American Cancer Society and Flatiron Clinical Trials Technology Research Impact Award (CTTRIA)
Purpose
The Clinical Trials Technology Research Impact Award (CTTRIA) supports a shared goal of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and Flatiron to accelerate cancer research by improving access, representativeness, and efficiency of clinical trials, ultimately accelerating the development of new treatments to benefit patients.
Scientific Scope
Clinical trials provide patients access to emerging cancer treatments that may be more effective than existing treatments, while advancing research for future generations of patients. However, there are several challenges to the efficient conduct of clinical trials, including the ever-present burden of data capture. The volume of study data is often overwhelming and challenging to manage for study teams as data entry can be repetitive, burdensome, and error-prone.
This Request for Applications (RFA) is a call for investigators to propose ways to implement, utilize, and/or study the impact of technology to advance the conduct of cancer clinical trials. Electronic Health Record-to-Electronic Data Collection (EHR-to-EDC) software is an emerging innovation that facilitates the automated transfer of data directly from the EHR source to clinical trial research databases, reducing the inefficiency and errors associated with manual data entry.
Mark Your Calendar
Informational Webinar for Applicants
March 3, 2025, from 2:00 to 3:00 PM EST
Link to Webinar
LOI Deadline
March 17, 2025, at 11:59 PM EDT
Application Deadline
June 1, 2025, at 11:59 PM EDT
Grant Activation
January 2026
One such tool is Flatiron Clinical PipeTM—an EHR-embedded EHR-to-EDC solution—that enables transfer of structured study data using Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR). In addition, it provides electronic forms that are accessible within the tool to enable tracking and transfer of data required for clinical trials such as adverse events or tumor measurements.
The goal of this RFA is to investigate how interoperable technology affects the efficiency and conduct of cancer clinical trials.
Projects must include the use of Clinical PipeTM to transfer study data for one or more trials (sponsored or investigator-initiated); this grant will not support the trials themselves. Special consideration will be given to multi-institutional projects/studies at sites that do not currently have the EHR-to-EDC connector Flatiron Clinical PipeTM installed. Flatiron will assist in tech installation, if needed, at participating sites.
Examples of possible research projects for this funding mechanism are listed below.
- Analyzing the impact of electronic data transfer on research staff effort, time needed for data entry, productivity, and/or staff satisfaction
- Assessing the impact of EHR-to-EDC technology on the quality of data entry, timeliness of data entry, data accuracy and completeness, and/or queries issued
- Modeling the impact of EHR-to-EDC technology on study timelines and overall cost
- Evaluating the feasibility of deployment of EHR-to-EDC software for a multi-institutional investigator-initiated cancer trial
- Developing a change management guide for migration from paper to electronic workflows for research data capture
The ultimate goal in improving the efficiency and data capture of cancer clinical trials is to better evaluate new treatments, increase the accessibility of studies for patients, and promote better health outcomes for all patients.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants must be independent researchers at an eligible academic institution or nonprofits in the United States. Applicants must have the necessary training and expertise to conduct research. All applicants shall be subject to the terms and conditions of a separate confidentiality agreement with Flatiron.
Grant Term and Budget
Awards are for $250,000 total direct costs for a 2-year award; no indirect costs are allowed.
CTTRIA Webinar on March 3
Interested investigators may attend a webinar to learn more about the funding opportunity, the technology, and the application process. There will be ample time to ask questions.
You must register for the webinar to attend.
When: March 3, 2025, from 2:00 to 3:00 PM EST
The registration link will be updated with a link to the recording after the meeting.
Application Process
Interested applicants may schedule individual meetings with ACS and/or Flatiron to discuss their research project.
Step 1: Letter of Intent (LOI), Due: March 17, 2025, at 11:59 PM EDT
See LOI Instructions
LOI Review Process: LOIs will be reviewed for feasibility and fit with the scientific scope of the RFA. ACS and Flatiron will provide applicants with a general feasibility assessment of their proposed project.
Invitation-to-apply decisions will be communicated to applicants via ProposalCentral by April 1, 2025. If the LOI is approved, all required materials and application instructions will be available in ProposalCentral.
Step 2: Full Applications
Due: June 1, 2025, at 11:59 PM EDT
See CTTRIA policies and application instructions
Application Peer Review: August - September 2025
Award Notification: October 2025
Anticipated Grant Start: January 2026
Funds Available for Awards: Funds will support 1 Clinical Trials Technology Research Impact Award. Awarded institutions will contract with ACS using their individual Terms and Conditions. All awardees will also be required to comply with the terms and conditions in the Flatiron nondisclosure confidentiality agreement.
ACS Program Contact: Joanne Elena, PhD, MPH at joanne.elena@cancer.org
Application materials and ProposalCentral access are in progress and will be available soon.
