The FY20 Defense Appropriations Act provides funding to the Department of Defense Multiple Sclerosis Research Program (MSRP) to support innovative and impactful research that addresses fundamental issues and gaps in Multiple Sclerosis (MS).  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).

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

Applications submitted to the FY20 MSRP must address at least one of the Focus Areas relevant to the award mechanism as described in the Table below.

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

Clinical Trial Award (NEW!!!) – Preproposal due June 17, 2020

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

• Pre-application submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.
• Supports the rapid implementation of clinical trials with the potential to have a significant impact on the treatment or management of MS.
• Funds Phase 0, I or II clinical trials relevant to MS; combinations of phases are permitted.
• Funding must support a clinical trial and may not be used for preclinical studies.
• Anticipated that budgets will not exceed $1.5 million in direct costs (plus indirect costs).
• Period of performance not to exceed 4 years.

Exploration -Hypothesis Development Award – Preproposal due June 17, 2020

Established Investigators: Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) or

New Investigators:

• Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) with no more than  3 years from the start of their  faculty position
• 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 not required.
• Clinical trials not allowed.
• New Investigator Option supports applicants early in their faculty appointments.
  • Anticipated that budgets will not exceed $150,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Period of performance not to exceed 2 years.

Investigator-Initiated Research Award – Preproposal due June 17, 2020

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

• 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 required.
• Clinical trials not allowed.
• Anticipated that budgets will not exceed $600,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs).
• Period of performance not to exceed 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 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 MSRP 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

The FY20 Defense Appropriations Act is anticipated to provide funding to the Department of Defense Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP) to support innovative, high-impact NF research.  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).

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

Areas of Emphasis: The NFRP encourages applications that specifically address the critical needs of the NF community in one or more of the FY20 Areas of Emphasis.  Not all Areas of Emphasis are applicable to each award mechanism offered by the FY20 NFRP.  If the proposed research project does not address one of the FY20 Areas of Emphasis, justification that the proposed research project addresses an important problem related to NF research and/or patient care should be provided. Applications submitted to the FY20 NFRP must address one or more of the following Areas of Emphasis:

• Biomarker discovery, utility, development, and validation
• Non-tumor manifestations not limited to:

o  Pain

o  Cognitive Manifestations

o  Sleep

• Heterogeneity of NF-related tumors
• Novel disease and treatment response markers using genetics, genomics, epigenetics, systems biology, metabolomics, or similar approaches
• Preclinical efficacy studies
• Target identification, drug discovery
• Nutritional, environmental, and other modifiers of NF
• Health services research

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

Investigator-Initiated Research Award – Letter of Intent due June 25, 2020

Must be an investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) and must plan to commit at least a 30% level of effort for each budget period for the entirety of the award.

• Supports highly rigorous, high-impact research with the potential to make an important contribution to NF research and/or patient care.
• Optional Features: Applications meeting criteria identified in the program announcement may apply for a higher level of funding for the following options: Qualified Collaborator and/or NF Open Science Initiative (NF-OSI).
• Preliminary and/or published data required.
• Clinical trials not allowed.
• The maximum period of performance is 3 years.
• The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $525,000 in direct costs
• The maximum allowable funding for applications including either the Optional Qualified Collaborator or the NFOSI Option is $575,000 in direct costs
• The maximum allowable funding for applications including both the Optional Qualified Collaborator and the NF-OSU Option is $625,000 in direct costs
• Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institutions negotiated rate agreement

Synergistic Idea Award (NEW for FY20) – Letter of Intent due June 25, 2020

Must be an Investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) and must plan to commit at least 10% level of effort for each budget period throughout the entirety of the award.

• Supports new ideas that represent synergistic approaches involving two or three Principal Investigators to address a central problem or question in NF research.
• Preliminary and/or published data is required.
• Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $200,000,000 in 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 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 NFRP 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

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges globally. While much needed focus to date has been on developing and testing effective countermeasures to control the spread of the virus, examining the longer-term impacts of the pandemic—and the ensuing economic slowdown—on individuals, businesses and communities is just as important.

Social sciences and humanities research, including Indigenous research, both in disciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches, can help shed light on the nature of these impacts. It can also build knowledge on the potential strategies for managing recovery efforts, addressing inequalities in our societies, and building resilience to handle later waves of the pandemic as well as other emergencies.

