Defense Health Program Department of Defense Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Parkinson’s Program Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20)

How to Apply: 

The FY20 Defense Appropriation Act provides $16 million to the Department of Defense Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Parkinson’s Program (NETP) to support research to better understand and treat the neuro-degenerative effects of Parkinson’s disease (PD) associated with military deployment, environmental, and/or occupational exposures.  Research into military service-related risk factors is critical for past, present, and future Service members who may be affected PD. As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency 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 Announcement/Funding Opportunity is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC).

FY20 NETP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on the Grants.gov website.

Applications submitted to the FY20 NETP must address at least one of the following Focus Areas:

  • Quantifiable gene - environment interactions and the risk for or progression of Parkinson’s disease.  Though not limited to this list, the following are some examples of areas that are encouraged:

○        Genome wide genotyping/sequencing of existing cohorts (must include data sharing plan)

○        Environmental exposures (toxins, medications, dietary, caffeine, among others)

○        Unbiased screens with biological validation

  • Basic biology of non-motor symptoms that could lead to the development of new treatments for Parkinson’s disease following neurotoxin exposure.  Though not limited to this list, the following are some examples of areas that are encouraged:

○        Sleep

○        Cognition (relevant to PD)

○        Psychiatric dysfunction

○        Autonomic dysregulation

  • System-level mechanism of dopamine refractory motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease, including postural instability, freezing of gait, and treatment-associated dystonia, that could lead to development of new treatments in patients with neurotoxin exposure.  Though not limited to this list, the following are some examples of approaches that could be used:

○        Circuitry

○        Pathophysiology 

○        Neurochemistry

  • Clinical and research application of digital health technology leading to development of new treatments for Parkinson’s disease in those individuals exposed to neurotoxins.

○        Early identification

○        Innovative data analytic methods

○        Disease subtyping

 

https://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/netp

 

Investigator-Initiated Research Award – Letter of Intent due August 18, 2020

Assistant Professor level or above (or equivalent)

Supports highly rigorous, multidisciplinary, high-impact research projects that have the potential to make an important contribution to neurotoxin exposure- and treatment-related Parkinson’s research. This award mechanism supports the full spectrum of research from basic science through clinical research.

  • Must address at least one of the FY20 NETP Focus Areas.
  • Preliminary data to support feasibility are encouraged.
  • Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed
  • Maximum funding of $1.2 million (M) for total costs (includes direct and indirect costs)
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years

 

Early Investigator Research Award – Letter of Intent due August 18, 2020

Investigator must be a postdoctoral or clinical fellow, instructor, or assistant professor within 10 years of advanced degree or residency training (or equivalent)

Supports neurotoxin exposure- and treatment-related Parkinson’s research opportunities for individuals in the early stages of their careers, under the guidance of a designated Mentor.

  • PIs must have a designated mentor who is an experienced Parkinson’s disease researcher.
  • Must address at least one of the FY NETP Focus Areas.
    • Preliminary data are not required
    • Clinical trials are not allowed
    • Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.
    • Maximum funding of $400,000 I for total costs (includes direct and indirect costs)
    • Maximum period of performance 2 years

 

Synergistic Idea Award – Letter of Intent due August 18, 2020

Assistant Professor level or above (or equivalent).

  • Supports new ideas that represent synergistic approaches to  neurotoxin exposure- and treatment-related Parkinson’s research involving two to four faculty-level (or equivalent) Principal Investigators (PIs).
  • The combined efforts of the PIs should utilize their complementary and synergistic perspectives to address a central problem or question in neurotoxin exposure- and treatment-related Parkinson’s research.
  • Designed to support both new and pre-existing partnerships, and encourages participation of PIs from other research fields.
  • Must address at least one for the FY20 NETP Focus Areas..
  • Preliminary data are not required
  • Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submissions.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed
    • Maximum funding of $3million (M) for total costs (includes direct and indirect costs)
    • Maximum period of performance is 4 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 and other USAMRDC extramural 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 NETP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.army.mil).

 

Point of Contact:

CDMRP Help Desk
301-682-5507
help@eBrap.org

External Deadline: 
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
URL: 

https://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/netp

Agency: 
Department of Defense
Funding Source: 
External
Funding Level: 
Research