Intramural Funding Opportunities

Houston Methodist offers a range of competitive intramural funding opportunities to support and encourage faculty in research and scholarship endeavors that contribute to professional growth. Intramural grants are funded through a competitive application process. Please review the funding opportunities below to learn more about the goals of each funding program and their application requirements.

Houston Methodist Intramural Awards Portal

Translational Product Development Grant Programs 

• Bridge to TRI Funding Program
  • The Bridge to TRI funding program will bridge the gap in funding for promising and clinically relevant research (molecular, cellular or early pre-clinical research) to advance for TRI funding consideration. 
• Translational Research Initiative Program
  • This program supports translational and clinical research that will lead to the development of safe and effective interventions, specifically interdisciplinary studies that bridge basic science and clinical investigation, leverage matching industry or philanthropic funds, and show potential to advance transformative clinical therapies. 
• Advances in Restorative Medicine
  • The program supports translational and clinical research that generates proof-of-concept data toward novel and transformative clinical therapies for Restorative Medicine. Proposals of interest include those that are interdisciplinary, bridge basic sciences and clinical investigation, build on existing strengths and utilize Houston Methodist core facilities.
• Cockrell Center for Advanced Therapeutics Program
  • The CCAT CRU was established as a Phase 1 clinical trial center that 1) supports investigators and programs with expertise in early drug development and translational research and 2) assists with conducting pilot studies. Funding aims to support partially funded phase I studies with the potential for continued development in larger multicenter trials.

Translational Research Seed Funding Programs

• Houston Methodist and Siemens Healthineers Research Collaboration
  • This research collaboration supports translational or clinical investigations in imaging, image-guided therapy, and computer science applications. Proposals of interest call within two categories: pilot/proof-of-concept projects and full projects. Each category has specific submission and funding requirements. 
• George and Angelina Kostas Research Center for Cardiovascular Nanomedicine Seed Funding Program
  • This program supports research projects in Cardiovascular Nanomedicine including, but not limited to, the development and application of diagnostics, delivery systems, therapeutics, novel devices, and imaging. Projects should include immediate applications within the one-year funding period.
• Paula and Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter Neurorestoration ‘NeuroSpark’ Seed Funding Program
  • NeuroSpark Seed Funding is intended to both build upon current neural regeneration research and also ‘spark’ novel interactions among Houston Methodist’s Centers of Excellence. Priority will be given to interdisciplinary projects in areas of emphasis that include regeneration and neuromodulation, systems and organ repair, acute neuroprotection and imaging biomarkers, and prosthetics and robotics. 
• EdMed Capstone Program
  • The program provides EnMed students an opportunity to practice research and technology development for their Capstone Projects. Houston Methodist faculty or faculty from Houston Methodist and TAMU collaborative teams are eligible to host EnMed students in their laboratories and can receive financial support on a competitive basis. EnMed students will have the opportunity to select an eligible faculty mentor and submit a proposal.  
• Center for Health & Nature Innovation Fund Program
  • The Fund will competitively award small interdisciplinary grants to generate pilot data and develop larger funding proposals that provide innovative approaches for examining the effects of nature on human health and healing. The CHN awards support research that may include, but not limited to, improving clinical outcomes by integrating nature or promoting the connection between corporations/employee wellness and nature.

Recognition Awards

• President's Awards
  • These awards recognize faculty for high-impact research, education, publications and external grant funding. They include Awards for Excellence in Peer-Reviewed Publication, Transformational Research, Research, Education and Other Academic Achievements.
• Career Cornerstone Awards
  • This award recognizes faculty for receiving their first NIH grant as Principal Investigator by matching a portion of indirect funding as discretionary funding for academic work.

Career Development Awards

• Katz Investigators
  • Applications for this award from the Jerold B. Katz Academy of Translational Research are open to researchers from any medical specialty conducting translational research. The program is designed to help investigators move along promising translational research projects and new technologies with commercial potential.   
• Clinical Scholars Program
  • This award supports the distinct role that clinician scientists, educators and trialists play in advancing academic medicine. This award aims to develop clinical faculty that possess the rare blend of skills needed to conduct research or clinical trials while educating trainees by supporting 20 – 50% of their time dedicated to academic work.
• NIH Competitiveness Awards
  • For unsuccessful NIH grants falling within 10% of the payline, this award supports research projects costs that address reviewer concerns and increase the competitiveness of grant resubmissions.