FY17 GWIRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on the Grants.gov. 

As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency (DHA), J9 Research and Development Directorate manages the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation appropriation.  The managing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

Award Mechanisms:  The following mechanisms are planned for release:

New for FY17! Qualitative Research Award – Preapplication Due June 30, 2017

• Independent investigators at all academic levels.
• Pre-application is required; full application submission is by invitation only.
• Supports qualitative research on 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War (GW) Veterans with Gulf War illness (GWI) for the purpose of developing educational materials for Veterans, family members, caregivers, and health care providers.
• Qualitative research is defined as aform of social inquiry that seeks to understand the human experience by focusing on understanding the way that people interpret and make sense of their experiences and the world in which they live.
• Preliminary data are encouraged.
• Clinical trials are not allowed.
• Maximum funding is $400,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
• Maximum period of performance is 3 years.

New for FY17! Biospecimen Resource Network Award- Preapplication Due June 30, 2017

• Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) with access to the appropriate facilities.
• Pre-application is required; full application submission is by invitation only.
• Provides infrastructure support for the development and maintenance of a GWI biorepository through a collaborative network across multiple institutions that will facilitate the collection of prospective and pre-existing biospecimens and biological data, biospecimen processing, annotation, storage, and distribution.
• One Coordinating Center and up to four Pathology Resource Sites, including one at the Coordinating Center, will be jointly responsible for developing and maintaining the biospecimen repository for GWI research.
• Sites must provide plans for quality assurance, bioinformatics and data management, and ethical and regulatory issues.
• Encourages submissions from investigators with enhanced skills in human biospecimen procurement, human tissue repositories, distribution, and working within a collaborative consortium-type network of multiple institutions.
• Maximum funding is $2,500,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
• Maximum period of performance is 3 years.

New for FY17! Clinical Consortium Award – Preapplication Due June 30, 2017

• The Operations Center Principal Investigator must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Associate Professor (or equivalent) with experience in developing and running large-scale initiatives such as clinical trials or consortia.
• Pre-application is required; fullapplication submission is by invitation only.
• Supports a consortium that will conceive, design, develop, and conduct collaborative Phase I and II clinical evaluations of promising therapeutic agents for the management or treatment of GWI.
• One Coordinating Center and three Clinical Research Sites, including one at the Coordinating Center, will be jointly responsible for proposing, selecting, and conducting trials.
• Sites must provide plans for accruing Veterans of the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War.
• Open to any group of institutions with a demonstrated history of collaborative GWI research.
• Maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $8,000,000 in total costs (direct plus indirect).
• Indirect costs may not be greater than your institution’s negotiated rate.
• Maximum period of performance is 4 years.

Modified for FY17!  Investigator-Initiated Focused Research Award- Preapplication Due June 30, 2017

• Independent Investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent).
• Pre-application is required; full application submission is by invitation only.
• Supports research from idea generation through preclinical validation under two tiers:
• Discovery Tier:  Supports basic research and proof of concept research; preliminary data are not required.
• Applied Research Tier:  Supports applied research in GWI aimed at diagnosis or therapeutic advancement.  Preliminary data from the field of GWI are required.
• Clinical trials are not allowed.
• The maximum period of performance and maximum funding varies by tier:
  • Discovery:  $230,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs) over a maximum of 2 years.
• Applied Research:  $700,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs) over a maximum of 3 years.

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the CDMRP electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) at https://eBRAP.org prior to the pre-application deadline.

Full applications must be submitted through the Federal Government's single-entry portal, Grants.gov.  All applications must conform to the final Program Announcements and General Application Instructions that will be available for electronic downloading from Grants.gov.  The application package containing the required forms for each award mechanism will also be found on Grants.gov.  A listing of all CDMRP funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420.

For email notification when Program Announcements are released, subscribe to program-specific news and updates under “Email Subscriptions” on the eBRAP homepage at https://eBRAP.org.  For more information about the GWIRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (http://cdmrp.army.mil).

FY17 MSRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on Grants.gov.  Pre-application and application deadlines will be available when the Program Announcements are released. 

As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency (DHA), J9 Research and Development Directorate manages the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation.  The managing agent for the Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

Exploration – Hypothesis Development Award – Preproposal due June 26

• Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)

·         All applications submitted in this funding opportunity must address one of the three Focus Areas described below: 

·         Obstacles to Remyelination and/or Obstacles to Axonal Protection in MS

·         Note: Projects addressing the mechanisms of demyelination and neurodegeneration or secondary injury following inflammation will not be considered for funding.

