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CARRA-Arthritis Foundation Bridge Grant

Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance

Grant Project Period Length: 12–18 months

Total Grant Funding Amount per award: $125,000

Letter of Intent Deadline: December 11, 2026

Application Deadline: March 15, 2027

Project Period Start: July, August, or September 1, 2027

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 Bridge Grant is intended to support principal investigators who have submitted a K-equivalent (career development) or R-equivalent (investigator-initiated) application to the National Institutes of Health, Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, or similar funding agency; received a scored but unfunded application with a priority score, summary statement, and funding decision; and intend to resubmit a revised application within the next 12–18 months. The application must further the CARRA mission under the 2026–2028 Strategic Plan and Research Agenda.

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) for all grants must be a current CARRA member who is up to date on membership dues and has ensured that all membership information is current and accurate.

• Previous and current CARRA awardees who wish to submit new grant applications must be up to date on all previous and current award deliverables at the time of submission.

• Applicants must hold an advanced degree (MD [or equivalent], PhD, or MD/PhD).

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

• While not eligible to serve as PIs, team members can include fellows, junior faculty, and students, research professionals 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.

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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