Data Science and Software Engineering (INFR9) Awards
Supporting Innovative, Open Source Software for Regenerative Medicine Applications
The INFR9 Application period will open in November 2026.
Photo Credit: Crouch Lab at UC San Francisco
Data Science and Software Engineering Awards at CIRM
CIRM Data Science and Software Engineering (INFR9) Awards support open source computational tools and resources that address data integration bottlenecks and enable foundational research and early-stage therapeutic discovery, from understanding disease mechanisms to identifying and validating therapeutic targets and biomarkers.
INFR9 Awards: Key Information
The INFR9 Awards will support the development, maintenance, and/or extension of innovative, open source software for data integration of disparate data types led by pairs of interdisciplinary investigators to accelerate research in regenerative medicine. See key program information below:
Scope and Structure
Funded projects are expected to achieve the following outcome:
- The development and deployment of an open source software (OSS) tool to solve a multimodal data integration bottleneck in stem cell-based and genetic therapy research that has wide applicability and scalable impact. These Awards will develop generalizable computational tools, pipelines, or resources with open licensing that will integrate and expand the impact of existing datasets in stem cell-based and genetic therapy research.
Projects must follow transparent development and OSS best practices, develop and execute a Deployment, Adoption, and Sustainability Plan, and incorporate community and contributor engagement activities to inform the development of the software project.
❌ This program is not designed to support proposals that include wet-lab experimental biology or development of data repositories. Proposals centered on developing tools with limited applicability beyond a single research question do not align with this program’s focus on OSS development with broad utility across the regenerative medicine research community. Applicants should consider all CIRM Funding Programs to find the best fit for their research goals.
Award Amount and Duration
The maximum total funding, inclusive of Indirect Costs, for an INFR9 Award is $500,000 per Award. The maximum Award duration is two years.
Applicant Teams
The Core Team must include at least two (2) investigators.
The Applicant teams must, at a minimum, include the following investigators:
- One (1) Principal Investigator (PI) who will serve as primary point of contact between the team and CIRM staff, and
- At least one (1) Co-Investigator (Co-I)
The PI and all Co-Is must be employed by a California Organization per CIRM’s definition described in the CIRM Funding Opportunities: Common Requirements and Definitions at the time of Application and throughout the project duration.
Together, the PI and Co-I must possess regenerative medicine and computational or software engineering expertise.
Project Eligibility
To be eligible, proposals must aim to achieve the expected outcome outlined in the Scope and Structure.
Funding Allocation
CIRM anticipates making 15-20 Data Science and Software Engineering Awards per year, contingent on the number of Applications at each funding level that are recommended.
Read the Data Science and Software Engineering (INFR9) Program Announcement (PA) for more details regarding Award eligibility, review criteria, and Application information.
Have questions about your project scope or the Application process?
After you submit the form, we’ll follow up with a written response or offer a consultation appointment during the Application period.
For budget or technical questions, email grantsmanagement@cirm.ca.gov. For questions on the scientific review process or issues related to document uploads, email review@cirm.ca.gov.
Looking for a collaborator to apply for this award? Explore our Collaboration Profiles and/or promote yourself as open to collaborating.
To Submit an Application
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 username and password in the GMS. Please note that only the Principal Investigator or their delegate can begin an Application in GMS. CIRM cannot change the PI after the Application has been started. For more information on delegation in GMS, please refer to the Grants Management FAQs.
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 under Actions for your desired program. If you are associated with multiple institutions in the GMS, you will be prompted to select the institution you are applying under.
Click on the appropriate link and follow the instructions. Proposal templates can be located and submitted under the Uploads section.
Most CIRM Applications require dual submission by the Principal Investigator (PI) and a verified Authorized Organizational Official (AOO) (please refer to the Grants Management FAQs for more information regarding verifying an AOO). Once all the mandatory sections have been completed, a button will appear prompting the Principal Investigator to Submit the Application. Please note that once this has been selected, you will no longer be able to make changes to your Application unless your AOO returns the Application to you. If a secondary AOO approval is required, the Application will appear in the assigned AOO’s GMS account under Action Items Needing Your Attention. The assigned AOO will have the option to either Submit the Application or Return the Application to PI for Revision.
