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Gulf War Illness

NEWS RELEASE

Released: March 5, 2018

Defense Health Program
Department of Defense Gulf War Illness Research Program
Anticipated Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18)

Although funds have not been appropriated for the Department of Defense Gulf War Illness Research Program (GWIRP), the GWIRP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY18 funding opportunities.

FY18 GWIRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are anticipated to be posted on Grants.gov in April 2018. 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 GWIRP.

As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency (DHA) J9, Research and Development 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 following mechanisms are planned for release:

Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding
Clinical Trial Award Independent investigators at all academic levels
  • Pre-application is required; full application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports rapid implementation of clinical trials with the potential to have a significant impact on GWI.
  • Proposed projects may range from small proof-of-concept trials through large-scale, definitive trials.
  • Early phase or pilot clinical trials (Phase 0, I, or I/II) do not require preliminary data. Larger, more definitive clinical trials, including expansion of promising pilot trials, must include preliminary data to include safety in a GWI Veteran population.
  • Biorepository Contribution Option supports additional costs associated with submission of samples and data to the GWIRP supported Biorepository Resource Network.
  • Maximum funding of $825,000 for direct costs; funding requested must be commensurate with the phase and size of trial proposed
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years
  • If applying for the Biorepository Contribution Option, additional direct costs up to $16,000 associated with contributions of samples and data to the Biorepository Resource Network
Qualitative Research Award Independent investigators at all academic levels
  • Pre-application is required; full application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports qualitative research on 1990-1991 Gulf War (GW) Veterans with Gulf War illness (GWI) for the purpose of developing educational materials for Veterans, family members, caregivers, and healthcare providers.
  • Qualitative research is defined as a form of social inquiry that seeks to understand the human experience by focusing on understanding the way that people interpret and make sense of their experiences and the world in which they live.
  • Preliminary data are encouraged.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Maximum funding of 450,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years
Investigator-Initiated Focused Research Award Independent investigators at all academic levels
  • Pre-application is required; full application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports research from idea generation through preclinical validation under two tiers:
    • Discovery Tier: Supports basic research and proof-of-concept research; preliminary data are not required.
    • Applied Research Tier: Supports applied research in GWI aimed at diagnosis or therapeutic advancement. Preliminary data from the field of GWI are required.
  • Biorepository Contribution Option supports additional costs associated with submission of samples and data to the GWIRP supported Biorepository Resource Network.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • The maximum period of performance and maximum funding varies by tier:
    • Discovery: $250,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs) over a maximum of 2 years.
    • Applied Research: $700,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs) over a maximum of 3 years
  • If applying for the Biorepository Contribution Option, additional direct costs up to $16,000 associated with the contribution of samples and data to the Biorepository Resource Network

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 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, subscribe to program-specific news and updates under “Email Subscriptions” on the eBRAP homepage at https://eBRAP.org. For more information about the GWIRP 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