# Transforming Kidney Care through Skill and Workforce Development: the North Carolina Kidney Technology Incubator (NC-KTI)

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2022 · $106,764

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The central goal of this R-25 Research Education Program is the creation of a pipeline of innovative and talented
problem solvers who can (a) identify the unmet clinical needs of patients suffering from kidney disease, including
current and future challenges, opportunities and gaps in kidney care (b) create innovative patient centered
solutions (diagnostics, therapeutics, patient centered tools) for kidney disease patients (c) understand the
importance of a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to kidney disease innovation that goes all the way from
ideation and investment, to experimental and clinical data, to regulation and reimbursement pathways (while at
the same time addressing the inherent disparities in kidney care) and (d) leverage the current kidney innovation
landscape to develop solutions that actually get to patients so that kidney disease patients will no longer have
to look at the parade of therapies for other diseases and wonder “if not me then who and if not now then when…”
We plan to achieve these goals by (a) creating a pipeline of diverse, multidisciplinary and talented problem
solvers (b) developing a summer kidney immersion program (skills development) (c) forming multi-disciplinary
problem-solving teams (coached by multi-disciplinary mentors) that do research projects to address unmet
clinical needs and (d) nurturing an alumni and retention program for networking and career opportunities
respectively.
In summary, we will create a holistic, patient centered, multi-disciplinary, team-based approach to problem
solving in the kidney technology area, using a robust pipeline of young, innovative and creative trainees. Most
importantly, we plan to invest in mentorship and professional development, that will hopefully keep these trainees
in the kidney technology innovation area; and by doing so transform the way that we will care for patients with
kidney disease in the future.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10558354
- **Project number:** 1R25DK131344-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** Theo Dingemans
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $106,764
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-23 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10558354

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10558354, Transforming Kidney Care through Skill and Workforce Development: the North Carolina Kidney Technology Incubator (NC-KTI) (1R25DK131344-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10558354. Licensed CC0.

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