Objective

The mission of California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is to accelerate stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical needs. The objective of the Discovery Program is to support exploratory research leading to the discovery of novel stem cell technologies to improve patient care.

DISC 1: The Inception Awards

The Inception Awards Program provides seed funding to support the exploration of transformational ideas that hold the potential to greatly impact the field of human stem cell research, but that require the generation of additional data to be competitive for larger funding opportunities through CIRM or other sources. 

Please see the Partnering Opportunity for Discovery Stage Research Projects page for the Inception Program Announcement, application deadline and other details.

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, select the tab labeled "Open Programs". Under the section labeled "RFAs and Programs Open for Applications", click on the applicable link to Start a DISC Grant Application.
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.