About Translational Research

Although translational research is not new, the term is. A simple way to understand translational research is as a bridge between basic and applied research perspectives, with an end goal of improving human health.

From the Coulter Foundation’s perspective, and for the purposes of the U.Va.-Coulter Partnership Award, translational research is research that has some or all of the following characteristics:

1. It is driven primarily by considerations of use and practical application of the research results, as opposed to basic research, which is driven primarily by a quest for knowledge.
2. It envisions the development of a practical solution that addresses a particular clinical problem or unmet clinical need.
3. The research results generally include protectable intellectual property.
4. It involves clinical application as a goal, and therefore requires a transition or translation of the research from a research laboratory to the clinic – from bench to bedside.
5. It often envisions a particular product as the endpoint of development.
6. It involves commercialization as a goal and therefore requires a transfer of the technology from the academic institution to a commercial entity for final product development, manufacturing, marketing and sales.

Wallace H. Coulter Foundation
U.Va. Biomedical Engineering