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Translational Bridge Award

Lupus Research Alliance

BACKGROUND

The Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) is the largest private funder of lupus research worldwide. The organization aims to transform lupus treatment while advancing towards a cure by funding cutting-edge, innovative research.

At present, therapy for lupus is mostly empiric and involves largely non-specific anti inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents. While these treatments are frequently beneficial, many patients do not respond adequately or suffer significant side effects. Importantly, even patients with low disease activity accrue organ damage over time. Thus, new conceptual and therapeutic approaches are urgently needed. However, many scientific discoveries that have the potential for clinical translation and commercialization are stunted due to lack of specific funding and guidance to proceed to the next step. The LRA established the Translational Bridge Award (TBA) to provide a dedicated funding mechanism to bridge the gap between post-discovery and pre-commercial development and to accelerate the pace at which promising foundational research discoveries are translated into clinical evaluation and transitioned to a viable product that impacts patients directly.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The TBA provides up to $450,000 for up to two years for milestone-driven projects with strong, relatively near-term (2-3 years) clinical potential or with an immediate opportunity for clinical evaluation. All projects should advance the discovery of potential commercial entities or clinical products with a clear and direct relevance to people with lupus and offer the potential to improve diagnosis or standard of care for the disease or usher in a cure. These can include a range of technologies, therapies, interventions, and diagnostics/prognostics tools and biomarkers. Proposals should be centered around a well-defined bridge plan of translating the discovery and advancing to the next clinical development stage. This bridge plan should consider the scientific, clinical, legal, regulatory, business and/or commercialization objectives outlined below.

KEY DATES RFA Release: November 3, 2025

Applications Due: February 19, 2026

Application Decision: July 2026

Expected Start Date: September 2026

AI based application success predictor

Rigorously reviewed by international scientific committees, LRA proposals succeed when they demonstrate excellence on several core criteria:

🔹 1. Scientific Relevance to Lupus

LRA prioritizes research that is directly applicable to lupus — especially projects that could clarify pathogenesis, identify therapeutic targets, or improve diagnosis and treatment. Broad autoimmune projects are considered when relevance to lupus is explicit. Lupus Research Alliance

Tip: Clearly frame how outcomes would advance lupus biology or clinical care.

🔹 2. Innovation & High Impact Potential

Many LRA programs (especially Lupus Innovation and GTSA) reward novel, daring ideas that explore unexplored mechanisms or push new technologies (e.g., engineered cell therapies, precision biomarkers). Lupus Research Alliance

Tip: Highlight novelty, transformative potential, and why current approaches fall short.

🔹 3. Methodological Rigor & Feasibility

Strong proposals include:

Clear hypotheses and aims

Well-defined methods and milestones

Appropriate power and statistical plans

Realistic timelines to complete milestones within the funding period

Feasibility is assessed in the context of the project’s ambition.

🔹 4. Investigator Track Record & Team Strength

Reviewers consider:

Prior publications and relevant experience,

Demonstrated ability to complete proposed work,

Institutional support and infrastructure

For collaborative awards like GTSA, reviewers emphasize complementary expertise across team members.

🔹 5. Clear Translational or Clinical Pathway

Especially for programs funding later-stage or clinical research (e.g., Mechanistic Clinical Award), proposals that articulate a credible pathway from discovery to patient impact are more compelling.

🔹 6. Diversity & Workforce Development Alignment

Awards like Empowering Lupus Research explicitly value broadening representation in the lupus research community, prioritizing candidates from diverse backgrounds or those committed to research inclusivity. Lupus Research Alliance

🧠 Practical Tips for Applications

✔ Read specific RFAs carefully (including eligibility, budgets, and deadlines). NIH-style narrative clarity is crucial.
✔ Align aims with lupus mechanistic insights or clinical relevance — vague general autoimmune studies are less competitive.
✔ Craft clear specific aims and milestones, with contingency plans for risks.
✔ Justify statistical considerations for discovery/clinical outcomes.
✔ For team science awards, invest time in building a balanced, interdisciplinary team with institutional commitments.
✔ Engage with LRA scientific staff (when opportunities allow) to clarify program goals and expectations.

📌 Summary: LRA Funding & Success Factors

Program	Typical Support	Focus	Success Predictors
Lupus Innovation Award	~$300K/2 yrs	High-risk discovery	Novel concepts & mechanisms
Lupus Mechanisms & Targets Award	~$600K/3 yrs	Target/pathway discovery	Mechanistic clarity & translation
TRP-ECT	$300–600K/2 yrs	Cell therapy research	Translational designs & safety
Global Team Science Award	~$3M/3 yrs	Interdisciplinary lupus projects	Team synergy & innovation
Empowering Career/Postdoc	$200–600K	Early-career development	Career trajectory & diversity
Mechanistic Clinical Award	$0.5–1M	Precision clinical lupus research	Clinical linkage & real-world impact

Specialties

Clinical Trials

Pharmacology

Eligibility Requirements

All individuals that meet the eligibility criteria below may apply; however, to accelerate the translational advancement of LRA’s research portfolio, significant preference will be given to applicants that have previously received LRA funding or were affiliated with a previously funded LRA award on a relevant project.

Applicants must have a doctoral degree (MD, PhD, DO, or equivalent), holding a faculty, or equivalent, position and leading an independent research team at an academic, nonprofit, or government research institution. US federal government research laboratories are not eligible for this award. There are no citizenship requirements for investigators applying to this program.

Previously or currently LRA funded applicants must also be up to date with all progress and financial reports and other Terms and Conditions of the original LRA award(s) at the time of application.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Lupus Research Alliance

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 52 Vanderbilt Ave, Suite 401, New York, NY 10017 | 646-884-6000

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