The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has implemented a new salary cap, effective July 1, 2026. The CIRM salary cap has increased from $336,000 to $357,000 per year at 100% FTE.

The new salary cap can be applied to existing awards, and funds can be re-budgeted to accommodate the salary increase starting July 1. However, incremental salary charges must be covered by existing CIRM funds; no additional CIRM funds will be provided to cover the increase. Future proposals should be submitted using the increased cap for budgeting purposes.

The CIRM salary cap specifies the maximum amount of an individual's salary that can be charged to a CIRM award. Per CIRM Grants Administration Policy, the salary cap is adjusted every other fiscal year to account for the cumulative percent change in the California Consumer Price Index. A history of CIRM’s salary caps is available on the For Researchers section of the CIRM website.

The CIRM salary cap must be identified on each applicable award in the Research Administration System (RAS). RAS was updated on July 27 for all awards that are believed to be subject to the CIRM salary cap. Departments are responsible for confirming that applicable CIRM awards are correctly identified in RAS. If an award requires corrections or additional updates, please contact the CGA Service Team for assistance.

Funding Entry Initiators should follow the How to Prepare for the 2025-26 Fiscal Year-End Funding Rollover Process article to apply relevant salary changes to July 1, 2026, funding distributions. The HSCP Salary Calculation Worksheet has been updated with the July 1 CIRM salary cap.

If you have questions about the new salary cap and your CIRM award, please email [email protected].