Apply for CIRM's Discovery Stage (DISC4) Research Funding

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine’s (CIRM) new Discovery Programs (DISC4) support expansive, cross-disciplinary and integrated studies led by collaborative teams applying a range of technologies and approaches to accelerate foundational insights in disease biology. These programs include complementary funding opportunities that support research at different scales and levels of maturity, emphasizing multidisciplinary innovation, knowledge sharing and leveraging synergies across CIRM-funded programs.

Download the DISC4 Program Announcement (PA) for more details regarding award eligibility, review criteria, and application information.

Important: All prospective DISC4 applicants must first complete a Pre-submission form.

Download Program Announcement PDF

Expected Outcomes

Funded projects are expected to achieve one or more of the following outcomes:

• Discovering novel mechanistic insights or advance our understanding of human diseases;
• Extending understanding of disease mechanisms to all affected human populations;
• Identification and validation of novel therapeutic strategies, targets, and/or biomarker(s).

To be eligible, proposals must fulfill all the following requirements:

• Address a knowledge gap or research bottleneck in the study of human diseases;
• Include studies that employ human stem cells or genetic research as part of the central approach or hypothesis;
• Provide strong justification for any proposed use of non-human models.

Award Amount & Duration

The maximum total funding for a DISC4 Award is $13 million per award. The maximum award duration is four years. CIRM anticipates funding six DISC4 awards during fiscal year 2025-2026.

For more details, please view the DISC4 Awards webpage on the CIRM website at the link below.