DISC5 Awards
Supporting Collaborative, Exploratory Research
All applications must be submitted by January 30, 2026 at 2pm (PST)
Photo Credit: UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center
Discovery Programs at CIRM
The mission of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is to accelerate world class science to deliver transformative regenerative medicine treatments in an equitable manner to a diverse California and world. In support of this mission, CIRM’s governing board approved a structured, data-driven Strategic Allocation Framework (SAF) in 2024 to prioritize resources and maximize the impact of CIRM’s funding.
Designed in response to this framework, CIRM’s new Discovery Programs include complementary funding opportunities that support research at different scales and levels of maturity, emphasizing multidisciplinary innovation, knowledge sharing and leveraging synergies across CIRM-funded programs. These new funding opportunities support comprehensive, discovery research across a diverse range of diseases and bottlenecks to accelerate the development of potential therapeutics and biomarkers in regenerative medicine.
DISC5 Awards: Key Information
The DISC5 Awards will support exploratory and innovative foundational research led by pairs of interdisciplinary investigators applying a range of technologies and approaches to address fundamental knowledge gaps or bottlenecks in stem cell biology and/or regenerative medicine. See key program information below:
Scope and Structure
Funded projects are expected to achieve one or more of the following outcomes:
- Advance fundamental understanding of human stem and progenitor cells as they pertain to human health and disease.
- Advance the use of stem cells to interrogate disease mechanisms, uncovering biological insights that could enable therapeutic and/or biomarker target discovery.
- Gain mechanistic insights to address key scientific or technical bottlenecks in stem cells, gene therapy, and/or other regenerative medicine approaches.
- Advance applicability of stem cells, gene therapy, and/or other regenerative medicine approaches to all affected populations.
❌ Proposals focused on validating or optimizing a therapeutic approach or candidate are not aligned with this program’s focus on foundational discovery. Applicants should consider all CIRM Funding Programs to find the best fit for their research goals.
Award Amount & Duration
The maximum total funding, inclusive of indirect costs, for a DISC5 Award is $2.5 million per award. The maximum award duration is three years.
Applicant Teams
Applicant Core Teams must be from different laboratories and include at least two California-based investigators:
- One Principal Investigator (PI, main point of contact with CIRM) and;
- One Co-Investigator (Co-I).
Project Eligibility
To be eligible proposals must fulfill all the following requirements:
- Aim to achieve one or more of the outcomes outlined in Scope & Structure;
- Address a knowledge gap or research bottleneck in the study of stem cell biology and/or regenerative medicine;
- Include studies that employ human stem cells and/or genetic research as part of the central approach or hypothesis;
- Provide strong justification for any proposed use of non-human models.
Download the DISC5 Program Announcement (PA) for more details regarding award eligibility, review criteria, and application information.
How 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 CIRM Username and password.
Select the tab labeled “Open Programs” under the section labeled “RFAs and Programs Open for Applications,” and click on the “Start a Grant Application” link for the selected program.
Click on the appropriate link and follow the instructions. Proposal templates can be located and submitted under the “Uploads” section.
Click on the “Done with Application” button. After completing all the mandatory sections, the “Done with Application” button will be enabled.
Note: Once submitted, you can no longer make changes to your application.
Select the tab labeled “Your Applications” and check the table under the section labeled “Your Submitted Applications.” Once the submission process has been completed, you will see your application number and project title listed.
Applications for DISC5 will open on November 14, 2025.
All applications must be submitted by January 30, 2026 at 2pm (PST).
CIRM Grants Policies, FAQs, and Primers
DISC5 Application Resources
Webinar video, FAQ documents, and other materials will be posted here within 2-3 weeks of the webinar.
DISC5 FAQs
The applicant organization must be a California organization per CIRM’s definition. A “California Organization” is a for-profit or non-profit organization or is a California-domiciled wholly owned subsidiary of a non-California organization (any entity that does not qualify as a California Organization) that meets all of the following criteria:
- Employment and Payroll: Employs at least one W-2 employee; and more than 50% of its W-2 employees, whether part-time or full-time, who are paid in any manner (e.g., wage, salary, commission, equity), must be domiciled full-time in California and be required to file California state income taxes due to their employment with the organization.
- Management of Award Activities: The Principal Investigator (PI) must be physically located in California while overseeing all project activities.
- Intellectual Property Rights: In the case of a California-domiciled wholly owned subsidiary of a non-California organization, the subsidiary must retain exclusive rights to any intellectual property arising out of the CIRM-funded project as well as any pre-existing IP rights held by the parent organization.
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, enabling the achievement of project aims that would not be feasible through a single perspective. Both 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. Additionally, the applicant team must include an experienced Data Project Manager.
An investigator cannot be listed as a Principal Investigator on more than one DISC5 application per funding cycle. An individual may not serve as PI or Co-I on more than two DISC5 applications per funding cycle. For instance, an individual serving as the PI on one DISC5 application may be a Co-I on only one additional DISC5 application, and an individual serving as a Co-I on one DISC5 application may serve as a Co-I on only one additional DISC5 application.
Non-CA-based investigators are not eligible to serve as PI or Co-I on DISC5 awards. However, DISC5 applicants are allowed to budget grant funds to support a non CA-based collaborator through a grant 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.
The maximum duration of a DISC5 Award is three years, and the award will be capped at $2.5 million total costs inclusive of direct facilities and indirect costs.
To be eligible, the proposed project must satisfy the following requirements:
- The proposed project must address knowledge gap(s) or research bottleneck(s) in stem cell biology and/or regenerative medicine
- The proposal must include studies that employ human stem cells or genetic research as part of the central approach or hypothesis
- Strong justification must be provided for any proposed use of non-human models
DISC5 Awards support high-risk, high-reward research in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine applications. DISC5 Awards are designed to support innovative and exploratory projects that advance basic understanding of stem cells’ role in human health and disease, advance the use stem cells and/or genetic research to interrogate disease mechanisms, or address bottlenecks in regenerative medicine. In contrast, DISC4 Awards are more substantial in scale and designed to support large, multidisciplinary teams seeking to understand disease biology.
When the number of applications received in a cycle exceeds the number that can be reviewed by the GWG panel, CIRM will conduct the review in two stages. In the first stage, a pre-review of applications (called “Positive Selection”) will be conducted by members of the GWG to identify applications that are most responsive to the funding opportunity and hold the greatest potential for impact. The CIRM scientific team and CIRM President then determine whether any additional applications merit a full GWG review. The online application form includes a Positive Selection Preview Page, and the information provided in this section will be utilized by GWG members to screen applications and select a subset of proposals to move forward to full review by the GWG.
Co-funding is not required. However, Budgets must be justified in detail, including all subcontracts and consulting fees, including, if applicable, any additional costs that would be funded from another source.
As an applicant, you should be familiarized with Authorized Institutional Officials (AOOs). AOOs are defined by CIRM as an individual, named by the applicant organization, who is authorized to act for the applicant organization and to assume the obligations imposed by the laws, regulations, requirements, and conditions that apply to Applications and Awards.
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.
Programmatic questions regarding this award should be emailed to discovery@cirm.ca.gov with the subject line “DISC5”. Specific questions related to budget and Grants Administration policies should be emailed to grantsmanagement@cirm.ca.gov with the subject line “DISC5”.