Working in partnership with government, industry and not-for-profit organizations, researchers from across the social sciences and humanities can help provide the data, insight and evidence to guide action in the months and years to come.

There are a wide range of ways social sciences and humanities researchers can contribute: from highlighting the lessons of history, to probing individual and group behaviour, to exploring possible responses in policy and practice in all sectors.

SSHRC encourages projects in, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Understanding the differentiated social impacts of a pandemic, like COVID-19, using gender-based analysis, or by analyzing its political and economic effects at a regional, national or global scale.
• Designing and implementing effective and equitable recovery measures, such as fiscal and monetary policies, supply chain management measures, and social protection and employment creation initiatives.
• Building longer-term resilience and disaster preparedness, for instance, by learning from Indigenous knowledge systems, developing new emergency, public communication and work environment plans, or by rethinking communal and pedagogical approaches, artistic models and rituals.

Through Partnership Engage Grants (PEG), the PEG COVID-19 Special Initiative provides short-term and timely support for small-scale, stakeholder-driven partnerships. It will allow researchers and their partners to address urgent and specific needs, challenges or opportunities through collaborations. It will also provide a unique opportunity to foster a knowledge exchange on COVID-19 crisis related issues, challenges and impacts between postsecondary researchers and different sectors of society, including graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and other highly qualified personnel.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges globally. While much needed focus to date has been on developing and testing effective countermeasures to control the spread of the virus, examining the longer-term impacts of the pandemic—and the ensuing economic slowdown—on individuals, businesses and communities is just as important.

Social sciences and humanities research, including Indigenous research, both in disciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches, can help shed light on the nature of these impacts. It can also build knowledge on the potential strategies for managing recovery efforts, addressing inequalities in our societies, and building resilience to handle later waves of the pandemic as well as other emergencies.

Working in partnership with government, industry and not-for-profit organizations, researchers from across the social sciences and humanities can help provide the data, insight and evidence to guide action in the months and years to come.

There are a wide range of ways social sciences and humanities researchers can contribute: from highlighting the lessons of history, to probing individual and group behaviour, to exploring possible responses in policy and practice in all sectors.

SSHRC encourages projects in, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Understanding the differentiated social impacts of a pandemic, like COVID-19, using gender-based analysis, or by analyzing its political and economic effects at a regional, national or global scale.
• Designing and implementing effective and equitable recovery measures, such as fiscal and monetary policies, supply chain management measures, and social protection and employment creation initiatives.
• Building longer-term resilience and disaster preparedness, for instance, by learning from Indigenous knowledge systems, developing new emergency, public communication and work environment plans, or by rethinking communal and pedagogical approaches, artistic models and rituals.

Through Partnership Engage Grants (PEG), the PEG COVID-19 Special Initiative provides short-term and timely support for small-scale, stakeholder-driven partnerships. It will allow researchers and their partners to address urgent and specific needs, challenges or opportunities through collaborations. It will also provide a unique opportunity to foster a knowledge exchange on COVID-19 crisis related issues, challenges and impacts between postsecondary researchers and different sectors of society, including graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and other highly qualified personnel.

The Canada-EU Smart Living Environments Addressing Transitions in Care for Ageing People is expected to:

• Develop and implement smart living environments that address transitions in care challenges for ageing people through acceptable Information and Communications Technology (ICT)-based solutions;
• Improve health outcomes, patient experience, effectiveness, and lower the cost of care within one (1) or more of the identified research areas related to ageing people through identifying, evaluating and implementing acceptable, evidence-based and effective smart living environments;
• Build novel multi-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary collaborations and partnerships with individuals and organizations in Canada and in the EU that have interest in transformative research in care transitions by promoting engagement, recognition and respect for health research expertise across an array of health disciplines, research pillars, and industry; and
• Demonstrate the capability to progress beyond prototype stage for smart living environment solutions into a care delivery program(s) for pragmatic evaluation.

The FY20 Defense Appropriations Act provides funding to the Department of Defense Melanoma Research Program (MRP) to support innovative, high-impact melanoma research.  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).