·         Biological Correlates of Disease Activity and Progression

·         Studies may identify or validate markers using pre-existing bio-specimens and/or data acquired from well-characterized, adequately controlled, and sufficiently powered studies. 

·         Note:  Acquisition of new specimens will not be supported.

·         The Biology, Measurement, or Treatment of MS Symptoms

·         Symptoms may include: Pain, Fatigue, Cognitive Dysfunction, Visual Impairment, Motor Impairment, Impaired Mobility, Loss of Bladder Control, Sexual Dysfunction, Depression, and Anxiety.

• Note:  Studies of disease-modifying or regenerative therapies that secondarily impact symptoms will not be considered for funding

·         Pre-application submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.

·         Supports the initial exploration of innovative, high-risk, high-gain, and potentially groundbreaking concepts in the MS research field.

·         Preliminary data are not required.

• Clinical trials not allowed.

·         Maximum funding of $150,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)

• Maximum period of performance is 2 years

Investigator-Initiated Research Award – Preproposal due June 26

• Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)

·         All applications submitted in this funding opportunity must address one of the two Focus Areas described below: 

·         Obstacles to Remyelination and/or Obstacles to Axonal Protection in MS

·         Note: Projects addressing the mechanisms of demyelination and neurodegeneration or secondary injury following inflammation will not be considered for funding.

·         Biological Correlates of Disease Activity and Progression

·         Studies may identify or validate markers using pre-existing bio-specimens and/or data acquired from well-characterized, adequately controlled, and sufficiently powered studies. 

• Note: Acquisition of new specimens will not be supported.

·         Pre-application submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.

·         Supports highly rigorous, high-impact research with the potential to make an important contribution to MS research and/or patient care.

·         Preliminary data are required.

• Clinical trials not allowed.

·         Maximum funding of $600,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)

• Maximum period of performance is 3 years

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) at https://eBRAP.org prior to the pre-application deadline.  All applications must conform to the final Program Announcements and General Application Instructions available for electronic downloading from the Grants.gov website.  The application package containing the required forms for each award mechanism will also be found on Grants.gov.  A listing of all CDMRP funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420.  

Applications must be submitted through the federal government’s single-entry portal, Grants.gov.  For email notification when Program Announcements are released, subscribe to program-specific news and updates under “Email Subscriptions” on the eBRAP homepage at https://eBRAP.org.  For more information about the MSRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (http://cdmrp.army.mil).

Professionals who have extensive operational or policymaking experience in civil registration systems, identification, electoral, and single registry programs, stemming from their experience in senior government positions or academia, and/or skills in one of the following six specialized areas are invited to register in the directory of experts:

• civil registration; statistics (including vital statistics data analysis);
• law;
• management of large operations;
• digitization (including IT systems design, and system integration and interoperability); communication;
• social mobilization and behaviour change (including socio-cultural and anthropological research); and
• public health.

OICR has established the Cancer Therapeutics Innovation Pipeline (CTIP) strategic initiative to capitalize on Ontario’s expertise in cancer biology and drug discovery. CTIP aims to support the translation of Ontario discoveries into therapeutic assets with the potential for improving the lives of cancer patients.

To stimulate collaborative research with the Ontario cancer research community in the area of cancer therapeutic discovery, OICR invites applications for early stage drug discovery. The announcement, Request for Applications and Application Registration Form are attached. For more details, visit https://oicr.on.ca/funding-opportunities

Timeline:

·         Registration deadline: June 16, 2017

·         Full application deadline: August 15, 2017

·         Notification of award: October 16, 2017

·         Funding to begin: December 2017

The Healthy Behaviour Data Challenge is expected to:

• Identify and use creative new types of data and data sources to enhance public health surveillance of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep.

For more information, please consult the Healthy Behaviour Data Challenge website.

The Operating Grant: HIV/AIDS Community-Based Research is expected to:

• Promote the creation of new knowledge that addresses gaps in the care cascade and reduces the incidence of new infections in high risk groups by focusing research on prevention efforts relevant to communities affected by HIV in Canada and aligns with the goals of the Federal Initiative;
• Promote the dissemination of new knowledge and uptake of evidence into action to enhance the community response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic;
• Develop partnerships between researchers and affected communities;
• Build capacity in the knowledge user community to engage in research and use evidence in their everyday business;
• Build the next generation of HIV/AIDS CBR researchers through meaningful engagement of trainees in high quality CBR projects.

