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Epilepsy

NEWS RELEASE

Released: December 2, 2021

Department of Defense
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP)
Epilepsy Research Program
Anticipated Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22)

The FY22 Defense Appropriations Bill has not been signed into law. Although FY22 funds have not been appropriated for the Epilepsy Research Program (ERP), the ERP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY22 funding opportunities. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the government.

The FY22 Defense Appropriations Act is anticipated to provide funding for the Epilepsy Research Program (ERP) to understand the mechanisms of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) and associated comorbidities to improve quality of life, especially in Service Members, Veterans, and caregivers. The managing agent for the anticipated program announcements/funding opportunities is the CDMRP at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC).

The ERP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY22 funding opportunities. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the government. The FY22 ERP funding opportunity announcements for the following award mechanisms will be posted on the Grants.gov website. Pre-application and application deadlines will be available when the announcements are released.

Applications submitted to the FY22 ERP must address one or more of the following Focus Areas:

  • Innovative Research: Tools intended to better inform or improve upon PTE research and care, which may include the following:
    • Strategies that will improve seizure detection, characterization, visualization, or diagnosis
    • Development of new models or better characterization of existing etiologically relevant models for PTE
  • Markers and Mechanisms: Identifying biomarkers or mechanisms of PTE, which may include the following:
    • Predictive biomarkers for epileptogenesis (acute and chronic)
    • Research into the prevention of epilepsy and/or seizures
  • Epidemiology: Epidemiological characterization of PTE following traumatic brain injury (TBI), which may include the following:
    • Understanding and improving the quality of life of individuals with PTE, their families, and their caregivers
    • Predictors of the development of epilepsy
    • Outcomes, including latency to and prevention of epilepsy, comorbidities, and mortality
  • Longitudinal Studies: Studies of the evolution of PTE, which may include the following:
    • Understanding and improving quality of life of individuals with PTE, their families, and their caregivers
    • Treatment and healthcare outcomes research, including quality of care
    • Natural history of PTE and prognosis
    • Comorbidities (e.g., depression, functional deficits, sleep disorders, major illness)

Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding
Idea Development Award Level I: Funding Level I is intended to support early-career investigators ranging from the post-doctoral level to within 3 years of their first independent faculty position (mentor required). 

Level II: The Principal Investigator (PI) must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).

 Intent: To support novel, innovative research to understand the magnitude and underlying mechanisms of PTE.

Applications proposing high-risk, high-reward research are encouraged.

  • Level I is intended to support early career investigators. Requires a mentor as part of the application.
  • Level II is intended to support independent investigators. Applicants can be from any field or discipline. Study teams are expected to demonstrate experience in both TBI and epilepsy.

Although preliminary data is not required, evidence demonstrating the ability to execute the chosen model of TBI and/or polytrauma within the applicant's laboratory or the laboratory of a collaborator is required.

 Level I:
  • Maximum funding of $300,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)

  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years

Level II:

  • Maximum funding of $550,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)

  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years
Research Partnership Award The PI must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent). Intent: To create an avenue for synergistic, collaborative research partnerships between/among investigators to address a research problem or question in a manner that would be unachievable through separate efforts.

Applications must include a Collaboration Plan that outlines the interactions between/among the partners and explains how the expertise of each partner will contribute to the execution of the research project.

  • Maximum funding of $1.3M for total costs

  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years
Virtual Post-Traumatic Epilepsy Research Center
(P-TERC)		 Leadership Award:
Director and Deputy Director: Independent investigators at the level of Associate Professor or above (or equivalent)

Must have a record of PTE publications in peer-reviewed journals

Director and Deputy Director must study different disciplines along the epilepsy care spectrum

Faculty Award: Early-career investigators and investigators new to the PTE field. Must be considered independent researchers at their home institution. 		Leadership Award
  • Applicants will act as the Director and Deputy Director to lead the center in meeting its overarching goal
  • The Director and Deputy Director are expected to catalyze growth and professional development of the faculty within the fields of TBI and epilepsy, assess faculty progress, promote synergy between different scientific disciplines, and facilitate communications and collaboration between Virtual P-TERC members
Faculty Award
  • Focuses on the PI's research and career development
  • Supports research projects with an emphasis on discovery that investigate questions across the PTE research spectrum (biology/etiology, prevention, diagnosis/detection, prognosis, treatment, and quality of life)

    • Preliminary data are not required; however, logical reasoning and a sound scientific rationale for the proposed research must be demonstrated

    Career Guide and Career Development plan
    are required

Leadership Award
  • Maximum funding of $1.25M for direct costs (plus indirect costs)

  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years

Faculty Award
  • Maximum funding of $500,000 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 funding opportunity announcements that will be available for 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 funding opportunity announcements are released. For email notification when 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 ERP 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 Friday, December 13, 2024