CFF Screening Improvement Program (SIP)

CFF Screening Improvement Program (SIP)

Supports screening programmes that improve study quality, trial efficiency, and treatment progress in care pathways.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Screening Improvement Program (SIP) funds quality improvement projects designed to strengthen newborn screening protocols for CF, improve early diagnosis accuracy, and enhance the follow-up care systems that connect screen-positive infants to specialized treatment. Awards provide $75,000 per year plus 12% indirect costs for a two-year project period, making SIP one of the few CFF mechanisms that allows indirect recovery. Applications are accepted on an annual cycle with a July deadline, and submissions are made through the awards.cff.org portal. The program is distinct from the Foundation's basic science and therapeutics portfolios — SIP is explicitly oriented toward clinical quality improvement and care systems, not laboratory research or drug development.

Eligible applicants are independent investigators at accredited U.S. academic or research institutions; individual applicants without institutional affiliation are not eligible. For-profit organizations are also ineligible. Projects must target demonstrable gaps in the newborn screening pipeline — such as inter-laboratory variability, referral delays, or follow-up care disparities — and must articulate a clear quality improvement methodology. The 12% indirect cost cap is lower than federal norms but higher than the zero-indirect rules applied to CFF training awards, reflecting the institutional infrastructure required for QI work at CF care centers.

The CF Foundation operates the CFF Patient Registry, which captures data on approximately 80% of the U.S. CF population, and applicants with access to registry-linked care center data are well-positioned to build a compelling case for proposed interventions. Review is conducted by the Clinical Research Committee using a peer-review process aligned with NIH norms. Notifications typically arrive four to eight months after submission. Teams proposing multi-site QI collaborations involving multiple CF Foundation accredited care centers are likely to be viewed favorably, given the Foundation's emphasis on system-wide improvements to early diagnosis and follow-up.