The Clinical Research Curriculum Award is an award to institutions and addresses, in part, the NIH's initiative to improve the quality of training in clinical research. The NIH recognizes that highly trained clinical researchers are needed in order to capitalize on the many profound developments and discoveries in fundamental science and to translate them to clinical settings. The CRCA is intended to stimulate the inclusion of high-quality, multi disciplinary didactic training as part of the career development of clinical investigators.

The CRCA supports the development or improvement of core courses designed as in-depth instruction in the fundamental skills, methodology, theories, and conceptualizations necessary for the well-trained, independent, clinical researcher. While many NIH programs support research experiences for new clinicians, not all of these trainees have the opportunity to receive formal course work in the design of clinical research projects, hypothesis development, biostatistics, epidemiology, and the legal, ethical and regulatory issues related to clinical research.

This award is intended to support the development of new didactic programs in clinical research at institutions that do not currently offer such programs or, in institutions with existing didactic programs in clinical research, to support or expand their programs or to improve the quality of instruction.