Clinical Research Investigator-Initiated Awards (CRIA)

Clinical Research Investigator-Initiated Awards

Connects clinicians and translational researchers for Clinical Research Investigator Initiated Awards in medical technology and biotechnology.

Eligibility · Global — open worldwide

The Clinical Research Investigator-Initiated Awards (CRIA) is a Crohn's & Colitis Foundation mechanism designed to directly impact patient care by funding pragmatic clinical IBD research addressing important clinical questions. The program funds work expected to produce highly cited publications and to be cited in clinical practice guidelines, with the goal of generating follow-on funding. CRIA operates two sub-mechanisms competing for the same funding pool: CRIA-CDA targets junior faculty at the Instructor or Assistant Professor level who are generally within ten years of their doctoral degree and are pre-R01 (or international equivalent), committed to a career in IBD clinical research; CRIA-SRA targets established faculty at the Assistant Professor level or above with a demonstrable clinical research track record, preferably NIH-funded. International applicants are fully eligible with no geographic restrictions on research sites.

For the 2026–2027 cycle, the pre-application portal opens October 3, 2026; the pre-application deadline is December 1, 2026; invited full proposals are due January 21, 2027; applications are reviewed April–May 2027; and decisions are announced in June 2027. Awards provide up to $250,000 per year in total costs (10% indirect cost maximum) for up to three years. Funding beyond Year 1 is milestone-based and not automatically guaranteed. Both CRIA-CDA and CRIA-SRA applicants compete for the same award dollars and cannot submit to both tracks in the same cycle. Same-topic parallel submissions to Litwin, Clinical Research Network, or Research Initiative mechanisms are not permitted.

Submissions are made through proposalCENTRAL. Applicants must carefully match their proposal scope to the CRIA RFP (last revised October 2024), which contains full page limits, scoring rubric, and format specifications. Both the principal investigator and any co-PI must be employed by a public or private non-profit or government institution. Inquiries should be directed to CRIA@crohnscolitisfoundation.org.