402 Developing a rubric to distinguish translational science from translational research in CTSA pilot projects

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The goal of the CTSA consortium is to move scientific discoveries to clinical application. Translational science (TS) focuses on the process by which this happens, and NCATS supports pilot projects that propose TS questions. We are developing a rubric to guide program managers’ability to discriminate between TS and translational research (TR). METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The CTSA External Review Exchange Consortium (CEREC) and CEREC II are reciprocal review collaborations between CTSA hubs that identify reviewers for each other’s pilot grant applications. CEREC and CEREC II partners developed a 31-item rubric, based on NIH’s Translational Science Principles, for discriminating pilot TS grant applications from those proposing TR. The hubs contributed proposals pre-selected as either TS or TR projects. Then, experienced reviewers and/or program administrators from the hubs used the rubric to score each of the proposals. Reliability of the rubric will be assessed using inter-rater reliability (% agreement and kappa). To identify which of the items in the rubric best discriminate between TS and TR, Item Response Theory analysis will be employed. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Ten CEREC participating hubs submitted 30 applications: 20 TS proposals and 10 TR proposals. Twenty-two reviewers from 12 CEREC hubs evaluated the applications by using the scoring rubric; at least two reviewers evaluated each proposal. The results of the analyses will describe the reliability of the rubric and identify which of the seven TS Principles are most useful for distinguishing between TS and TR pilot grant proposals. Ultimately, this work will yield a scoring rubric that will be disseminated throughout the CTSA network to facilitate the screening of TS applications. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Optimizing research processes is critical to ensure that scientific discoveries are integrated into clinical practice and public health policy as rapidly, efficiently, and equitably as possible. By appropriately identifying and funding TS projects, CTSA hubs can accelerate the impact of clinical and translational research.