Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) Epilepsy Research Program Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23)
The FY23 Defense Appropriations Act is to provide funding for the ERP to support research to understand the mechanisms of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) and associated comorbidities to improve quality of life, especially in Service Members, Veterans, and caregivers. The managing agent for the anticipated funding opportunities is the CDMRP at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC).
The FY23 ERP funding opportunity announcements for the following award mechanisms are posted on the Grants.gov website.
NEW for FY22: Leveraging Research Award – Letter of Intent due May 19, 2023
The PI may be an investigator at any career level.
- Intent: To support research that leverages ongoing or completed research studies for which PTE was not an original focus and to provide support to expand the research to develop such a focus and increase our understanding of PTE. The project may include basic, translational, and/or clinical research studies.
- Clinical trials are not allowed under this funding opportunity.
- The proposed study must be associated with an ongoing or completed research effort in which PTE is/was not an existing research priority and for which addition of cohorts, outcomes, assessments, or analysis specific to PTE would be scientifically justified increase our understanding of PTE.
- The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $250,000 for direct costs.
- The maximum period of performance is 3 years
Idea Development Award – Letter of Intent due May 19, 2023
- Level I: Intended to support early-career investigators ranging from the postdoctoral level (e.g., research associate, fellows, residents, or equivalent) to within 3 years of their first independent faculty position (or equivalent)
- Level II: Investigators at any career level may be named by the organization as the Principal Investigator (PI) on the application.
- The PI can be from any field or discipline but must demonstrate suitable experience relevant to the proposed research.
- Intent: To solicit novel, innovative research that has the potential to increase our understanding of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) to improve quality of life, especially in Service Members, Veterans, and/or their care partners. The work should innovatively challenge existing research paradigms or exhibit high levels of creativity.
The FY23 ERP Idea Development Award offers two levels of funding dependent upon the level of experience of the PI:
•Level I is intended to support early-career investigators. Requires a mentor as part of the application.
•Level II is intended to support independent investigators. Applicants can be from any field or discipline. Study teams are expected to demonstrate experience in both traumatic brain injury (TBI) and epilepsy.
Preliminary data are not required; however, evidence demonstrating the research team’s ability to execute the chosen model of TBI and record subsequent seizure is required, if applicable.
Clinical trials are not allowed under this funding opportunity.
Level I:
•The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $450,000 for direct costs.
•The maximum period of performance is 3 years.
Level II:
•The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $650,000 for direct costs.
•The maximum period of performance is 3 years.
Research Partnership Award – Letter of Intent due May 19, 2023
The Initiating PI and Partnering PI(s) may be investigators at any career level.
The Initiating PI and named Partnering PI(s) can be from any field or discipline but must demonstrate suitable experience relevant to the proposed research.
- Intent: To create an avenue to support new or existing collaborative research partnerships between/among investigators to address a research problem or question in a manner that would be unachievable through separate efforts. It is expected that investigators utilize their distinct but complementary perspectives to synergistically address a central problem or question critical to PTE research and those living with PTE, their families, and/or their care partners.
A proposed project in which a partner merely supplies tissue or access to patients will not meet the intent of this award mechanism.
Clinical trials are not allowed under this funding opportunity.
•The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $1,200,000 for direct costs.
•The maximum period of performance is 3 years.
Virtual Post-Traumatic Epilepsy Research Center Faculty Award – Letter of Intent due May 19, 2023
Early-career investigators and investigators new to the PTE field
- Introduction to the ERP Virtual P-TERC: The P-TERC is a unique, interactive virtual research center providing intensive mentoring, national networking, collaborations, and a peer group for new PTE investigators. The overarching goal of the Virtual P-TERC is to develop successful, highly productive PTE researchers in a collaborative research and career development environment to enhance quality and expand quantity of the PTE research field.
- Intent of this funding mechanism: To solicit Faculty members to join the Virtual P-TERC in order to advance PTE research through the development of early-career investigators and investigators new to the PTE field.
- Important aspects of this award mechanism include:
- Focus on the PI’s research and career development.
- Support for research projects with an emphasis on discovery that investigate questions across the PTE research spectrum (biology/etiology, prevention, diagnosis/
- detection, prognosis, treatment, and quality of life).
- Requires a Career Guide as part of the application
- Preliminary data are not required; however, evidence demonstrating the research team’s ability to execute the chosen model of TBI and record subsequent seizure is required, if applicable.
- The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $525,000 for direct costs.
- The 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 funding opportunity announcements available for 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 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.health.mil).
Point of Contact:
CDMRP Help Desk
301-682-5507
help@eBrap.org
For more information, please contact Jill Sherman at intl.research@lakeheadu.ca.