DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS
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Multiple Sclerosis

NEWS RELEASE

Released: March 17, 2021

Defense Health Program
Department of Defense Multiple Sclerosis Research Program
Anticipated Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21)

The FY21 Defense Appropriations Act provides funding to the Department of Defense Multiple Sclerosis Research Program (MSRP) to support innovative and impactful research that addresses fundamental issues and gaps in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). 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 Development Command (USAMRDC).

The MSRP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY21 funding opportunities. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the government. The FY21 MSRP 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. 

Applications submitted to the FY21 MSRP must address at least one of the Focus Areas relevant to the award mechanism as described in the table below.

Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding
Clinical Trial Award

UPDATED!!!

 Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).
  • Pre-application submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Funding Level 1: Supports early-phase, proof-of-principle clinical trials to demonstrate feasibility or inform the design of more advanced trials, or other clinical trials that are appropriate for this Funding Level.
  • Funding Level 2: Supports larger scale clinical trials at phase 1 or 2 to determine efficacy (benefit on clinical or paraclinical outcomes) in relevant patient populations.
  • Funding must support a clinical trial and may not be used for preclinical studies.
  • Scientific rationale and preliminary data are required.
  • Must address at least one of the following Focus Areas:
    • Promoting Repair, Neuroprotection, and Remyelination in Multiple Sclerosis.
    • Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms.
 The FY21 CTA offers two funding levels:

Funding Level 1

  • Maximum funding of $1,000,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years.

Funding Level 2

  • Maximum funding of $3,000,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years.
Early Investigator Research Award

(NEW!!!)

 The Investigator must:
  • Possess a doctoral degree from an accredited organization;
  • Be involved in a postdoctoral training or medical residency program and possess at least 1 and up to 4 years continuous postdoctoral research experience; and
  • Commit at least 50% of their effort towards project.
  • Pre-application submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports MS-focused research opportunities for individuals in the early stages of their careers.
  • Investigator must have a designated mentor who is an experienced MS researcher.
  • Clinical trials not allowed.
  • Must address at least one of the following Focus Areas:
    • Central Nervous System Regenerative Potential in Demyelinating Conditions.
    • Correlates of Disease Activity and Progression in Multiple Sclerosis.
    • Biology and Measurement of Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms.
    • Factors Contributing to Multiple Sclerosis Etiology, Prodrome, Onset, and Disease Course.
    • Interactions between Multiple Sclerosis and COVID-19 (NEW!!!).
  • Maximum funding of $200,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 2 years.
Exploration - Hypothesis Development Award Established Investigators: Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)

or

New Investigators:

  • Independent investigators no more than 5 years from the start of their faculty position.
  • Must not have a Research Project Grant (R01) or similar non-mentored award.

UPDATED!!!
  • Pre-application submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports the initial exploration of innovative, high-risk, high-gain, and potentially groundbreaking concepts in the MS research field.
  • Preliminary data not required.
  • Clinical trials not allowed.
  • New Investigator Option supports applicants early in their faculty appointments.
  • Must address at least one of the following Focus Areas:
    • Central Nervous System Regenerative Potential in Demyelinating Conditions.
    • Correlates of Disease Activity and Progression in Multiple Sclerosis.
    • Biology and Measurement of Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms.
    • Factors Contributing to Multiple Sclerosis Etiology, Prodrome, Onset, and Disease Course.
    • Interactions between Multiple Sclerosis and COVID-19 (NEW!!!).
  • Maximum funding of $150,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 2 years.
Investigator-Initiated Research Award Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).
  • Pre-application submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports highly rigorous, high-impact research with the potential to make an important contribution to MS research and/or patient care.
  • Preliminary data required.
  • Clinical trials not allowed.
  • Must address at least one of the following Focus Areas:
    • Central Nervous System Regenerative Potential in Demyelinating Conditions.
    • Correlates of Disease Activity and Progression in Multiple Sclerosis.
    • Biology and Measurement of Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms.
    • Factors Contributing to Multiple Sclerosis Etiology, Prodrome, Onset, and Disease Course.
    • Interactions between Multiple Sclerosis and COVID-19 (NEW!!!).
  • Maximum funding of $600,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years.

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the 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 MSRP 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