DISC5 Awards: Funding Opportunity for Discovery Stage Research Grant

DISC5 Awards: Funding Opportunity for Discovery Stage Research Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Amount: US $1,500,000 - US $3,000,000
Last Updated: July 09, 2025

Summary

The DISC5 Awards, funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, aim to support innovative research in stem cell technologies that enhance patient care. Grants of up to $1.5 million for individual projects and $3 million for team efforts are available, with a project duration of up to three years. These awards encourage collaboration and focus on addressing critical knowledge gaps in regenerative medicine, promoting diversity and inclusivity in research.

Overview

NOTE: In accordance with CIRM’s mission, the Agency is committed to helping develop promising stem cell-based technologies by partnering with world-class investigators. Therefore, prospective applicants are encouraged to contact CIRM before applying with questions or to discuss their project’s eligibility. Objective The mission of California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is to accelerate world class science to deliver transformative regenerative medicine treatments in an equitable manner to a diverse California and world. The objective of the Discovery Program is to support exploratory research leading to the discovery of novel stem cell technologies to improve patient care. Foundation Awards The Foundation Awards Program supports rigorous studies addressing critical basic knowledge gaps in the biology of stem cells and regenerative medicine approaches and to advance stem cell-based tools. Projects funded through the Foundation Awards should propose impactful or innovative research that culminates in a discovery or technology that would advance our understanding of the biology of stem or progenitor cells (collectively, “stem cells”) that is relevant to human biology and disease, or advance the application of genetic research that is relevant to human biology and disease and pertains to stem cells and regenerative medicine, or advance the development or use of human stem cells as tools for biomedical innovation, or lead to the greater applicability of regenerative medicine discoveries to communities representing the full spectrum of diversity. While CIRM intends to issue this Program Announcement for Foundation Awards to broadly re-initiate funding of basic stem cell science and genetic research, future DISC0 Program Announcements will be adjusted to align with collaborative infrastructure needs. Funding CIRM will fund direct project costs of up to: $1,500,000 per Single PI Track award; award duration is up to 3 years, OR$3,000,000 per Team Track award (1 PI + 1-2 Co-I) award; award duration is up to 3 years. The amount of direct project costs requested must be adequately justified. The requested amount is subject to adjustments prior to the issuance of an award based on assessments by the Grants Working Group (GWG), the CIRM team, or by the Application Review Subcommittee of CIRM’s Governing Board, the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee (“ICOC”). The proposed project period must not exceed 3 years from the award start date (approximately 90 days after the date of ICOC approval).

Eligibility

We've imported the main document for this grant to give you an overview. You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website.