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

Applications for the Idea Award, Translational Research Award, Team Science Award, and the Mid-Career Accelerator Award submitted to the FY20 MRP must address one or more of the following focus areas:

• Prevention of melanoma initiation factors (e.g., UV radiation)
• Prevention of melanomagenesis and precursor lesions (e.g., novel genetic and epigenetic drivers, oncogene induced senescence)
• Understanding the tumor microenvironment

○       Primary Tumor

○       Regional Nodes

○       Distal Nodes

• Bioengineering (e.g., computational, imaging) approaches to address diagnostics, high risk markers, dormancy, and metastasis
• Therapeutic Prevention (e.g., interruption of disease progression, recurrence)

• Minimal Residual Disease (e.g., chemoprevention, micro-metastasis)

Applications for the Technology Development Partnership Award submitted to the FY20 MRP must address the focus area: Bioengineering (e.g., computational, imaging) approaches to address diagnostics, high risk markers, dormancy, and metastasis.

The MRP challenges the research community to redefine the concept of prevention and has issued aFY20 MRP Challenge Statement  that should be considered when responding to the FY20 MRP Focus Areas and funding opportunities.

The MRP encourages studies for rare melanomas across the entire spectrum from initiation to distant macro-metastasis.

https://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/mrp 

Idea Award – Preproposal due June 22, 2020

Independent investigators with a faculty-level appointment (or equivalent)

• Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
• Supports new ideas that represent innovative, high-risk/high-gain approaches to melanoma research.
• Emphasis on Innovation and Impact.
• Must address at least one of the FY20 Focus Areas.
• Preliminary data are not required.
• Clinical trials are not allowed.
• Maximum funding of $300,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
• Maximum period of performance is 3 years

Mid-Career Accelerator Award –Preproposal due June 22, 2020

Assistant or Associate Professors more than 7 years post-first faculty appointment.

Instructors and Full Professors are not eligible

• Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
• Supports mid-career researchers to conduct impactful melanoma research.
• Must address at least one of the FY20 Focus Areas.
• Must show evidence of at least one peer reviewed extramural funding award.
• Preliminary data is required.
• Clinical trials are not allowed.
• Maximum funding of $700,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
• Maximum period of performance is 3 years

Team Science Award – Preproposal due June 22, 2020

At least two and up to three investigators must partner in one overarching multidisciplinary research study.

Initiating Principal Investigator:

Independent investigators at or above the level of Associate Professor (or equivalent).

Inclusion of at least one military, VA investigator, or early career investigator is encouraged.

• Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
• Supports new or existing partnerships between two or threeindependent investigators focusing research across the whole research spectrum.
• Investigators are expected to demonstrate within the application, the synergistic components (i.e., leveraging disciplines, expertise or critical resources) that will significantly advance the project such that the research outcomes as a whole will be realized rapidly and efficiently and could not otherwise be accomplished through independent efforts of a single investigator.
• Emphasis on Synergy, Multi-disciplinary research, and Impact.
• Must address at least one of the FY20 Focus Areas.
• Preliminary data are required.
• Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Maximum funding of $700,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years

Technology Development Partnership Award – Preproposal due June 22, 2020

Two independent investigators with a faculty-level appointment (or equivalent)

• Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
• Supports new or existing partnerships between twoindependent investigators focusing on bioengineering approaches toaddress diagnostics, high risk markers, dormancy, and metastasis.
• One partner must have a background in biomedical science, and one must have a background in the physical sciences (e.g. engineering, computational science, bioinformatics, or computer science).m imaging) approaches to address diagnostics, high risk markers, dormancy, and metastasis.
• Must address the FY20 MRP Focus Area: Bioengineering (e.g., computational
• Preliminary data is required.
• Clinical trials are not allowed
• Maximum funding of $700,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
• Maximum period of performance is 3 years

Translational Research Award – Preproposal due June 22, 2020

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

• Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
• Supports studies aiming to leverage existing biobanks, biorepositories, ongoing or completed clinical trialsto address a translational question or problem in melanoma.
• Emphasis on Translation and Impact.
• Must address at least one of the FY20 Focus Areas.
• Preliminary data is required.
• Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Maximum funding of $600,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years

Translational Research Award – Collaborator Option – Preproposal due June 22, 2020

Two independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)

• Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
• Supports two investigators in a joint study aiming to leverage existing biobanks, biorepositories, ongoing or completed clinical trialsto address a translational question or problem in melanoma.
• Emphasis on Translation and Impact.
• Must address at least one of the FY20 Focus Areas.
• Preliminary data is required.
• Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Maximum funding of $700,000 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 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 MRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website http://cdmrp.army.mil 

Point of Contact:

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

The FY20 Defense Appropriations Act has provided funding to the Department of Defense Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program (TSCRP) to support innovative, high-impact TSC research.  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).

