Epilepsy
NEWS RELEASE
Released: May 10, 2017
Defense Health Program
Department of Defense Epilepsy Research Program
Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17)
The Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) Defense Appropriations Act provides $7.5 million (M) to the Department of Defense Epilepsy Research Program (ERP). The ERP supports research that will explore the causative links between TBI and epilepsy, with the hope that one day post-traumatic epilepsy will be preventable. 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 and executes 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).
FY17 ERP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are anticipated to be posted on Grants.gov in July 2017. 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, and funding of research projects received in response to these Program Announcements is contingent on the availability of Federal funds appropriated for the ERP.
The ERP’s mission is to fund research to understand the magnitude, and the underlying mechanisms of Post-Traumatic Epilepsy (PTE), especially in Service members and Veterans.
FY17 ERP Focus Areas:
Applications should also address at least one of the following FY17 Focus Areas. An application that proposes research outside of the FY17 Focus Areas is acceptable, as long as the applicant provides a strong rationale. The Focus Areas will be mechanism-specific.
FY17 ERP Focus Areas are as follows:
Epidemiology: Epidemiological characterization of PTE following TBI, which may include:
- Risk factors such as demographics, genetic factors, organic head injury factors, or type of insult
- Differentiation of PTE and Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES)
- Outcomes including latency to epilepsy, morbidities and comorbidities, and mortality
- Pre-existing conditions including psychological and psychiatric risk factors
Markers and Mechanisms: Identifying markers or mechanisms (via clinical prospective or preclinical models) that address PTE:
- Early detection
- Diagnosis
- Prognosis
- Morbidity
- Comorbidity
- Mortality
- Risk stratification
Models of PTE: Development of new models or better characterization of existing etiologically relevant models for PTE, including repetitive TBI.
Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures: Exploration of the epidemiology, mechanisms, risk factors, or markers of PNES subsequent to TBI.
The following is a summary of the FY17 ERP Program Announcements. Two award mechanisms will be offered for FY17. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the Government.
| Award Mechanism | Eligibility | Key Mechanism Elements | Funding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idea Development Award | Level I: All investigators at or above the level of postdoctoral fellow (or equivalent) are eligible to apply for this award.
Level II: The Principal Investigator must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent). |
Intent: To solicit research to understand the magnitude and underlying mechanisms of PTE, especially in Service members and Veterans while also benefitting the civilian community. Level I is intended to support high-risk or high gain research from researchers at or above the level of a postdoctoral fellow (or equivalent). Level II is intended to support a more mature, hypothesis-driven research project
The following Focus areas are open to Level I:
The following Focus areas are open to Level II:
Preliminary data, while not required, are encouraged for both levels. Research considering a pharmacologic intervention is specifically discouraged under this mechanism. |
Level I:
Level II:
|
| Epilepsy Risk Factors Award | The Principal Investigator must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent). |
Intent:To conduct preliminary studies to support prospective, longitudinal epidemiological research relevant to the characterization of PTE.
Applications should address at least one of the following Focus Areas:
Research considering a pharmacologic intervention is specifically discouraged under this mechanism. Preliminary data not required. |
|
A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) at 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 Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) 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.army.mil) and select “Subscribe to Funding Opportunities & Program Communications.” For more information about the ERP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.army.mil).
Point of Contact:
CDMRP Public Affairs
301-619-9783
usarmy.detrick.medcom-cdmrp.mbx.cdmrp-public-affairs@mail.mil
Last updated Thursday, May 26, 2022