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Gulf War Illness

NEWS RELEASE

Released: April 7, 2016

Defense Health Program
Department of Defense Gulf War Illness Research Program
Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16)

The FY16 Defense Appropriations Act provides $20 million (M) to the Department of Defense Gulf War Illness Research Program (GWIRP) to support innovative, high-impact Gulf War Illness research. As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency, Research, Development, and Acquisition (DHA RDA) Directorate manages the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation. The managing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

The GWIRP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop applications. FY16 GWIRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are anticipated to be posted on the Grants.gov website in May 2016. Pre-application and application deadlines will be available when the Program Announcements are released. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the government.

Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding
Gulf War Illness Epidemiology Research Award Independent Investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent)
  • Pre-application is required; full application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports population-based research to obtain a better understanding of mortality, morbidity, and symptomatology over time in Veterans with Gulf War illness (GWI).
  • Additional topics of interest include clinical diagnoses and laboratory findings, symptom clustering and subgrouping, and gender and racial differences.
  • Supports hypothesis-driven or discovery-based research.
  • Intervention clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Maximum funding of $975,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years
New Investigator Award Transitioning Postdoctoral Fellow: Senior postdoctoral fellows who have completed at least 3 years of postdoctoral training.

Early-Career Investigator: Independent investigators within 5 years since their last training position.

New GWI Researcher: Established independent investigators who have received less than $300,000 in federally funded, non-mentored GWI research funding.)
  • Pre-application (Letter of Intent) is required.
  • Encourages applications from investigators in the early stages of their careers and from established investigators new to the field of GWI research.
  • Previous experience in GWI research is not required; however, collaborations with experienced GWI researchers are encouraged.
  • Preliminary data are not required, and if provided, do not necessarily have to come from the GWI research field.
  • Studies that provide outcomes clearly translatable to clinical use are encouraged.
  • Intervention clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Maximum funding of $500,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years
Clinical Partnership Award (NEW for FY15!) Independent Investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent)
  • Pre-application is required; full application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports translational research partnerships between clinicians and laboratory scientists to accelerate the movement of promising research hypotheses into clinical applications for Gulf War Illness
  • Minimum of 2 PIs required; maximum of 3 PIs allowed
  • 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 Gulf War illness research
  • Preliminary and/or published data are required that may be from a laboratory discovery, population-based studies, or a clinician's firsthand knowledge from providing care to Veterans.
  • Limited clinical testing is permissible but does not support definitive intervention clinical trials
  • Maximum funding of $750,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years
Investigator-Initiated Focused Research Award (NEW for FY15!) Independent Investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent)
  • Pre-application is required; full application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports research from idea generation through preclinical development for submission of applications to the FDA under three tiers:
    • Discovery Tier: Supports basic research and proof of concept research, preliminary data is not required
    • Development Tier: Supports applied research in GWI aimed at diagnosis or therapeutic development. Preliminary data from the field of Gulf War Illness (GWI) is required
    • Validation Tier: Supports the validation and optimization of promising leads in GWI treatment. Proposed studies are expected to be product-driven and result in the preclinical development of pharmacological agents up to IND submission
  • Does not support definitive clinical trials, but limited clinical testing is permissible
  • Maximum period of performance is 2 years
  • Maximum for direct cost varies by Tier:
    • Discovery Tier: $200,000 (plus indirect costs)
    • Development Tier: $600,000 (plus indirect costs)
    • Validation Tier: $600,000 (plus indirect costs)
Treatment Evaluation Award (NEW for FY15!) Independent Investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent)
  • Pre-application is required; full application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports small-scale, Phase 0, I, I/II clinical trial evaluations of treatments for GWI under two tracks:
    • Data-Based Track: Evaluation of therapeutic approaches supported by significant preliminary data in GWI models or based on biological alterations identified in Veterans with GWI. Preliminary data are required.
    • Symptom-Based Treatment Track: Evaluation of innovative approaches that may have been utilized for other chronic illnesses, but not yet studied in Veterans with GWI. Preliminary data are not required.
  • Partnerships with the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry are encouraged.
  • Maximum funding of $700,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the CDMRP electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) (https://eBRAP.org) prior to the pre-application deadline. 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. 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.

Applications must be submitted through the federal government's single-entry portal, Grants.gov. Submission deadlines are not available until the Program Announcements are released. For email notification when Program Announcements are released, go to the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.health.mil) and select Subscribe to Funding Opportunities & Program Communications. For more information about the GWIRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.health.mil).

Point of Contact:

CDMRP Public Affairs
301-619-9783
usarmy.detrick.medcom-cdmrp.mbx.cdmrp-public-affairs@mail.mil


Last updated Thursday, December 5, 2024