM Basic Biology Awards IV will fund research grants to investigate basic mechanisms underlying stem cell biology, cellular plasticity, and cellular differentiation. These awards will also fund the use of in vitro, human stem cell based models for exploring disease mechanisms and other medically relevant processes. Studies supported by these awards will form the foundation for future translational and clinical advances, enabling the realization of the full potential of human stem cells and reprogrammed cells for therapies and as tools for biomedical innovation.

RFA 11-02: CIRM Early Translational III Research Awards
The CIRM Early Translational Research Initiative aims to fund and advance innovative translational stem cell science toward clinical development. The purpose of this CIRM Early Translational III Research Awards RFA is to support projects that enable the initial stage of translational research including the conduct of studies resulting in proof of concept for a potential development candidate and/or studies to select a Development Candidate (DC). The Early Translational Research Award is core to CIRM’s mission, and the agency plans to issue this RFA every one to two years to build a strong preclinical pipeline for patient therapies and cures.

PA 11-01: CIRM Visiting Faculty Supplement
The CIRM Visiting Faculty Supplement will provide stem cell research opportunities for faculty-level scientists (Visiting Scientist) from California educational institutions that do not receive major research and infrastructure funding from CIRM. This program will augment existing sabbatical leave programs at California State University campuses and other 4-year California educational institutions, and enable eligible faculty to participate in existing CIRM-funded research projects. The CIRM Visiting Faculty Supplements will provide additional funding to existing CIRM-funded research grants for the support of the Visiting Scientist while he/she is engaged in research on the funded project. Requests for a supplement must be made by the CIRM PI and should be done after a commitment with the Visiting Scientist has been made.

RFA 10-05: CIRM Disease Team Therapy Development Awards - UPDATED September 1, 2011

The Disease Team Therapy Development Award initiative is an expansion of our original Disease Team Award Initiative. The purpose of CIRM Disease Team Therapy Development Awards is to enable preclinical and/or early clinical development of novel therapies derived from or targeting stem cells or utilizing direct reprogramming that may offer unique benefit with well-considered risk to persons with disease or serious injury. The Disease Team Therapy Development Awards RFA has two parts: 1) a Part I Planning Award will support up to six months of team assembly, planning and proposal development for the Research Award application, and 2) a Part II Research Award will support actively managed teams to conduct milestone-driven translational research.

RFA 09-04: CIRM Research Leadership Awards

The CIRM Research Leadership Awards will support robust and innovative stem cell research programs of the most promising researchers newly recruited to California. These awards will enable universities and research institutions to attract the very best stem cell scientists, with a focus on those who are early-to-mid career but have already established themselves as independent investigators and emerging national or international leaders in the stem cell field. They also will permit the recipients to pursue high-risk, high payoff, innovative studies that could not be adequately supported by other sources. The awardees will bolster California’s efforts in stem cell research and further CIRM’s mission to advance novel treatments and cures into medical practice.

PA 08-06: CIRM Conference Grants

This Program Announcement (PA) will support the development and conduct of scientific conferences relevant to stem cell research. A scientific conference is defined as an organized event where persons physically assemble to exchange scientific information or explore a defined scientific subject. Support of such conferences is contingent on the fiscal and programmatic priorities of CIRM. Conference grant awards are open to non-profit organizations in California.

Past Requests for Applications