DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS

NEWS RELEASE

Released: February 8, 2013

Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program
Anticipated Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2013 (FY13)

The Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program (PRORP) is administered by the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) through the Office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

Congressional funds for the FY13 PRORP have not yet been appropriated, and this document is not to be construed as an obligation by the Government; there is no guarantee of funding for the program. However, the PRORP anticipates releasing program announcements in February 2013, and the information provided in this pre-announcement is intended to allow investigators time to plan and develop applications.

Focus Areas: The FY13 PRORP plans to solicit research applications that address the following focus areas, which are subject to change. Information on the final focus areas and the award mechanisms to which they correspond will be included in the program announcements when they are posted:

  • Characteristics of and strategies for optimizing long-term (5 to 10 years) functional outcomes for traumatic military amputee and/or limb salvage patients
  • Strategies to prevent or mitigate post-traumatic osteoarthritis resulting from fracture and/or ligament injury, including novel surgical approaches and other interventions for treatment, the effect of weight bearing, and retrospective studies of the impact of prior surgical interventions on the occurrence of post-traumatic osteoarthritis
  • Surgical interventions for combat-related spine fractures and instability
  • Physical or occupational therapy (PT/OT) interventions, such as studies that establish optimal strategies for weight bearing progression or studies that examine the comparative effectiveness of different PT/OT regimens
  • Establishment of bone, joint, and soft tissue health guidelines based upon validated measures to aid clinicians in returning patients safely to high-impact activities, including, but not limited to, validation of markers of bone quality that can predict susceptibility to injury, and comparative effectiveness studies of training and therapeutic interventions to improve bone quality and muscle function that maximize performance while minimizing injury
  • Interventions to improve secondary health effects (e.g., joint contracture, obesity, cardiovascular disease, poor bone health) that follow reduced mobility from primary neuromusculoskeletal injury, excluding spinal cord injuries
  • Maintenance or enhancement of long-term socket performance and fit of prosthetics, including the design and development of flexible socket suspension systems, the evaluation of socket performance (comfort, fit, and durability), and the application of new technologies to improve existing prosthetic sockets
  • Studies to improve moisture management and residual limb skin care at the prosthetic socket interface
  • Clinical studies on the effectiveness of local strategies to minimize surgical site infections, including but not limited to local application of antibiotics, debridement techniques, and/or subatmospheric wound dressing

The FY13 PRORP anticipates releasing the following program announcements:

Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding (Awards subject to negotiations and availability of funds)
Clinical Trial Award Independent Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only
  • Supports rapid implementation of clinical trials that will have a significant impact on military combat-related orthopaedic injuries
  • Preliminary data are required
  • Military/Veteran study population highly encouraged
  • Nested Career Development Option: Additional funds may be requested to support the mentored career development of an active duty military research- or physician-scientist at an early career stage.
  • Maximum funding of $2.5M for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Period of performance up to 4 years
  • Nested Career Development: Additional direct costs of $225K for total combined direct costs of $2.725M
Clinical Trial Development Award Independent Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only
  • Supports planning and preparations for clinical trials that will have a significant impact on military combat-related orthopaedic injuries
  • Preliminary data are required
  • Military/Veteran study population highly encouraged
  • Intent is that award recipients will apply for PRORP Clinical Trial Award in the fiscal year following completion of Clinical Trial Development Award.
  • Maximum funding of $100,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Period of performance up to 18 months.
Translational Research Award Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent)
At least one partner must be a laboratory scientist and at least one partner must be a clinician.
At least one partner must have significant experience in orthopaedic research or orthopaedic medicine
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only
  • Supports development of multidisciplinary translational research collaboration between clinicians and laboratory scientists to accelerate movement of promising research hypotheses into clinical applications
  • Preliminary or published data are required
  • Does not support definitive clinical trials, but limited clinical testing is permissible
  • All applications must have direct relevance to orthopaedic injuries sustained during combat or combat-related activities
  • Nested Career Development Option: Additional funds may be requested to support the mentored career development of an active duty military research- or physician-scientist at an early career stage.
  • Maximum combined funding of $750K for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Period of performance up to 3 years
  • Nested Career Development: Additional direct costs of $225K for total combined direct costs of $975K
Idea Development Award Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent)
  • Supports conceptually innovative, high-risk/high-gain research
  • Emphasis on Innovation and Military Benefit
  • Preliminary data not required
  • Clinical trials not allowed
  • Nested Career Development Option: Additional funds may be requested to support the mentored career development of an active duty military research- or physician-scientist at an early career stage.
  • Maximum funding of $500K for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Period of performance up to 3 years
  • Nested Career Development: Additional direct costs of $225K for total combined direct costs of $725K

All applications must conform to the final program announcements and general application instructions that will be available for electronic downloading from the Grants.gov website upon official announcement of funding opportunity release. Submission deadlines will not be available until the program announcements are released. Requests for email notification of the program announcements release may be sent to help@cdmrp.org. For more information about the PRORP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.army.mil).

Point of Contact:

CDMRP Public Affairs
301-619-9783
CDMRP.PublicAffairs@amedd.army.mil