UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science

What UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science does

The UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) is a non-profit university research center within the University of Illinois Chicago, founded in 2007 and funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at NIH through Grant UM1TR005438, recently renewed for 7 years. CCTS operates as a translational science hub within the national CTSA Program network, providing UIC researchers with consultative support, training, informatics tools, and pilot funding to accelerate clinical and translational research. Its core offerings include Research Ally (a portal linking researchers to peer scientists and Research Navigators), the TrACTS training suite (Best Practice Hour, Master Classes, RC+ Certificate Program), REDCap support, QUICKSet (an i2b2-based cohort discovery tool against the Clinical Research Data Warehouse), and CIRTification (multilingual research ethics training for community partners).

The center's technology stack centers on clinical research management and translational science support, anchored by REDCap for electronic data capture, i2b2/QUICKSet for biomedical informatics, and the Clinical Research Data Warehouse. Its business model is grant-funded rather than commercial: most services are provided at no cost to UIC researchers, with the NCATS grant underwriting operations, pilot grant programs, and the KL2/CATS career development program. External revenue signals are limited to nominal fees for select external training (e.g., NUCATS modules via discount code) and optional CITI Program courses. CCTS is governed by a multi-PI leadership model (Niranjan Karnik, Robin Mermelstein, Terry Vanden Hoek) and serves a defined internal user base of UIC faculty, research staff, junior investigators, and community partners, with the UI Health academic enterprise acting as the clinical partnership arm.

Name

UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science

Legal name

UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science

Website

https://ccts.uic.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science is an NIH-funded CTSA hub that provides UIC researchers with consultative research support, training programs, informatics tools, and pilot funding to accelerate clinical and translational science.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. NIH/NCATS CTSA Funding: CCTS is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through Grant UM1TR005438. This grant provides 7 years of renewed funding for the center's operations.
2. Pilot Grant Program: Funding provided to UIC researchers through translational science pilot projects, funded by NIH through the CTSA mechanism

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) provides consultative research support, structured training programs, pilot project funding, and research informatics infrastructure (including REDCap support and QUICKSet/i2b2 cohort discovery) to UIC researchers. As an NIH-funded CTSA hub, the center accelerates the translation of scientific discoveries into clinical and community health improvements through expert consultation, professional development, and federal pilot funding.

Product overview

UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science operates as an academic research support center offering a platform of interconnected services centered on Research Ally (consultative support with peer scientists and research navigators) and TrACTS (training suite). The core offerings include REDCap support, QUICKSet (i2b2-based cohort discovery), and CIRTification (community partner training). The training portfolio spans RC+ Certificate Program, Best Practice Hour Seminars, Master Class Series, PI 411 Seminars, and CRISS. Additional programs include K12/CATS career development and Pilot funding grants. The center is funded by NCATS/NIH Grant UM1TR005438 and supports UIC researchers in accelerating translational research from bench to bedside.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TrACTS Suite: Training and Advancement of Careers in Translational Science Suite offering educational and professional development programs
• Research Ally
• CIRTification
• QUICKSet
• RC+ Certificate Program

Products and services

• Research Ally

Quantifiable outcome

• 7-year renewal of NCATS funding demonstrates sustained institutional excellence in translational science
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UI Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the Clinical Research Investigator Seminar Series (CRISS) and collaborative partner in cancer research initiatives
• Northwestern University Clinical & Translational Science Institute (NUCATS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNUCATS provides two online modules (Introduction to Clinical Research and Research Misconduct) for the RC+ Certificate Program at no charge to UIC researchers using coupon code 2026UICDualDiscount
• CTSA Program ConsortiumcoreTechnology or IntegrationCCTS is part of the national CTSA Program network, enabling collaboration with 60+ translational science hubs across the United States for shared resources and best practices
• UI HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUIC's academic health enterprise providing clinical research infrastructure, patient populations for studies, and healthcare delivery partnership for translational research
• University of Illinois SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes UIC, UIUC, and UIS campuses with shared services including Shibboleth authentication and Google Workspace integration for staff
• CITI ProgramminorOthersExternal provider of Human Subjects Research and Good Clinical Practice training required for RC+ Certificate Program completion

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Harvard Catalyst | The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center: Harvard Catalyst is one of the largest and most established CTSA hubs, offering pilot funding, training, and clinical research support similar to UIC CCTS — a peer competing for NIH CTSA visibility and consortium influence.
• Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI): Duke CTSI is a peer CTSA hub providing translational science consultation, training, and pilot grants to Duke investigators — directly comparable in mission, structure, and federal funding model.
• Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI): Tufts CTSI is a peer CTSA hub offering pilot funding, training, and translational research support — closely comparable in scope and structure to UIC CCTS within the national consortium.
• Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS): NUCATS is Northwestern's CTSA-funded translational science hub offering consultation, training, and pilot funding — a direct peer and existing training partner of UIC CCTS within the same Chicago metro area.
• Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR) at University of Michigan: MICHR is the University of Michigan's CTSA hub offering pilot grants, training, and translational research support — a peer in the same regional footprint with a comparable service portfolio.
• Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) at Washington University in St. Louis: Washington University's ICTS is a peer CTSA hub in the Midwest region providing comparable clinical research support, training, and pilot funding to its university's investigators.
• UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI): UCSF CTSI is a peer CTSA hub providing translational research consultation, training, and pilot funding — directly comparable in mission and operating model to UIC CCTS.
• Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR): VICTR is Vanderbilt's CTSA hub offering research support, informatics, and training analogous to UIC CCTS — a closely comparable peer, and notably the home institution of REDCap, a tool CCTS supports.

Others

• REDCap Consortium (Vanderbilt): REDCap is the electronic data capture platform CCTS supports and trains researchers on. It is an infrastructure/technology partner whose tools CCTS operationalizes for UIC investigators.
• CITI Program (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative): CITI Program provides the human subjects research and GCP training that CCTS requires for its RC+ Certificate Program. It is an enabling content provider, not a direct translational science competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UIC_CCTS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UICCCTS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uic-ccts
• Instagraminstagram.com/UIC_CCTS
• Facebookfacebook.com/UIHRR

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science