Clinical and Translational Science Institute

What Clinical and Translational Science Institute does

The Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) at the University of Pittsburgh is an NIH-funded academic research institute established in 2006 under Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) grant UL1 TR001857, led by NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). CTSI is not an independent commercial company; it is structurally part of the University of Pittsburgh and serves Pitt and UPMC researchers whose work sits in the gap between basic science and clinical or public-health practice. It is organized into 12 Core divisions that deliver education and training (e.g., the Orientation to Research Fundamentals and Responsible Conduct of Research training), regulatory and methodological consultation (Research Facilitators, BERD biostatistics and epidemiology), data-management infrastructure (REDCap, Qualtrics, LabArchives, Globus, DMPTool, the Pitt Data Catalog), and participant recruitment (the Pitt+Me voluntary research registry with more than 392,000 participants and eligibility-matching software). It also operates a network of 11 specialized clinical research centers across UPMC and affiliate sites, including pediatric, women's health, neuroscience, cancer, acute care, physical therapy, and practice-based primary care networks. CTSI does not sell services; all core offerings are provided at no charge to eligible University of Pittsburgh and UPMC researchers, funded primarily through the CTSA grant with co-funding from partners such as the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation and the UPMC Office of the Chief Scientific Officer. The institute's commercial-adjacent surface is limited to its funding-program portfolio — PInCh (Pitt Innovation Challenge), Virginia Kaufman Pain Research Challenge, BRIDGE Pilot Awards, QuMP, Engage Pilot Award, PUnCh, and the Sustainability in Healthcare Challenge — which collectively act as internal seed-funding mechanisms for translational research rather than revenue-generating products, with PInCh alone having supported 153 teams that subsequently attracted over $88 million in post-award investment.

Name

Clinical and Translational Science Institute

Legal name

Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Pittsburgh

Website

https://ctsi.pitt.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The University of Pittsburgh CTSI is an NIH CTSA-funded (grant UL1 TR001857) academic research institute that provides clinical and translational research infrastructure — including 12 Core divisions, 11 clinical research centers, the 392,000-participant Pitt+Me registry, and seed funding programs — at no cost to Pitt and UPMC researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical and Translational Research Support Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Research Support (CRC/CTA) (EDAOAJAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Clinical Trial Management Systems (CTMS) (HLACAOAD)

Keywords

• Clinical research support
• Translational science services
• Research participant registry
• Biomedical research infrastructure
• Clinical trial facilitation

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburgh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. NIH CTSA Grant Funding: CTSI is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, grant UL1 TR001857. The CTSA program is led by NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). Services are provided free of charge to eligible University of Pittsburgh and UPMC researchers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CTSI is an NIH-funded research support institute at the University of Pittsburgh that provides institutional infrastructure, services, and funding programs to accelerate clinical and translational research. It operates 12 Core divisions offering regulatory navigation, study design, data management, participant recruitment through the Pitt+Me registry (over 392,000 participants), training programs, and pilot funding opportunities to University of Pittsburgh and UPMC researchers at no cost.

Product overview

The Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) at the University of Pittsburgh is an NIH-supported institute (grant UL1 TR001857) that operates as a research support platform providing infrastructure, services, and funding programs to accelerate clinical and translational research. The organization comprises 12 Core divisions offering educational, programmatic, facility, and equipment resources across all six of Pitt's health sciences schools. The core offerings include the Pitt+Me Registry (a participant database with matching software), Research Facilitators providing regulatory expertise, specialized Research Facilities & Networks (11 clinical research centers), Data Management services (including REDCap integration), and the Orientation to Research Fundamentals training program. CTSI's portfolio includes multiple funding programs including the Pitt Innovation Challenge (PInCh), Virginia Kaufman Pain Research Challenge, and the Sustainability in Healthcare Challenge. The institute also provides the Responsible Conduct of Research Training and communicates through newsletters including Coordinator Connect and CTSI Updates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pitt+Me: Research registry connecting researchers with participants, with over 392,000 participants to help speed up medical breakthroughs.