In the context of improved health for Canadians, the objectives of Collaborative Health Research Projects (CHRP) Initiative are to:

• Translate research results to knowledge/technology users and other stakeholders;
• Encourage the natural sciences or engineering and health research communities to collaborate and integrate their expertise;
• Advance interdisciplinary research leading to knowledge and technologies;
• Benefit Canada by improving the Canadian healthcare system and/or services;
• Lead to economic opportunities in Canada (where appropriate); and
• Provide training opportunities in collaborative and interdisciplinary research of relevance to health, while preparing them for employment opportunities in the private, public or not for profit sectors.

The Catalyst Grant: Population Health Intervention Research on the Legalization and Regulation of Non-Medical Cannabis in Canada is expected to:

• Support the prompt initiation of intervention research that will assess how the legalization and regulation of non-medical cannabis in Canada could directly or indirectly impact population health and health equity;
• Generate data and evidence to monitor and evaluate the potential benefits, harms, and unintended consequences of legalizing and regulating non-medical cannabis to population health and health equity; and
• Facilitate consideration and application of new evidence from population health intervention research to inform ongoing and future development of policies, practices, and programs involving cannabis.

The Catalyst Grant: HIV/AIDS Community-Based Research funding opportunity is expected to:

• Catalyze future applications for more comprehensive community-based research grants that focus on the development and/or implementation of interventions for the prevention of HIV and/or gaps in the care cascade.
• Support partnerships between communities affected by HIV in Canada and researchers to facilitate the conduct of community-based research.

FY17 VRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on Grants.gov. 

As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency (DHA), J9 Research and Development Directorate manages the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation.  The managing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

Clinical Trial Award – Pre-application due July 12, Full applications due October 25

Principal Investigators (PIs) must be at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).

Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.

·         Supports research with the potential to have a major impact on the treatment or management of visual injury and/or dysfunction.

·         The proposed intervention to be tested should offer significant potential impact for military Service members, Veterans, and other individuals living with visual dysfunction.

·         Funding from this award mechanism must support a clinical trial that is expected to begin no later than 12 months after the award date and should not be used for preclinical research studies. 

·         Preliminary data supporting the proposed clinical trial are required.

·         Funded studies will be required to file the study in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinical trials registry, www.clinicaltrials.gov. 

• At the end of the period of performance, this work should show clear progress toward the next stage of implementation (i.e., Phase II clinical trials, U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance for a medical device, etc.).

·         Maximum funding of $5.25M for total costs (direct and indirect costs)

• Maximum period of performance is 4 year

Technology and Therapeutic Development Award - Pre-application due July 12, Full applications due October 25

PIs who are independent investigators at any level are eligible to submit applications.

Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.

• Supports the translation of promising preclinical findings into products for clinical applications, including detection, diagnosis, treatment, or quality of life.  Products in development should be responsive to the healthcare needs of military Service members, Veterans, and other individuals living with visual dysfunction.
• The product(s) to be developed may be a tangible item such as a pharmacologic agent (drugs or biologics), device, or a knowledge-based product.

• A “Knowledge Product” is a non-materiel product that addresses an identified need, is based on current evidence and research, aims to transition into medical practice, training, tools, or to support materiel solutions (systems to develop, acquire, provide, and sustain medical solutions and capabilities), and educates or impacts behavior throughout the continuum of care, including primary prevention of negative outcomes.  

·         The Principal Investigator (PI) must provide a transition plan showing how the product will progress to the next level of development after the completion of the VRP award.

·         Proof-of-concept demonstrating the potential utility of the proposed product, or a prototype/preliminary version of the proposed product, should already be established. 

• Applications must include relevant data that support the rationale for the proposed study.  These data may be unpublished and/or from the published literature.

·         Maximum funding of $2.1M for total costs (direct and indirect costs)

• Maximum period of performance is 3 years

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) at https://eBRAP.org prior to the pre-application deadline. All applications must conform to the final Program Announcements and General Application Instructions that will be available for electronic downloading from the Grants.gov website.  The application package containing the required forms for each award mechanism will also be found on Grants.gov.  A listing of all CDMRP funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420. 

Applications must be submitted through the federal government’s single-entry portal, Grants.gov.  For email notification when Program Announcements are released, subscribe to program-specific news and updates under “Email Subscriptions” on the eBRAP homepage at https://eBRAP.org.  For more information about the VRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (http://cdmrp.army.mil).