D. Leann Long, PhD, associate professor of biostatistics and data science at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, is among the researchers who have used the CTSI Team Grant Accelerator to compete for and manage large, high-impact research awards.
Large multi-investigator grants can expand the reach of science, but they also bring complex demands—team formation, budgeting, coordination, compliance, and long-term project management. The Team Grant Accelerator (TGA) helps meet that need by giving investigators the infrastructure required to pursue major funding and sustain ambitious research programs.
From Proposal to a $49.5 Million Award: The Jackson Heart Study
The Jackson Heart Study (JHS) shows what this kind of support can make possible. One of the nation’s largest and longest-running cardiovascular health studies focused on Black and African American populations, JHS required extensive coordination to compete for its Coordinating Center award.
For more than 25 years, JHS has followed over 5,000 participants in Jackson, Mississippi. Competing for the Coordinating Center meant managing decades of data, coordinating six centers, planning future exams, launching a new young adult cohort, and meeting strict NIH and privacy requirements.
“Given the complexity of the project’s moving parts, stakeholders, and deliverables, we saw this program as a source of critical support to help our team manage it efficiently and effectively,” the research team noted.
The team worked with CTSI during proposal development, including support for a single IRB proposal, and continued with TGA after the award for operational and post-award support. That continuity helped position the team not only to win the contract, but to carry out its full research mission.
“In September 2025, our team was awarded the 10-year, $49.5 million JHS Coordinating Center contract. This award allows us to build on the Jackson Heart Study’s rich and important legacy.”
That mission extends beyond data management. JHS includes three Training and Education Centers that help prepare the next generation of clinical researchers, along with community engagement efforts designed to improve cardiovascular health in Jackson and beyond. The Coordinating Center helps support all that work.
Strengthening Research Teams
TGA also strengthened collaboration across a geographically dispersed research network. By supporting in-person meetings, conference participation, and site visits, the program helped partners build the trust, communication, and working relationships needed to manage a complex, multi-site project over the long term. “The Team Grant Accelerator gives investigators the support they need to compete for and manage large, complex research awards successfully.”
For investigators pursuing large, multi-investigator awards, the Team Grant Accelerator offers thoughtful support to strengthen proposals, ease coordination, and help ambitious research teams move their work forward with confidence. Apply here.