Northwestern University Clinical & Translational Sciences (NUCATS) Institute 2.0

Our ability to translate new scientific knowledge rapidly into improvements in patient and population health continues to be limited by numerous challenges. The Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS) was launched in 2007 to create a home supporting clinical and translational (C&T) science at Northwestern and beyond. Northwestern University (NU) is a leading national research university affiliated with nationally-renowned clinical partners. NUCATS is nationally recognized as an innovation leader in several key areas of C&T science, pioneering novel and scalable approaches in the areas of preclinical therapeutic development, health and biomedical informatics systems, research networking platforms and training programs to promote multi-disciplinary team science; and creation and leadership of a regional consortium of the three Chicago-area CTSAs to promote community engagement activities and practice-based research. In the present proposal, we describe our second generation institute, NUCATS 2.0. The Mission of NUCATS 2.0 is “Speeding transformative research discoveries to patients and the population.” Our Vision is to transform NUCATS into a national model of a highly integrated academic nexus that continually increases the quality, safety, efficiency and speed of innovative C&T research, by pursuing three Global Aims: 1) To speed translation and improve efficiency by integrating processes and programs that connect researchers with a continuum of resources, training, funding opportunities, and strategic partners; 2) To develop and implement innovative systems to identify, evaluate, facilitate and disseminate scientific breakthroughs, and improve the quality, safety and cost-effectiveness of C&T research; and 3) To promote Northwestern’s culture of collaboration, innovation and translation through team-building, education, and training to empower the multi-disciplinary translational research teams of tomorrow. NUCATS 2.0 will be an innovative leader driving the rapid translation of life-saving and health-promoting scientific discoveries to improve clinical practice and population health.