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CARRA-Arthritis Foundation Advancing Biosample Collection Award

Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance

Grant Project Period Length: Up to 3 years total. Biosample collection must begin within the first year of the award, and the project period may extend up to 2 years following the first biosample collection.

Total Grant Funding Amount per award: up to $50,000

Letter of Intent/Data and Sample Share Request Deadline: December 11, 2026

Application Deadline: March 15, 2027

Start Date: September 1, 2027 (Sample collection to start by September 1, 2028)

CARRA’s culture of collaboration focuses on facilitating, accelerating, funding, and performing research driven by academicians, clinicians, patients, and families to fulfill its mission: to unite the pediatric rheumatology community to drive research and transform the lives of children with rheumatic diseases. CARRA’s peer-reviewed grant program offers various funding opportunities to support investigators at all career levels and advance research that furthers our mission.

Program Description

The CARRA-Arthritis Foundation Advancing Biosample Collection Award program supports biosample collection within the CARRA network to advance high-impact CARRA translational research. Applications must identify the intended research use of the biosamples and describe how the collection will support a specific hypothesis-driven study or external funding opportunity. This mechanism provides funding for collection of biosamples at CARRA Registry sites using the CARRA Registry biosample consent form and is not intended to support biosample banking without a clearly defined research purpose. Priority will be given to projects with existing funding or a clearly defined plan to obtain external funding.

• Biosamples may be collected only at active CARRA Registry sites in good standing and only from patients who are enrolled in the CARRA Registry.

• Only CARRA-approved standard biosample collection kits may be used. See “Biosample Collection Options” below.

• Applications must include a hypothesis-driven research plan describing the intended use of the proposed biosamples and how the collection will support a specific research objective or external funding opportunity.

• Award funds will remain within CARRA and will be used solely to support approved biosample collection activities. Covered costs include biosample collection tubes/kits and shipping, CARRA Biobank fees, a one-time site eligibility report, CARRA Registry site payments for biosample collections, and CARRA administrative support required to manage the program. Covered costs include biosample collection tubes/kits and shipping, CARRA Biobank fees, a one-time site eligibility report, and CARRA Registry site payments for biosample collections, and CARRA administrative support required to manage the program.

• The following costs are not allowable under this award:

o CARRA Registry data collection costs, including the enrollment of patients who are not currently eligible for CARRA Registry

o Investigator effort o Costs related to the future analysis of the biosamples

AI Based Application Success Predictor

Based on CARRA funding priorities and funded project patterns:

🥇 1. Strong Pediatric Rheumatology Focus (Top Predictor)

Must clearly address:
- Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)
- Pediatric lupus
- Vasculitis
- Other childhood rheumatic diseases

✔ Direct relevance to children’s outcomes is essential

🥈 2. Multicenter Collaboration (Major Advantage)

One of the strongest predictors

✔ High success:

Studies involving multiple CARRA sites

📌 Single-center studies are less competitive

🥉 3. Use of CARRA Registry/Data

Strong preference for:
- Leveraging existing registry data

✔ Predictor:

Data-driven, real-world evidence

4. Clinical / Translational Impact

Preference for:
- Patient-oriented research
- Comparative effectiveness studies

✔ Projects influencing treatment strategies score higher

5. Feasibility & Structured Study Design

Many grants are:
- Pilot or short-term

✔ Winning proposals:

Clear endpoints
Realistic timelines

6. Early Career Investigator Support

Many programs target:
- Fellows
- Junior faculty

✔ Strong mentorship is critical

7. Standardization & Protocol-Based Research

Preference for:
- Studies aligned with CARRA CTPs

8. Patient-Centered Outcomes

Strong emphasis on:
- Quality of life
- Functional outcomes

🧪 Common Funded Research Areas

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)
Pediatric lupus
Treatment effectiveness studies
Biomarkers and disease activity
Long-term outcomes in children
Medication safety

⚠️ Common Reasons for Rejection

Weak pediatric focus
Lack of multicenter collaboration
Not leveraging CARRA resources
Poor study design
Limited clinical relevance

🧠 Bottom Line (Key Predictors Ranked)

Direct relevance to pediatric rheumatic diseases
Multicenter collaboration (very important)
Use of CARRA registry/data
Clinical/translational impact
Feasible, well-designed study
Strong mentorship (early-career grants)

Specialties

Pediatrics

Rheumatology

Eligibility Requirements

• The project principal investigator (PI) must be a CARRA member in good standing (up to date on membership dues and current and accurate member profile).

• Previous and current CARRA awardees who wish to submit new grant applications must be up to date on all award deliverables.

• Applicants must hold an advanced degree (MD or equivalent, PhD, or MD/PhD) and must have a faculty or equivalent government appointment.

• All applications must be submitted by or include a pediatric rheumatologist named as a co-investigator (co-I).

• The project PI or co-PI must be a member of the CARRA Registry network.

• While not eligible to serve as PIs, the following may serve as team members: medical and graduate students, research professional members who are regulatory or data coordinators, business and industry associate members, and nonprofit/government associate members.

• CARRA board members or those in executive leadership positions may not serve as study leadership.

• All sites proposing to collect samples under this grant mechanism must be current, active CARRA Registry sites. Participating site investigators must also be listed authorized personnel on the current CARRA Registry delegation of authority log, managed by Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI).

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: PO Box 950509, St. Louis, MO 63195-0509

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