CIRM Approves $662M Regen Med Funding, Largest in its History

Key Points

• CIRM has approved a $662 million research budget for fiscal year 2026-27, its largest annual research investment to date.
• The budget includes more than $60 million in newly approved preclinical and clinical development awards.
• The funding will support discovery research, clinical programs, workforce development, and a new rare disease initiative called RAPID.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), a state-funded agency created to accelerate stem cell and gene therapies to patients with unmet medical needs, has approved a $662 million research budget for fiscal year 2026-27, marking the largest single-year research investment in the agency’s history.

The budget takes effect on July 1 and is intended to support researchers statewide and sustain clinical development efforts amid uncertainty about future federal research funding levels. You can apply for funding here.

What the Budget Covers

The budget will cover multiple stages of development, including:

• Discovery research
• Preclinical development
• Clinical-stage programs
• Workforce development for students, trainees, and early-career professionals
• An initial investment in RAPID, a program aimed at accelerating genetic therapies for rare diseases

CIRM’s board also approved more than $60 million for preclinical and clinical development awards:

Jonathan Thomas, CIRM President and CEO, said, “In the 20 years since CIRM first awarded grants, our funding has supported more than 100 clinical trials for diseases without cures and expanded access to these trials in underserved regions of the state.”

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