The University of Houston and Baylor College of Medicine have been awarded a sizable grant to create a regional research hub.

The National Center for Advancing Translational Research awarded the $44.2 million Clinical and Translational Science Award Program grant to the two schools, which will work to create a regional hub called the Consortium for Translational and Precision Health. CTPH will “serve as a support for infrastructure, services, community engagement and workforce development to advance research and drive innovation in clinical translational science,” per a UH news release.

The hub plans to build on the existing partnership with UH and Baylor, as well as other clinical and research groups within the Texas Medical Center. CTPH aims to connect regional investigators with community healthcare organizations and government agencies that contribute to clinical research, healthcare, and policy. The new hub plans to provide funding for projects in pilot, and support ongoing research to help “accelerate the pace of research from discovery to population level impact,” according to the release. Over 60 leading medical institutions receive CTSA Program funding.

“Research is the engine empowering health care’s life-changing advancements,” UH President Renu Khator says in a news release. “This innovative hub will be a catalyst for groundbreaking discoveries and treatments that improve people’s quality of life. That’s what drives us at UH and we’re ecstatic to cofound a regional hub for change alongside Baylor.”

Leading the program will be Dr. Christopher Amos, professor and director of the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) at BCM; Dr. Fasiha Kanwal, professor of medicine and chief of the section of gastroenterology and hepatology at BCM; and Dr. Bettina M. Beech, clinical professor of population health and the chief population health officer at UH.

The CTPH will also work with Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, Andy & Barbara Gessner College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, College of Optometry, C. T. Bauer College of Business, Cullen College of Engineering, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, College of Education, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, and the Honors College — all UH colleges.

“We are deeply committed to advancing innovation in clinical and translational science, and this award is a significant step forward in our mission to improve population health outcomes,” Beech says in a news release. “This is a testament to the unwavering dedication and collaborative spirit of everyone involved. It truly was a team effort.”