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Neurofibromatosis

NEWS RELEASE

Released: December 17, 2019

Department of Defense Neurofibromatosis Research Program
Anticipated Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20)

The Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) Defense Appropriations Bill has not been signed into law. Although FY20 funds have not been appropriated for the Department of Defense Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP), the NFRP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY20 funding opportunities. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the Government.

The FY20 Defense Appropriations Act is anticipated to provide funding to the Department of Defense Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP) to support innovative, high-impact NF research.  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 Development Command (USAMRDC).

Subject to the FY20 Congressional appropriation for NFRP funding, FY20 NFRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms will be posted on the Grants.gov website.  Pre-application and application deadlines will be available when the Program Announcements are released.

Areas of Emphasis: The NFRP encourages applications that specifically address the critical needs of the NF community in one or more of the FY20 Areas of Emphasis.  Not all Areas of Emphasis are applicable to each award mechanism offered by the FY20 NFRP.  If the proposed research project does not address one of the FY20 Areas of Emphasis, justification that the proposed research project addresses an important problem related to NF research and/or patient care should be provided. Applications submitted to the FY20 NFRP must address one or more of the following Areas of Emphasis:

  • Biomarker discovery, utility, development, and validation
  • Non-tumor manifestations not limited to:
    • Pain
    • Cognitive Manifestations
    • Sleep
  • Heterogeneity of NF-related tumors
  • Novel disease and treatment response markers using genetics, genomics, epigenetics, systems biology, metabolomics, or similar approaches
  • Preclinical efficacy studies
  • Target identification, drug discovery
  • Nutritional, environmental, and other modifiers of NF
  • Health services research
Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding
Clinical Trial Award Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)
  • Funds Phase 0, I, or II clinical trials relevant to NF and/or schwannomatosis; combinations of phases are permitted.
  • Funding must support a clinical trial and may not be used for preclinical studies.
  • Scientific rationale and preliminary data required for Phase I, II clinical trial applications.
  • Maximum funding of $800,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum funding of $1M for direct costs (plus indirect costs) for applications including a Collaborator.
  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years.
Exploration - Hypothesis Development Award All academic levels (or equivalent)
  • Funds the initial exploration of innovative, high-risk, high-gain and potentially groundbreaking concepts in NF research.
  • Projects involving human subjects or human biological substances must be exempt under 32 CFR 219.104(d) or eligible for expedited review under 32 CFR 219.110 or 21 CFR 56.110.
  • Preliminary and/or published data is encouraged but not required.
  • Clinical trials not allowed.
  • Maximum funding of $100,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 2 years.
Investigator-Initiated Research Award Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) and must plan to commit at least a 10% level of effort for each budget period throughout the entirety of the award
  • Funds highly rigorous, high-impact research projects that have the potential to make an important contribution to NF research and/or patient care.
  • Optional Features: Applications meeting criteria identified in the announcement may apply for a higher level of funding for the following options: Qualified Collaborator and/or NF Open Science Initiative (NF-OSI).
  • Preliminary and/or published data is required.
  • Clinical trials not allowed.
  • Maximum funding of $525,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum funding of $575,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs) for applications including either an Optional Qualified Collaborator or NF-OSI option.
  • Maximum funding of $625,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs) for applications including both, an Optional Qualified.
New Investigator Award Investigators at or below the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) or an established investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor seeking to transition into a career in NF research
  • Supports the continued development of promising independent investigators and/or the transition of established investigators into a career in the field of NF research.
  • Experience in NF research is allowed, but not required.
  • Preliminary and/or published data is required.
  • Clinical trials not allowed.
  • Maximum funding of $450,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years.
Early Investigator Research Award Postdoctoral Ph.D. or M.D. PIs:
  • Must have successfully defended a doctoral thesis or possess an M.D. degree, and
  • Have at least 3 years and up to 6 years of consecutive postdoctoral fellowship.
  • Supports research opportunities focused on NF for individuals in the early stages of their careers.
  • PIs must have a designated mentor who is an experienced NF researcher.
  • Maximum funding of $200,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 2 years.
Synergistic Idea Award (NEW for FY20) Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)
  • Supports new or existing partnerships between two or three investigators to address a central innovative question or problem in NF that may be high risk, provided there is a potential for significant impact.
  • PIs are expected to demonstrate within the application the synergistic components (i.e., leveraging disciplines, expertise or critical resources) that will significantly advance the project such that the research outcomes as a whole will be realized rapidly and efficiently and could not otherwise be accomplished through independent efforts of a single PI.
  • Preliminary and/or published data is required.
  • Synergy, Research Strategy, Personnel, and Impact are the most important review criteria.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Maximum funding of $2M for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • 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 USAMRDC 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 NFRP 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