20th Anniversary of the Irving Institute
This year marks a major milestone - the 20th anniversary of the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, which has been the cornerstone of Columbia University’s commitment to accelerating discoveries from bench to bedside to community. Since its founding in 2006 as one of the inaugural NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA(link is external and opens in a new window)) hubs, the Irving Institute has grown to be a national leader dedicated to improving human health by advancing clinical and translational research and science.
Over the last twenty years the Irving Institute has:
- Expanded research infrastructure to include 23,000 sq. ft. of dedicated space for inpatient and outpatient research, Biomarkers Core Laboratory, Bionutrition Core, and an Educational Center.
- Trained and mentored the next generation of investigators through innovative programs like KL2 and TL1, and experiential learning in precision medicine and drug development.
- Fueled research innovation with over 450 pilot awards totaling $15M, generating over $470M in follow-on funding, a 30-fold return on investment.
- Strengthened community partnerships in establishing the Columbia Community Partnership for Health (CCPH) center to integrate community voices into research priorities and governance, and trained 300+ Community Health Workers.
- Led implementation science with expert consultations and trainings for researchers across Columbia, significant national publications, and pilot awards that generated $21 million in follow-on funding.
- Innovated biomedical informatics and precision medicine, creating tools for data integration, biobanking, genomic research, and supporting the development of Columbia University Biobank (CUB).
- Catalyzed therapeutic commercialization by training 108 teams and awarding $1.45M to 31 innovations, generating over $86M in external investment in CU teams and start-ups.
- Responded to public health crises by leading Columbia’s opioid crisis response, securing $115M in research funding, and pivoting rapidly during COVID-19 to initiate trials, biobanking, and data-sharing initiatives.
Starting in 1987, we were first established as the Herbert and Florence Irving Center for Clinical Research, then expanded to an Institute in 2006 through further gifts from Mr. and Mrs. Irving, matched by funds from the University, and Columbia’s first CTSA grant. At that time, institutional leadership noted, “This important NIH award will allow us to invest in our research heritage, inspiring and elevating collaboration, integration, and communication among our scientific community,” and the Irving Institute has delivered. Under the direction of Henry N. Ginsberg, MD, as Director and Melissa Begg, ScD, as Co-Director, the Institute developed into a critical component of the research pipeline at CUIMC.
In this 20th year of the Irving Institute, we are planning an array of events and activities to celebrate what we have accomplished and to highlight the continued and expanding supports we provide to all investigators across the Medical Center and University. We reaffirm our vision to transform biomedical research so that new treatments reach patients faster, safer, and more effectively, while training the workforce that will lead the next era of discovery. Focusing especially on key priorities of the medical center and emergingnational research priorities, we will continue to engage our constituents, patients and communities to collectively build success.