DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS

NEWS RELEASE

Released: January 7, 2010

Department of Defense Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program
Funding for Fiscal Year 2010

The Fiscal Year 2010 (FY10) Defense Appropriations Act provides $6 million to the Department of Defense Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program (TSCRP) to promote innovative research focused on lessening the impact of tuberous sclerosis complex. This program is administered by the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command through the Office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

The mission of the TSCRP is to encourage innovative research aimed at understanding the pathogenesis of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) and to translate these findings to the care of individuals with TSC.

Within this context, the TSCRP encourages applications to the FY10 program that address these vital program focus areas:

  • TSC-related cognitive and developmental studies.
  • Innovative studies historically underrepresented in TSC research to include:
    • TSC management in adults
    • Skin involvement
    • Individualized prognosis
    • Epigenetic factors (with prognosis and variability issue)
    • Cardiac involvement (lesions that spontaneously resolve), and
    • Metabolic and nutritional effects.

FY10 TSCRP Program Announcements for proposals in the following mechanisms are anticipated to be posted and available on Grants.gov in February 2010.

Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding
Career Transition Award Postdoctoral investigators with at least 2 years of postdoctoral experience
  • Support TSC researchers during the transition from postdoctoral training to independent positions
  • Funds the final 2 years of the postdoctoral position and the first 2 years of a faculty/independent position
  • Preliminary data required
  • Maximum funding of $69,000 per year in direct costs (plus indirect costs) for each postdoctoral year (years 1-2)
  • Maximum funding of $100,000 per year in direct costs (plus indirect costs) for each faculty-level position year (years 3-4)
  • Period of performance should not exceed 4 years
  • Anticipate 1 award
Clinical Research Award Principal Investigator (PI): Must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)

Optional Qualified Collaborator: Must be at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)
  • This award may be used to support either:
    • Preclinical and translational studies; or
    • clinical trials
  • Each proposal may include only one of these types of studies
  • Smaller scale studies are encouraged
  • Optional Qualified Collaborator: Collaborations that meet the criteria outlined in the program announcement will be qualified for a higher level of funding
  • Pre-applications required
  • Preliminary data required
  • Maximum funding of $900,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Maximum funding of $1,200,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs) for proposals including a qualified optional collaborator
  • Period of performance should not exceed 3 years
  • Anticipate 1 award
Exploration -Hypothesis Development Award All levels of experience
  • Fund the initial exploration of innovative, untested research and pursue serendipitous observations
  • Projects involving human subjects or human biological substances must be exempt under 32 CFR 219.101(b)(4)
  • Preliminary data is encouraged but not required
  • Clinical trials not allowed
  • Maximum funding of $100,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Period of performance should not exceed 2 years
  • Anticipate 6 awards
Idea Development Award Must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)
  • Encourage high impact, innovative research that will drive the field forward
  • Preliminary data required
  • Clinical trials not allowed
  • Maximum funding of $450,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Period of performance should not exceed 3 years
  • Anticipate 3 awards

The government reserves the right to make changes to the award mechanisms offered and the mechanism elements if necessary. The number of awards anticipated is based on available funds, average cost of proposals, and quality of proposals received. The TSCRP reserves the right to make awards in greater or lesser numbers than anticipated. All applications must conform to the final Program Announcements and application instructions that will be 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 USAMRMC funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420.

A pre-application is required for all award mechanisms and must be submitted through the CDMRP eReceipt website (http://cdmrp.org) prior to application submission. Applications must be submitted through the federal government's single-entry portal, Grants.gov.

Requests for email notification of the Program Announcements release may be sent to Help@cdmrp.org. For more information about the PCRP or other CDMRP-sponsored programs, please visit the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.army.mil).

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