Funding Opportunities

CORES Pilot Award Program

The CORES Multi-Institutional Pilot Award is a competitive pilot funding program supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Clinical & Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program. Administered by the Consortium of Rural States (CORES)—a collaboration of nine CTSA hubs—the program advances innovative translational research that improves health in rural communities.

The CORES Multi-Institutional Pilot Program brings early- and mid-career researchers together investigators across leading Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) hubs to address health challenges affecting rural communities. Through a team science-driven model, investigators collaborate across institutions, disciplines, and stakeholder groups to develop innovative translational research projects with the potential to improve health outcomes, accelerate implementation, and advance scalable solutions with national impact to address rural health.

Program Overview

CORES Pilot Awards — At a Glance

  1. Funding Mechanism: CORES Multi-Institutional Pilot Awards
  2. Award Budget: Up to $25,000 direct costs per participating institution
  3. Fund Award Implementation: July 1, 2027 – June 30, 2028
  4. Funding Model: Each site funded by its home CTSA
  5. Focus Area: 1. Data & Technology Infrastructure for Rural Health, 2. Chronic Disease Prevention, Diagnosis & Management, 3. Maternal & Infant Health
  6. LOI Required: Yes (Due July 15, 2026)

Participating CORES Institutions

The CORES consortium Consortium of Rural States (CORES) includes the following CTSA hubs:

  • Dartmouth College
  • Penn State University
  • University of Utah Health
  • University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
  • University of Kentucky
  • University of Iowa
  • University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
  • Frontiers Clinical and Translational Science Institute
View the 2026 RFA

Pilot Scope & Project Phases

Proposed projects must clearly articulate a translational research barrier and propose an innovative, generalizable solution aligned with one of the following focus areas. Projects should not be disease-specific and should demonstrate relevance across multiple translational research contexts.

Phase 1

Interested investigators apply to join cross-institutional teams organized around shared translational challenges specific to our focus areas (see below).

Phase 2

Assembled teams collaborate to develop their projects, refining questions and co-creating proposals designed for real-world impact in rural settings.

Phase 3

Funded projects are executed; teams work together to put their plans into action with ongoing support from the CORES consortium.

2025 CORES Multi-Institutional Pilot Awardees (Cohort Year 2)

Kris Strohbehn, MD, FACS, FACOG

Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Geisel School of Medicine | Dartmouth Institute, Department of Urogynecology

  • Departments: Urogynecology, Obstetrics & Gynecology
  • Partner Institution: Penn State
  • Project: Enabling Self-Care for Pessary Users in Rural Setting (ESCAPE Trial)

Seppo Rinne, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Medicine | Associate Professor of Health Policy and Clinical Practice | Physician-Scientist, VA Bedford Healthcare System

  • Departments: Medicine, Health Policy and Clinical Practice
  • Partner Institution: University of Utah
  • Project: PlatfoRm clinICal trIal of patientS on ECMO usIng electrONic health record harvested data (PRECISION Trial)

View Past Cohorts

2024 CORES (Cohort Year 1)

CORES Pilot Focus Area

In alignment with NIH and NCATS priorities, funding emphasis will be given to projects addressing one or more of the following areas:

Data & Technology Infrastructure for Rural Health
Harnessing AI, remote monitoring, data integration, and real-world data pipelines to create scalable, tech enabled solutions that improve health outcomes across rural environments.

Chronic Disease Prevention, Diagnosis & Management
Emphasizing partnerships with Practice-Based Research Networks (PBRNs) and clear translational and implementation strategies to improve chronic disease care in rural communities.

Maternal & Infant Health
Innovative approaches to overcoming barriers in access to maternal and infant care, with an emphasis on improving outcomes for rural populations.

Application & Review Process

Program Timeline

Phase 1: Call for Investigators & Team Formation

  1. Posted Date – June 15th, 2026
  2. Letters of Interest (LOI) Due – July 15th, 2026
  3. Selected Investigators Announced – August 14th, 2026

Phase 2: Proposal Development & Submission

  1. Project Teams Develop – August to October 2026
  2. CORES Fall Conference Team Science Project Refinement – October 6-7th, 2026
  3. Formal Proposal Development – October 2026 to January 2027
  4. Proposal Submission Due – February 1st, 2027
  5. Funded Project Announced – May 1st, 2027

Phase 3: Implementation

  1. Funded Awarded Implementation Phase – July 1st, 2027, to June 30th, 2028
  2. Mid-Year Project Update at Fall Conference – September/October 2027
  3. Present Project Status & Plans at CORES PI Monthly Meeting

Submission Process:

  1. Applications are submitted through the APPLY online platform
  2. A single Contact PI initiates and submits the application
  3. LOIs are competitively reviewed; only selected teams are invited to submit full applications

Review Criteria

Applications are evaluated using NIH-style peer review, based on the following criteria:

  1. Translational science potential
  2. Innovation & Significance
  3. Approach and feasibility
  4. Investigative team and environment
  5. Alignment with CORES RFA priorities
  6. Likelihood of leading to future extramural funding

Eligibility & Requirements

Collaboration & Institutional Requirements

Key eligibility requirements include:

  • Collaboration between at least two CORES CTSA institutions
  • Principal Investigators must be faculty members at participating institutions
  • One application with separate site-specific budgets
  • Purely non-human animal research is not eligible

Approval Requirements

All projects must receive approval from each participating CTSA.

Awardee Expectations

Awardees are expected to:

  • Travel to CORES Fall Conference, October 6-7, 2026
  • Participate in Team Formation(virtual and in person)
  • Submit required progress and final reports
  • Participate in CORES consortium activities
  • Submit extramural grant applications within one year of project completion
  • Publish and disseminate findings
  • Acknowledge CTSA support in all resulting publications and presentations
  • Comply with IRB/sIRB, NCATS prior approval, and NIH reporting requirements

What Is Translational Science?

NCATS defines translational science as the field of investigation focused on understanding and improving the scientific and operational principles underlying each step of the translational process.

Unlike translational research, which advances a specific disease or target, translational science projects aim to:

  • Identify challenges that delay or limit translational research
  • Develop generalizable solutions (methods, tools, technologies, or processes)
  • Improve efficiency and impact across multiple research contexts

Get in Touch

For questions related to the CORES Multi-Institutional Pilot Award, please contact Ruchir Goswami.

Additional institutional contacts are listed in the RFA.

Ruchir Goswami (Dartmouth CTSI contact)

Ruchir.M.Goswami@hitchcock.org