FY20 Congressional appropriation for TSCRP funding, FY20 TSCRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on the Grants.gov website. 

Applications submitted to the FY20 TSCRP are encouraged to address one or more of the following Focus Areas:

• Eradicating tumors associated with TSC and TSC-associated lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), including gaining a deeper mechanistic understanding of TSC signaling pathways

•       Preventing epilepsy, improving treatment, and mitigating comorbidities associated with TSC-related seizures

•       Understanding the features of TSC-Associated Neuropsychiatric Disorders (TAND) and reducing their impact, including pharmacological and behavioral interventions

•       Advancing clinical trial readiness and optimizing clinical care through development of biomarkers and clinical outcome measures, patient selection and sample size determination, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) studies, and enhanced trial design

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

Exploration – Hypothesis Development Award – Letter of Intent due June 18, 2020

Investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent), including postdoctoral fellows

• Supports the initial exploration of innovative, high-risk, high-gain, and potentially groundbreaking concepts in the TSC research field.
• Projects involving human subjects or human biological substances must be exempt under 32 CFR 219.101(b)(4) or eligible for expedited review under 32 CFR 219.110 or 21 CFR 56.110.
• Preliminary data are not required.
• Clinical trials are not allowed.
• The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of funding is $150,000 in direct costs.
• Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution’s negotiated rate agreement.
• The maximum period of performance is 2 years

Idea Development Award – Letter of Intent due June 18, 2020

Established Investigators: Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent);

or New Investigators:

Independent investigator at or below the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent); or

Established independent investigator in an area other than TSC at or above the level of Assistant Professor seeking to transition to a career in TSC.

• Supports ideas that have the potential to yield high-impact findings and new avenues of investigation.
• Preliminary data expects.
• Clinical trials not allowed.
  • New Investigator Option supports the continued development of promising independent investigators that are early in their faculty appointments and/or the transition or established investigators from other research fields into career in TSC research.
  • Applications from New Investigators and Established Investigators will be peer and programmatically reviewed separately.
  • The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $450,000 in direct costs.
  • Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution’s negotiated rate agreement.
  • The maximum period of performance is 3 years

Clinical Translational Research Award – Letter of Intent due June 18, 2020

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

• Supports studies that will move promising, well-founded preclinical and/or clinical research findings closer to clinical application, including, diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment of TSC.
• Studies advancing clinical trial readiness through development of biomarkers, clinical endpoints, and validation of PK/PD are of particular interest.
• Applications may include a small, pilot clinical trial intended to inform the next step in the continuum of translational research.
• Pilot clinical trials, including behavioral interventions, are encouraged.
• Preference will be given to studies that involve human samples, patients, or leverage existing clinical data and/or ongoing clinical studies.
• Preclinical studies may be appropriate but must include a clinical component.
• Projects that are exploratory and/or strictly animal research will not be considered for funding.
• Clinical Translational Potential is the most important review criterion.
• Preliminary data are required.
• The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $600,000 in direct costs.
• Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution’s negotiated rate agreement.
  • 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 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 TSCRP 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

Fund research projects that will address important questions regarding ethical, philosophical, legal and socio-cultural aspects related to the neurosciences and their recent advances.

SPECIAL NOTICE PERTAINING TO THE AUGUST 1, 2020 DEADLINE

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not be accepting applications for Engaged Research Grants involving face-to-face activities at the August 1, 2020 deadline.  Eligible individuals seeking support for virtual engagement projects are welcome to apply.  Please contact mropelewski@wennergren.org with any questions.

A Wenner-Gren grantee may apply for the Engaged Anthropology Grant ($5,000 maximum) upon completion of the final reporting requirements for the Dissertation Fieldwork or Post-Ph.D. Research Grant.

This grant is designed to enable grantees to return to their research locale to share their research results with:

• The community  in which the research was conducted, and/or
• The academic/anthropological community in the region or country of research.