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Gulf War Illness

NEWS RELEASE

Released: April 8, 2019

Defense Health Program
Department of Defense Gulf War Illness Research Program
Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19)

The FY19 Defense Appropriation provides $22 million (M) to the Department of Defense Gulf War Illness Research Program (GWIRP) to support research addressing Gulf War Illness pathobiology, diagnosis, and treatment. As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency 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) at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC).

The GWIRP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop applications. FY19 GWIRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are anticipated to be posted on the Grants.gov website in May 2019. 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 PI Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding
Idea Award Independent investigators at all academic levels.
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports high-risk/high-reward research in the earliest stages of development that will contribute to markers or treatments for Gulf War illness (GWI).
  • Emphasis is on impact and innovation; applications must articulate the pathway to making a clinical impact for Veterans with GWI, even if a clinical impact is not an immediate outcome.
  • Preliminary data not required.
  • Biorepository Contribution Option supports additional costs associated with submission of samples and data to the GWIRP supported Boston Biorepository, Recruitment, and Integrative Network (BBRAIN).
  • Clinical trials not allowed.
  • Maximum funding of $150,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Biorepository Contribution Option: additional direct costs up to $20,000.
  • Maximum period of performance is 2 years.
Idea Development Award Independent investigators at all academic levels.
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports applied research in GWI that is aimed at continued expansion and validation of markers and treatments that are supported by evidence in the GWI field.
  • Preliminary data and/or strong rationale required.
  • Biorepository Contribution Option supports additional costs associated with submission of samples and data to the GWIRP supported Boston Biorepository, Recruitment, and Integrative Network (BBRAIN).
  • Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Maximum funding of $700,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Biorepository Contribution Option: additional direct costs up to $20,000.
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years.
Clinical Evaluation Award Independent investigators at all academic levels.
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports small, proof-of-concept trials (pilot, first in human, Phase I-IIa), clinical trials, or larger statistically powered biomarker trials with the potential to have a significant impact on GWI.
  • Preliminary data required.
  • Biorepository Contribution Option supports additional costs associated with submission of samples and data to the GWIRP supported Boston Biorepository, Recruitment, and Integrative Network (BBRAIN).
  • Clinical Consortium Collaboration Option supports additional costs associated with collaboration with the Gulf War Illness Clinical Trials and Interventions Consortium (GWICTIC).
  • Maximum funding of $1,000,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Biorepository Contribution Option: additional direct costs up to $20,000.
  • Clinical Consortium Collaboration Option: additional direct costs up to $200,000.
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years.
Therapeutic/Biomarker Trial Award Independent investigators at all academic levels.
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports large-scale, pivotal (Phase IIb or III) trials that revolutionize the clinical management of GWI.
  • Objective pharmacodynamic biomarkers to measure the biological effect of an investigational therapeutic or predictive/cohort-selective biomarkers that indicate whether a specific therapy will be effective in Veterans with GWI must be included in the trial design.
  • Substantial preliminary data in a GWI Veteran population required.
  • Investigators must have experience in successfully leading large-scale projects and demonstrated the ability to implement a clinical project successfully.
  • Biorepository Contribution Option supports additional costs associated with submission of samples and data to the GWIRP supported Boston Biorepository, Recruitment, and Integrative Network (BBRAIN).
  • Clinical Consortium Collaboration Option supports additional costs associated with collaboration with the GWIRP supported Gulf War Illness Clinical Trials and Interventions Consortium (GWICTIC).
  • Funding must be used to support a clinical trial.
  • Maximum funding of $5,000,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Biorepository Contribution Option: additional direct costs up to $20,000.
  • Clinical Consortium Collaboration Option: additional direct costs up to $500,000.
  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years.
Patient-Provider and Health Communications Award Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor.
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports development of strategies to effectively communicate GWI research and clinical recommendations to public health professionals, policymakers, healthcare providers, Veterans with GWI, caregivers, or advocacy groups.
  • Maintenance and sustainment of the dissemination effort for continued awareness of GWI research and clinical findings to diverse audiences is an important review criterion.
  • Must include a consumer GWI advocate, who will be integral throughout the planning and implementation of the research project.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Maximum funding of $700,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years.
New Investigator Award Transitioning Postdoctoral Fellow: Senior postdoctoral fellows with at least 3 years of postdoctoral training.

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

New GWI Researcher: Established independent investigators who have received less than $300,000 in federally funded, non-mentored GWI research.
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Encourages applications from early-stage and established investigators new to the field of GWI research.
  • Previous experience in GWI research is not required; however, collaborations with experienced GWI researchers is strongly encouraged.
  • Preliminary data are not required.
  • Biorepository Contribution Option supports additional costs associated with submission of samples and data to the GWIRP supported Boston Biorepository, Recruitment, and Integrative Network (BBRAIN).
  • Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Maximum funding of $500,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Biorepository Contribution Option: additional direct costs up to $20,000.
  • The maximum period of performance is 3 years.

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 and other USAMRMC extramural funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420. 

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.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