DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS

U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command

December 1, 2005

Department of Defense Neurofibromatosis Research Program Announces the Investigator-Initiated Research Awards

Due to enthusiasm for the Fiscal Year 2005 (FY05) Investigator-Initiated Research Awards, the Department of Defense (DOD) Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP) will be offering a second opportunity this year for individuals to compete for these awards. The NFRP plans to announce a $3.4 million (M) initiative to support these awards in mid-December 2005.

The Investigator-Initiated Research Award supports basic or clinical studies by established researchers (Assistant Professor level or higher) that will provide insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of NF and lead to substantial improvements over today's approach to the diagnosis and treatment of NF1, NF2 and Schwannomatosis. In support of this goal, this award mechanism also provides funding through Nested Postdoctoral Traineeships to prepare recent doctoral graduates (3 years or less experience as a postdoctoral fellow) for a career in NF or Schwannomatosis research through a mentored training experience. Established researchers may request funding up to a maximum of $2M inclusive of direct and indirect costs for a period of up to 4 years. Funds for Nested Postdoctoral Traineeships can be requested as part of the $2M total. Each Traineeship can be requested for a maximum of $60 thousand per year inclusive of direct and indirect costs for a period of up to 4 years. The receipt deadline is planned for March 17, 2006. These awards will be reviewed, negotiated, and finalized no later than September 30, 2006.

A detailed description of this mechanism, including evaluation criteria, specific submission requirements, and deadlines will be available in the FY05 NFRP Investigator-Initiated Research Award Program Announcement. This Program Announcement will be available electronically for downloading from the CDMRP web site (https://cdmrp.army.mil) upon its release in mid-December 2005.

Requests for e-mail notification when Program Announcements are released may be sent to prequest@constellagroup.com. For more information about the NFRP, previous NFRP awardees and Program Announcements, and other CDMRP-sponsored programs and events, please visit our web site: https://cdmrp.army.mil.

Points of Contact: Gail Whitehead, Public Affairs Coordinator, 301-619-7783, gail.whitehead@amedd.army.mil, and
Richard Kenyon, Ph.D., NFRP Program Manager, 301-619-7071, cdmrp.pa@amedd.army.mil