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.
The application period for the RAPID program opens in July and closes in September 2026.
RFA coming soon
After the program opens, interested applicants must email Preclinical@cirm.ca.gov to schedule a mandatory pre-application consultation, with the subject line “RAPID consultation request.”
CIRM Grants Policies, FAQs, and Primers
Infrastructure Program Resources
Collaboration Profiles
Looking for a collaborator to apply for this Award? Explore our Collaboration Profiles and/or promote yourself as open to collaborating.
INFR9 Program Application Resources
INFR9 Application Resources Webinar (coming soon)
Collaboration Profiles (coming soon)
INFR9 FAQs
Who can apply?
The Applicant must be a California Organization per CIRM’s definition. Please see CIRM’s Award Management Policy for this definition.
What is the Award amount and duration?
The maximum duration of an INFR9 Award is two years, and the Award will be capped at $500,000 total costs inclusive of direct and Indirect Costs.
What types of projects are eligible for funding?
The project must be designed to achieve the expected outcome: the development and deployment of an open source software (OSS) tool to solve a multimodal data integration bottleneck in stem cell-based and genetic therapy research that has wide applicability and scalable impact.
The Data Science and Software Engineering Awards are open to all Applications that fulfill the eligibility requirements, without restrictions in research topics or disease indications.
Projects that follow the INFR9 guiding principles are encouraged to apply:
- Address barriers to integrating multimodal data in regenerative medicine
- Innovate through open and collaborative software development to accelerate research
- Create broadly applicable and validated tools that maximize the value of CIRM-funded data
All datasets used for validation of the software project must be available in the public domain.
What are the requirements of Applicant teams?
The Applicant teams must include one Principal Investigator (PI) and one Co-Investigator (Co-I) that are not currently members of the same laboratory. Applicant teams are encouraged to represent distinct but complementary areas of expertise, and the Applicant team must have both regenerative medicine and computational or software engineering expertise. Both the PI and Co-I must be employed by a California Organization, commit at least 5% effort, and adhere to CIRM’s general eligibility requirements as described in CIRM Funding Opportunities: Common Requirements and Definitions.
Can an investigator be included in more than one INFR9 Application?
An investigator cannot be listed as a Principal Investigator (PI) on more than one INFR9 Application per funding cycle. An individual may not serve as a PI or Co-Investigator (Co-I) on more than two INFR9 Applications per funding cycle. For instance, an individual serving as the PI on one INFR9 Application may be a Co-I on only one additional INFR9 Application, and an individual serving as a Co-I on one INFR9 Application may serve as a Co-I on only one additional INFR9 Application.
Can non-CA investigators be included in the Application?
Non-California investigators are not eligible to serve as the Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on INFR9 Awards. However, INFR9 Applicants are allowed to budget Award funds to support a non-California collaborator through a Subcontract, provided the out-of-state organization DOES NOT retain the intellectual property or independent publication rights of any intellectual property (e.g., invention, technology, data) arising out of the CIRM-Funded Project.
What additional steps need to be taken prior to submitting an Application?
As an Applicant, you should be familiarized with Authorized Institutional Officials (AOOs). Please see CIRM’s Award Management Policy and Guide for AOOs for more information regarding this important role.
New or returning Awardees without an existing, verified AOO should email grantsmanagement@cirm.ca.gov to start the verification process, which may take up to one week. Please ensure you have entered your proposed AOO’s full contact information into your Application before emailing for AOO verification.
Who can I contact with any questions about INFR9?
Programmatic questions should be emailed to rddi@cirm.ca.gov with the subject line “INFR9.” Questions related to budget and Award Management Policies should be emailed to grantsmanagement@cirm.ca.gov with the subject line “INFR9.”