Clinical Trial & Research Network Program

The Clinical Trial & Research Network Program is a grant program administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, or DCED. The program is intended to support the planning of a clinical trial and research network or networks, referred to as CTRNs, within Pennsylvania. DCED defines a CTRN as a group of organizations that collaborate on clinical research by sharing data, standardizing procedures, unifying infrastructure, and distributing responsibilities. These coordinated activities are intended to support patient recruitment and clinical studies across multiple institutions. The broader purpose is to make it easier for businesses to conduct clinical trials in Pennsylvania while strengthening coordination among participating organizations. The program specifically focuses on planning for a CTRN rather than describing funding for individual clinical trials or other unrelated research activities. According to the program overview, organizing a CTRN is intended to accelerate trial initiation, facilitate continuity across healthcare organizations, and improve patient enrollment. The contemplated network structure involves organizations working together across areas such as data sharing, common procedures, infrastructure, and responsibility for research activities. The source identifies the program category as Grant and the funding type as Business. No specific allowable cost categories, prohibited expenditures, indirect cost limits, subaward restrictions, period of performance, award floor, award ceiling, total program funding, or number of anticipated awards are provided in the supplied program information. Eligible applicants must satisfy several conditions. An applicant must be headquartered or primarily operating in Pennsylvania, must be a stakeholder in the life sciences or healthcare ecosystem, and must have committed collaborators. The source does not identify a closed list of eligible legal entity types, such as nonprofit organizations, universities, for-profit businesses, government agencies, or other specific organizational classifications. Consequently, the stated eligibility requirements are best understood as functional and geographic requirements rather than confirmation that every type of organization within the life sciences or healthcare ecosystem may apply. The source also does not state a required cost share or matching contribution. The program is not currently accepting applications. DCED states that the program will open once sufficient funds for Innovate in PA 2.0 have been raised and directs interested parties to check the Innovate in PA 2.0 webpage for status updates. No application opening date, application closing date, letter of intent deadline, concept paper deadline, pre-proposal deadline, or other pre-application gating deadline is provided. The supplied information also does not describe an application portal, required application forms, narrative questions, attachments, financial documentation, submission steps, or other application components. Because applications are not currently being accepted and the future opening depends on a funding condition rather than a stated calendar date, an exact future application timeline cannot be calculated from the source. The source does not provide evaluation criteria, scoring factors, review priorities, award notification timing, anticipated project start date, performance period, or recurring application schedule. It also does not identify previous recipients. No individual program contact, program-specific email address, or program-specific telephone number is supplied in the program description. Although the broader DCED webpage displays a general agency telephone number and a Contact Us link, these are not identified as contacts specifically assigned to the Clinical Trial & Research Network Program. Prospective applicants should therefore rely on the official program page and the referenced Innovate in PA 2.0 webpage for future status information. Based strictly on the supplied material, the next application opportunity remains contingent on DCED determining that sufficient Innovate in PA 2.0 funds have been raised, and no specific opening, closing, award, or performance dates can presently be established.

Demonstrate that the applicant is headquartered or primarily operating in Pennsylvania, is a stakeholder in the life sciences or healthcare ecosystem, and has committed collaborators. Monitor the Innovate in PA 2.0 webpage because the program will open once sufficient funds have been raised.