Voucher Program

The Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC) Voucher Program is intended to promote collaboration among the various partner institutions of the CTSC and designed to support investigators in the acquisition of preliminary data or other project components for grant submission.

Projects must be multi-institutional, where at least two (2) CTSC partner institutions are involved -OR- one (1) CTSC partner institution and one (1) community partner are involved.

Projects that involve late-stage clinical and translational research (T3-T4*), early-stage investigators, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), and Dissemination & Implementation (D&I) will be prioritized.

Funded pharmaceutical or industry studies are not eligible for a CTSC Voucher award.   

For a list of Voucher Program offerings, see the Voucher Services Catalog linked on this page.

Vouchers awards are to be used for CTSC services, up to $7,500, and are limited to one (1) voucher award per project per Principal Investigator (PI) within a 6 month period.

Funding Priorities

1. Studies that use at least two (2) CTSC partner institutions
2. New/early-stage investigators pursuing extramural grant funding
3. Investigators with diverse/underserved backgrounds
4. Voucher funding will be focused on late-stage clinical and translational research (T3-T4*), including the use of human samples.
5. Early-stage investigators (or those with new research direction) pursuing high priority areas for our CTSC, namely health disparities and Dissemination & Implementation (D&I).
6. Early-stage investigators conducting an investigator-initiated study that is anticipated to lead to extramural grant funding.

Eligibility

1. PI(s) with a primary appointment at CWRU, Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth Medical Center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, The Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Northeast Ohio Medical University and/or University of Toledo are eligible to apply for vouchers.  PIs must be in good standing with the CTSC.
2. PIs must have current institutional training as required for their level of research, as well as, reporting any Conflicts of Interest. Documentation of required training may include:
   • Projects involving Human Subjects require Good Clinical Practice (GCP), CITI Human Subjects Protection, and Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR).
   • Projects that do not involve humans or animals require RCR
3. An investigator and/or project may request up to the total eligible amount ($7,500) in voucher services.
   • Vouchers are limited to one voucher per project per PI within a 6 month period.
   • Voucher services are contingent upon availability of resources.
4. Activities covered by vouchers are to be completed within the allotted time period designated in the award letter and must be exhausted within 6 months of the award. There is no carryover.
5. All voucher awards must be for translational research focused on clinical research across the T1-T4 Translational Spectrum*, in keeping with the mission and focus of the new cycle.
6. The voucher cannot be encumbered for future use or transferred to another project, researcher, or expense within a project. Each voucher application may propose the use of one or more service.
7. Research must be conducted within the United States.
8. Funded pharmaceutical or industry studies are not eligible for a voucher.

Application Process

1. PI will obtain a SPARCRequest ID, if not previously obtained, by submitting a Voucher Program request in SPARCRequest under "Pilot/Voucher Funding".
2. A Voucher Program administrator will contact you regarding your Voucher request.
3. PI at the lead institution will obtain written quotes for voucher services in consultation with the requested service line.
4. PI will apply for a Voucher via the CTSC InfoReady application.
5. Within the InfoReady application, the PI will provide project information, including a SPARCRequest ID, a one-page summary of the project, the voucher amount requested, request voucher services, upload quotes from service providers, and upload a voucher budget.
6. The application will undergo an initial review by a Voucher Project Manager for eligibility and will be routed to the appropriate review team.
7. Vouchers will be reviewed and allocated on a rolling basis based on the requested amount (see Table 1 for review and turnaround times) and reported at the quarterly module meeting to review distribution across research themes, disciplines, and partners.
8. Voucher awardees will be notified via email with a voucher award letter listing the services and stipulations.
9. Once voucher service(s) are completed, the PI will be asked to submit a summary of their results and how the voucher helped their project. Additionally, investigators are expected to respond to future requests from the CTSC regarding publications, abstracts, and grant submissions/awards related to the supported project.
10. If a publication or grant results on a project for which voucher services are provided, it is expected that the CTSC will be appropriately cited.

**if additional review by Subject Matter Expert(s) is deemed necessary

*Translational Spectrum:

• T1 seeks to move basic discovery into a candidate health application. Research examples include: human physiology, first in humans (healthy volunteers), proof of concept, Phase 1 Clinical Trials.
• T2 assesses the value of application for health practice leading to the development of evidence-based guidelines. Research examples include: Phase 2 and Phase 3 Clinical Trials.
• T3 attempts to move evidence-based guidelines into health practice, through delivery, dissemination, and diffusion research. Research examples include health services research related to dissemination, communication, and implementation, and clinical outcomes research.
• T4 seeks to evaluate the “real world” health outcomes of population health practice. Research examples include: population level outcome studies; studies of the social determinants of health.