In 2007, the Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR) was founded at Virginia Commonwealth University to enhance research infrastructure and promote collaboration.

In 2010, the CCTR received a $20 million Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The CTSA made VCU the first academic health center in Virginia to join a national consortium of 60 research centers sponsored by the NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.