U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command &
Fort Detrick Public Affairs/Marketing Office, Fort Detrick, Maryland
December 24, 2003
Department of Defense Neurofibromatosis Research Program Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2004
The Fiscal Year 2004 (FY04) Defense Appropriations Act provides $20 million to the Department of Defense Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP) to support innovative research directed toward improved prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of neurofibromatosis. This program is administered by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command through the Office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).
FY04 NFRP Program Announcements for proposals in the following mechanisms are expected to be released in mid to late January 2004:
- Concept Awards- New
- New Investigator Awards
- Therapeutic Development Awards
- Investigator-Initiated Research Awards (with optional Nested Postdoctoral Traineeship[s])
- Clinical Trial Development Awards
- Clinical Trial Awards
The New Concept Awards are intended to fund the exploration of an initial concept or theory that could give rise to a testable hypothesis within neurofibromatosis research. The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) plans to solicit electronic submissions for short (one-page) Concept Award proposals. Preliminary data are not required. These awards can be requested for $100,000 inclusive of direct and indirect costs over a 12-month performance period. Projects involving human subjects or human anatomical substances will not be supported (full details available when the Program Announcement is released). The Program Announcement is planned for release in mid to late January and the submission deadline is planned for May 4, 2004.
New Investigator Awards are intended to fund investigators in the early stages of their careers in innovative areas of neurofibromatosis research. Eligible investigators are those below the level of Associate Professor with access to appropriate research facilities. Proposals should capture novel ideas in their early stages of development. Preliminary data are not required. An average of $150,000 per year in direct costs for a maximum of $450,000 over 3 years, plus indirect costs as appropriate is available. The Program Announcement is planned for release in mid to late January and the submission deadline is planned for May 4, 2004.
Therapeutic Development Awards are intended to fund the development of therapeutics and tools for their evaluation in preclinical model systems of NF. These awards may also fund goal-focused, synergistic, multi-institutional consortia. Independent investigators in the field of neurofibromatosis research are eligible to apply. There are no total dollar restrictions. Funding can be requested for up to 3 years. The Program Announcement is planned for release in mid to late January and the submission deadline is planned for May 4, 2004.
Investigator-Initiated Research Awards are intended to fund basic and clinically oriented NF research. Independent investigators at a level equivalent to or above that of Assistant Professor are eligible to apply. There are no total dollar amount restrictions. Funding can be requested for up to 4 years. A Nested Postdoctoral Trainee is a recent doctoral graduate with 3 years or less of postdoctoral experience. Proposals with a Nested Postdoctoral Traineeship may request a maximum of $60,000 per year inclusive of direct and indirect costs for a maximum of $240,000 per trainee for up to 4 years. There is no limit to the number of postdoctoral trainees nested under a given proposal. The Program Announcement is planned for release in mid to late January and the submission deadline is planned for May 4, 2004.
Clinical Trial Development Awards are intended to fund the development of a plan for communication, real-time data transfer, the handling of specimens and imaging products, and a plan for statistical analysis between the participating institutions. It requires the submission of a Clinical Trial Award application at the end of the award. Eligible applicants are independent investigators in the field of neurofibromatosis research. Up to $150,000 in both direct and indirect costs are available for up to a one year period of performance. The Program Announcement is planned for release in mid to late January and the submission deadline is planned for May 4, 2004.
Clinical Trial Awards are intended to fund Phase 1 or 2 clinical trials. Preclinical data are required for all clinical trial proposals. Phase I or pilot clinical trial data are required for Phase 2 clinical trial proposals. Eligible applicants are independent investigators in the field of neurofibromatosis research. There are no total dollar amount restrictions. Funding can be requested for up to 3 years for Phase 1 clinical trials and up to 4 years for Phase 2 clinical trials. The Program Announcement is planned for release in mid to late January and the submission deadline is June 29, 2004.
Detailed descriptions of each of these mechanisms, evaluation criteria, and submission requirements, and deadlines will be available in the FY04 NFRP Program Announcement. Each Program Announcement will be available electronically for downloading from the CDMRP web site (https://cdmrp.health.mil) upon its release in mid to late January 2004.
Please note that the FY04 Program Announcements are being released prior to actual receipt of funding at this Command for these projects. No legal liability on the part of the Government for payment can arise until such funds are made available.
Requests for e-mail notification when Program Announcements are released may be sent to prequest@constellagroup.com. For more information about the NFRP, NFRP awardees, previous NFRP Program Announcements, and other CDMRP-sponsored programs and events, please visit the CDMRP web site: https://cdmrp.health.mil.
Points of Contact:
Gail Whitehead, Public Affairs Coordinator, 301-619-7783, gail.whitehead@amedd.army.mil
Richard Kenyon, Ph.D., NFRP Program Manager, 301-619-7071