Products and services

• Pitt+Me Registry Innovative voluntary database of over 200,000 adult and pediatric participants who have consented to be contacted for potential participation in research studies. Features novel matching software that matches participants with studies for which they may be eligible. The broader Pitt+Me program has over 392,000 total participants.
• Research Facilitators Research and regulatory experts who work to meet the individual needs of researchers in all aspects of their research, including open office hours and assistance with navigating regulatory pathways. They work directly with investigators, coordinators, and other staff to reduce barriers to the research process.
• CTSI Core Services 12 Core divisions providing institutional infrastructure including educational, programmatic, facility, and equipment resources to support clinical and translational research across all six of Pitt's health sciences schools.
• Data Management Consultations Data management consultation for research projects provided by the Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) Core, including guidance on data collection form design, organizing data management, selecting data management tools, and utilizing health record data. Up to 10 hours per project at no cost.
• Orientation to Research Fundamentals (ORF) Intensive and interactive workshop consisting of three half-day sessions covering basic concepts required to successfully coordinate a research study, including resources and regulatory requirements for conducting clinical research at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC. Offered at no cost with CEUs available.
• Responsible Conduct of Research Training (RCR) Educational resource for researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC covering ethical standards and responsible practices for successful scientific research, including workshops on conflict of interest, human subjects, and research misconduct.
• Research Facilities & Networks Network of 11 specialized clinical research centers including Children's Hospital Pediatric, Magee-Womens Hospital, Neuroscience, UPMC Montefiore, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, and practice-based research networks for family medicine and women's health.
• Pitt Innovation Challenge (PInCh) Funding program seeking bold solutions to important health problems. Has brought together 153 teams creating solutions to health-related challenges, generating over $88 million in post-award investment with an 11:1 return on investment. Total awards up to $555,000.
• Virginia Kaufman Pain Research Challenge Funding opportunity for ideas and solutions associated with both physiological and psychological pain, including dynamics of pain, causes and alleviation, and treatment to prevent/mitigate pain. Funding up to $75,000 per award.
• Dissemination and Implementation Science Pilot Award (DISPA) Pilot awards supporting research focusing on dissemination and implementation research methods to support adoption, implementation, or maintenance of evidence-based practices or programs. Funding up to $50,000 per award.
• Quantitative Methodologies Pilot Program (QuMP) Funding supporting interdisciplinary, translational research involving quantitative methodologies such as mathematical modeling, statistics, biostatistics, and epidemiology. Funding up to $30,000 per award.
• Engage Pilot Award Program Program seeking projects that test new ways to involve individuals in maintenance of their own health, giving agency and responsibility to the non-medical individual. Funding $45,000.
• BRIDGE Pilot Award Award designed to bridge the gap between large data sets (millions of electronic health records, consumer purchases, genomic data, wearable fitness sensor data) and personalized care for individuals or regions. Funding up to $30,000.
• Sustainability in Healthcare Challenge University of Pittsburgh's first funding opportunity to promote environmental, economic, and social sustainability in healthcare. Total awards of $125,000 ($50,000 for one project, $25,000 each for up to three additional). Student competition grants of $2,500 also available.
• Commercialization-Innovations Phase II Pilot Awards
• Pitt Un-Challenge (PUnCh) Bold initiative designed to fund unconventional, uncharted, and unprecedented research across disciplines. Phase 1 offers up to $25K for 6 months, Phase 2 offers up to $100K for 12 months.

Quantifiable outcome

• PInCh program generated over $88 million in post-award investment with 11:1 return on investment
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• National Institutes of Health (NIH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTSI is supported by NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, grant UL1 TR001857. The CTSA program is led by NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). This partnership provides primary funding and connects CTSI with the nationwide network of CTSAs.
• Mascaro Center for Sustainable InnovationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Sustainability in Healthcare Challenge, bringing expertise in sustainable innovation to healthcare research collaborations between health sciences and the Mascaro Center.
• Office of Sustainability in the Health SciencesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the Sustainability in Healthcare Challenge, focused on promoting environmental, economic, and social sustainability in healthcare.
• Office of Multidisciplinary Innovations in the Health SciencesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the Sustainability in Healthcare Challenge, supporting innovative approaches to healthcare sustainability challenges.
• Pitt Information TechnologycoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides technology infrastructure including Globus subscription for secure research data management and LabArchives electronic lab notebooks at no cost to University faculty, staff, and students.
• University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Library SystemmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in RCR training workshops and data management education, providing expertise in scholarly communication, data services, and research publication support.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Harvard Catalyst | The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center: Harvard's NIH CTSA-funded translational science institute providing clinical research infrastructure, pilot funding, training, and participant recruitment across Harvard-affiliated hospitals. Directly comparable to CTSI as a peer CTSA hub with overlapping service offerings and the same NIH funding model.
• Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR): Vanderbilt's CTSA hub offering pilot funding, biostatistics support, research facilitation, and clinical trial infrastructure. Notably the originator of REDCap, which CTSI also deploys, making VICTR a particularly close functional peer.
• Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute: Duke's CTSA-funded institute providing research navigation, pilot funding, training, and translational science support across Duke University and the Duke University Health System — a structurally identical peer to the Pitt CTSI.
• Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research: Johns Hopkins' CTSA hub offering research cores, pilot grants, regulatory support, and clinical research training. Same CTSA funding model and service architecture as Pitt CTSI, serving another major academic medical center.
• Stanford Center for Clinical and Translational Research and Education (Spectrum): Stanford's CTSA institute providing clinical research infrastructure, participant recruitment, and pilot funding to Stanford investigators. Comparable as a same-network CTSA hub with similar service breadth and academic-only customer base.

Emerging players

• REDCap Consortium: The multi-institution consortium that develops and distributes REDCap, the clinical trial data capture platform CTSI provides to its researchers. Not a direct competitor but a core technology partner whose roadmap and licensing directly affect CTSI's informatics capabilities.

Others

• NCATS (NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences): The NIH center that funds the CTSA program and administers grant UL1 TR001857 supporting CTSI. NCATS is the principal funder and governing body — not a peer but the ecosystem sponsor whose policy decisions directly shape CTSI's funding and operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Veeva Systems: Commercial provider of clinical trial management and data infrastructure for the pharmaceutical industry. Adjacent to CTSI's clinical trial tooling stack (REDCap/CTMS) but serves commercial sponsors rather than academic researchers, illustrating the commercial alternative CTSI could be benchmarked against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PittCTSI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pitt-ctsi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Clinical and Translational Science Institute