SPARK

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Summer Program to Accelerate Regenerative Medicine Knowledge (SPARK)

*For for students interested in learning more about the CIRM SPARK program and how to apply, please visit our CIRM Internship Programs webpage.

RFA 15-06: Funding Opportunity for Summer Program to Accelerate Regenerative Medicine Knowledge (SPARK)

The mission of California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is to accelerate stem cell therapies to patients with unmet medical needs.
The objective of the Summer Program to Accelerate Regenerative Medicine Knowledge (SPARK) is to enable California academic institutions to provide summer training opportunities in stem cell research to high school students who represent the diversity of California’s population, particularly those who might not otherwise have opportunities to take part in summer research internships due to socioeconomic constraints. Through summer lab internships, community outreach and patient engagement, CIRM hopes to inspire, educate and motivate high school students to become involved in CIRM’s mission of accelerating stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical needs.

Please see the RFA for full details:
RFA 15-06: Funding Opportunity for Summer Program to Accelerate Regenerative Medicine Knowledge (SPARK) [pdf] (revised 9.17.15)

To Submit an Application:

  1. Go to the Grants Management Portal (https://grants.cirm.ca.gov) and log in with your existing CIRM Username and Password. If you do not have a Username, Click on the “New User” link and follow the instructions to create a CIRM Username and password.
  2. After logging in, Click on the Menu tab. Select the tab labeled “Open Programs“. Under the section labeled “RFAs and Programs Open for Applications“, click on the “Start a Grant Application” link for your selected program.
  3. Complete each section of the Application by clicking on the appropriate link and following the posted instructions. Proposal templates can be located and submitted under the “Uploads” section.
  4. To submit your Application, click on the “Done with Application” button. The “Done with Application” button will be enabled when all of the mandatory sections have been completed. Please note that once this has been selected, you will no longer be able to make changes to your Application.
  5. To confirm submission of your Application, select the tab labeled “Your Applications” and check the table under the section labeled “Your Submitted Applications“. You will see your Application number and project title listed once the submission process has been completed.
ICOC Approval:
December 14, 2021
Total Awards:
18
Award Value:
$7,280,114

Awards

Institution Investigator Grant Title Award Value
The Regents of the University of California on behalf of its Riverside Campus Dr. Huinan Hannah Liu Summer Training and Research Inspiration for Diverse Pipeline Engagement toward Advancing Stem Cell Treatment (STRIDE) $509,000
University of California, San Francisco Katherine Nielsen Stem Cell Summer Research Experiences $508,750
Stanford University Paul J. Utz Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine- High School Summer Research Internship $495,060
University of California, Davis Dr. Fernando A Fierro PhD Internship at a Cutting Edge CIRM-funded Stem Cell Research Facility $499,573
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science Dolores Caffey-Fleming Exposing Students to Regenerative Medicine (ExStRM) $482,730
Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles Dr. Mark R Frey Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Summer Internships for High School Students from Under-Served Communities $508,750
University of California, San Diego James Murphy Summer Program To Accelerate Regenerative Medicine Knowledge (SPARK) $503,846
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute Paula M Checchi Stem Cells & STEM Education – a Summer Internship Program for California High School Students $509,000
City of Hope, Beckman Research Institute Dr. David Kong Ann Train, Educate, and Accelerate Mastery of Stem cell research (TEAMS) program $508,476
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland Ellen B Fung Supporting Underrepresented STudents Adapting to Change: Summer Program to Accelerate Regenerative Medicine Knowledge (SUSTAIN a SPARK) $255,750
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Wafa Tawackoli Mentored High School Summer Research Program $508,750
California Institute of Technology Dr. Henry A. Lester CIRM Early Investigators High School Stem Cell Research Program $132,717
Stanford University Paul J. Utz Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine- Summer Research Internship $350,482
University of California, San Francisco Katherine Nielsen Developing High School Students’ Research Practices and Regenerative Medicine Knowledge through a Summer Intern Program $382,430
University of California, Davis Gerhard Gerhard Bauer Internship at a Cutting Edge CIRM-funded Stem Cell Research Facility $360,573
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Wafa Tawackoli Mentored High School Summer Research Program $296,628
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland Ellen B Fung Leveraging Investment in hiGHschool Training: Summer Program to Accelerate Regenerative medicine Knowledge (LIGHT a SPARK) $226,519
City of Hope, Beckman Research Institute Dr. Paul M. Salvaterra SPARK Award Program in Stem Cell Biology for California High School Students $241,080
Total:
$7,280,114.09