DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS

Beginning in Fiscal Year 2022, funding opportunities for Gulf War illness can now be found within the Toxic Exposures Research Program (TERP)

Vision – Improved health and lives of Veterans who have Gulf War Illness

Gulf War Illness Research Program Cover Image
» Click on Image to View Program Booklet

Gulf War Illness Research Program Cover Image
» Click on Image to View Strategic Plan

The Gulf War Illness Research Program (GWIRP) was initiated in 2006 to provide support for research of exceptional scientific merit to study the health effects of deployment on U.S. Warfighters during the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War. The GWIRP challenges the scientific community to design high-impact research that will improve the health and lives of Veterans who have Gulf War illness (GWI).

GWI is characterized by multiple, diverse symptoms that typically include chronic headache, widespread pain, cognitive difficulties, debilitating fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, respiratory symptoms, sleep problems, and other abnormalities that could not be explained by established medical diagnoses or standard laboratory tests. The population of Veterans affected by GWI is a subset of the nearly 700,000 U.S. Warfighters who served during the 1990-1991 Gulf War. Studies indicate that approximately 25-32% of Gulf War Veterans continue to experience symptoms associated with their deployment.

The GWIRP focuses on funding innovative, competitively peer-reviewed research to (1) provide a better understanding of the pathobiology underlying GWI, (2) identify objective markers (biomarkers) for improved diagnosis, and (3) to develop treatments for the complex of GWI symptoms and their underlying causes. Our Vision is to make a significant impact on GWI and improve the health and lives of affected Veterans and their families.

The Gulf War Illness Research Landscape (741kb)

The GWIRP has prepared the above Landscape overview of what is currently known about topics consistent with the mission of identifying treatments, improving definition and diagnosis, and understanding pathobiology and symptoms. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read and consider The Gulf War Illness Landscape when preparing applications.


Congressional Appropriations

Congressional Appropriations

  • $236 million
    FY06, FY08-21

Funding Summary

Funding
Summary



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Vision

Improved health and lives of Veterans who have Gulf War Illness

Mission

Fund Gulf War Illness research that expeditiously identifies effective treatments and accelerates their clinical application, improves definition and diagnosis, and results in better understanding of pathobiology and symptoms of disease



Last updated Tuesday, August 8, 2023