Defense Health Program Department of Defense Epilepsy Research Program Anticipated Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21)
The FY21 Defense Appropriations Act is anticipated to provide funding to the Department of Defense Epilepsy Research Program (ERP) to understand the mechanisms of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) and associated comorbidities to improve quality of life, especially in Service members, Veterans, and caregivers. 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 Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC).
FY21 ERP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on the Grants.gov website.
Applications submitted to the FY21 ERP must address one or more of the following Focus Areas below. An application that proposes research outside of the FY21 Focus Areas is acceptable, as long as the applicant provides a strong rationale. The Focus Areas will be mechanism-specific.
- Innovative Research: Tools intended to better inform or improve upon how PTE research can be performed:
o Hardware and/or software platforms that will improve seizure detection, characterization, or diagnosis
o Bioinformatics strategies, to include machine learning, that will improve access, annotation, curation, and visualization of large and novel datasets from single or multiple sources
o Development of new models or better characterization of existing etiologically relevant models for PTE
o Characterization of the circuits involved in PTE
o Validate targets of post-traumatic epileptogenesis or established PTE
- Markers and Mechanisms: Identifying markers or mechanisms via preclinical models that address PTE, which may include the following:
o Biomarkers (acute and chronic)
o Treatment
o Prevention
o Comorbidity
- Epidemiology: Epidemiological characterization of PTE following traumatic brain injury, which may include the following:
o Risk factors such as demographics, genetics, anatomy, pathology, or type of injury
o Outcomes including latency to epilepsy, comorbidities, and mortality
o Pre-existing conditions including psychological and psychiatric risk factors
o Treatment and healthcare outcomes research
o Differentiation of PTE and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures
- Longitudinal Studies: Studies of the evolution of PTE, which may include the following:
o Seizure frequency and semiology
o Demographics, genetics, anatomy, pathology, or type of injury
o Comorbidities (e.g., depression, functional deficits, sleep disorders, major illness)
o Latency between type of injury and PTE
o Mortality
o Treatment outcome and healthcare outcome research
- Quality of Life: Understanding and improving the quality of life for individuals with PTE and their caregivers by addressing the following:
o Psychosocial factors
o Neuropsychological dysfunction (cognition and memory)
o Behavioral health (anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, impulsivity)
o Reducing stigma
o Activities of daily living
o Reducing healthcare disparities (adjunct programs, support groups, access to care)
o Sleep disorders
o Medication side effects
https://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/erp
Idea Development Award – Letter of Intent due June 14, 2021
Level I: Investigators at or above the level of postdoctoral fellow (e.g., research associates, fellows, medical residents, or equivalent) but below the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) at the time of the application submission deadline.
• Mentor(s) required.
Level II: The Principal Investigator (PI) must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) at the time of the application submission deadline.
Intent: To solicit novel, innovative research to understand the magnitude and underlying mechanisms of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE).
• Level I: Applicants can be from any field or discipline and must write the project narrative and other application components, with appropriate guidance from the mentor(s). The mentor(s) must possess qualifications, background, and experience in PTE research.
• Level II is intended to support a more mature, hypothesis-driven research project. Applicants can be from any field or discipline.
Applicants should select one of the Focus Areas below:
• Innovative Research
• Markers and Mechanisms
• Epidemiology
• Longitudinal Studies
While not required, applications to either Funding Level I or II are encouraged to provide relevant preliminary data.
Clinical pharmacologic trials are specifically discouraged.
Level I:
• Maximum funding of $300,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
• Maximum period of performance is 3 years.
• Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution’s rate agreement.
Level II:
• Maximum funding of $500,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
• Maximum period of performance is 3 years.
• Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution’s rate agreement.
Quality of Life Award – Letter of Intent due June 14, 2021
Level I: Investigators at or above the level of postdoctoral fellow (e.g., research associates, fellows, medical residents, or equivalent) but below the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) at the time of the application submission deadline.
• Mentor(s) required.
Level II: The PI must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) at the time of the application submission deadline.
Intent: To support research that better understands or improves the quality of life and care for individuals living with the symptoms of PTE, as related to the ERP’s mission.
• Level I: Applicants can be from any field or discipline and must write the project narrative and other application components, with appropriate guidance from the mentor(s). The mentor(s) must possess qualifications, background, and experience in PTE research.
• Level II is intended to support a more mature, hypothesis-driven research project. Applicants can be from any field or discipline.
The following Focus Area must be addressed as part of the application:
• Quality of Life
An application that proposes research outside of this Focus Area will be withdrawn.
While not required, applications to either Funding Level I or II are encouraged to provide relevant preliminary data.
Clinical pharmacologic trials are specifically discouraged.
Animal research is prohibited.
Level I:
• Maximum funding of $300,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
• Maximum period of performance is 3 years.
• Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution’s rate agreement.
Level II:
• Maximum funding of $500,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
• Maximum period of performance is 3 years.
• Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution’s rate agreement.
Research Partnership Award – Letter of Intent due June 14, 201
The initiating PI must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) at the time of the application submission deadline.
Each named Co-PI must be at or above the level of assistant professor (or equivalent) at the time of the application submission deadline.
Intent: To create an avenue for collaborative research partnerships between/among investigators to address a research problem or question in a manner that would be unachievable through separate efforts.
Level I is intended to support preclinical or pre-validation research.
Level II is intended to support research that requires access to a patient cohort for a prospective study and must be the focus of the application.
Applications must include clearly stated plans for interactions between/among the partners. The plans must include communication, decision-making, allocation of resources, coordination of research progress and results, and sharing of data among all investigators and organizations participating in the project.
Applicants should select one of the Focus Areas below:
• Markers and Mechanisms (Funding Level I only)
• Epidemiology (Funding Level I only)
• Longitudinal Studies (Funding Level II only)
Clinical pharmacologic trials are specifically discouraged.
Preliminary data to support the feasibility of the research hypothesis (or hypotheses) or objectives are required.
Level I:
• Maximum funding of $1,300,000 in total costs.
• Maximum period of performance is 3 years.
• Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution’s rate agreement.
Level II:
• Maximum funding of $3,100,000 in total costs
• Maximum period of performance is 4 years.
• Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution’s rate agreement.
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 ERP 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