DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS
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Vision

NEWS RELEASE

Released: March 28, 2023

Department of Defense
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP)
Vision Research Program
Anticipated Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23)

The FY23 Defense Appropriations Act provides funding for the Vision Research Program (VRP) to support impactful military-relevant vision research. The managing agent for the anticipated funding opportunities is the CDMRP at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC).

The VRP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY23 funding opportunities. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the government. The FY23 VRP 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 FY23 VRP must address one or more of the following Focus Areas:

  • Understanding and treatment of eye injury or visual dysfunction as related to military exposure
  • Diagnosis, stabilization, and treatment of eye injuries in austere environments and prolonged field care settings
  • Restoration of visual function after military exposure-related vision loss or severe visual impairment

Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding
Mentored Clinical Research Award (MCRA)
  • Principal Investigator (PI) must be an established clinician or clinical scientist.
  • Mentee must be a physician-in-training (e.g., resident, fellow, junior clinician) and, at the award start date, have at least 18 months remaining in their training.
  • Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.
  • Supports clinical research (e.g., research conducted with human subjects of samples, data of human origin) by a physician-in-training under an established mentor.
  • The proposed clinical research can be a stand-alone study of high impact to vision injury care or the collection of clinical research data in preparation for a more expansive study.
  • Evidence of Institutional Review Board (IRB) submission is required at the time of application submission.
  • IRB approval is required by December 1, 2023.
  • The award may be used to cover costs of labs/supplies/small equipment and/or to provide salary support for supportive personnel, but not salary support for the PI or the physician mentee.
  • Maximum funding of $75,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • The maximum period of performance is 18 months.
Clinical Trial Award (CTA)
 Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent)
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports the rapid implementation of early-phase clinical trials (i.e., phase 0 through phase 2a) of new interventions to service-related eye injury or visual dysfunction.
  • Evidence of Investigational New Drug (IND) or Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) application submission is required at the time of full application submission.
  • Evidence of IND/IDE approval is required by March 1, 2024.
  • Must demonstrate access to the proposed intervention(s).
  • Must demonstrate access to the targeted subject population(s).
  • Maximum funding of $1,600,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • The maximum period of performance is 3 years.
Focused Translational Team Science Award (FTTSA)
  • Overall Lead PI must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Associate Professor (or equivalent) with experience in developing and running large-scale initiatives.
  • Project Leaders may be independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent).
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports a team initiative that leverages the strengths of investigators specializing in different fields to address an overarching scientific challenge or question and fundamentally advance the understanding and treatment of military-relevant vision trauma.
  • Overarching Challenge
    • Investigators are encouraged to:
    • Consider barrier(s) to and/or gap(s) in the understanding, prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, and/or treatment of eye injury or visual dysfunction associated with a military-relevant trauma and envision what may be achievable in 10 to 15 years.
    • Identify, based on the long-term expectation, what should and can be achieved in the near term.
    • Design projects and research teams around these considerations.
  • Research Projects
    • The team science proposal shall include at least three but no more than five distinct research projects that together form a concerted and synergistic effort that advances a solution beyond what would be possible through individual efforts.
    • Preliminary data to support the feasibility of each project are required.
    • May include, as a portion of the proposed research, a pilot clinical trial component that collects preliminary data to support the feasibility, rationale, and design of subsequent clinical trials.
  • Research Team
    • The Overall Lead PI must have demonstrated success in leading large collaborative research projects.
    • The Overall Lead PI must devote a minimum of 20% effort.
    • Project Leader of each of the complementary and synergistic research projects must be an independent investigator with strong qualifications.
    • Must have a detailed Implementation Plan for participating research groups to coordinate efforts, facilitate collaboration, and create synergy.
  • Maximum funding of $4,000,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • The maximum period of performance is 4 years.
Investigator-Initiated Research Award (IIRA) Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent)
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports studies that will yield highly impactful discoveries or major advancements in research and/or patient care.
  • Funding Level 1 supports exploratory, high-risk/high-reward research in the earliest stages of development.
    • Research must have the potential to yield new avenues of investigation, such as new approaches, new research tools, or new paradigms.
    • While no preliminary data is required, applicants must provide solid rationale of the research idea. The investigating team must have sufficient expertise to test the idea.
    • Applications in the following areas are encouraged:
      • Pathobiology underlying traumatic brain injury-associated visual dysfunction
      • Assessment, diagnosis, or treatment in prolonged field care settings
      • Mechanism of injury for visual system trauma secondary to directed energy
  • Funding Level 2 supports the advancement of more mature research that has the potential to make significant advancements toward clinical translation.
    • Preliminary data supporting the readiness and feasibility of the proposed research is required.
  • PI is responsible for selecting the funding level that is most appropriate for the research proposed. The funding level should be selected based on the stage of the research project, rather than the amount of the budget.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed.
 Funding Level 1
  • Maximum funding of $260,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • The maximum period of performance is 2 years.
Funding Level 2
  • Maximum funding of $750,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • The maximum period of performance is 3 years.
Translational Research Award (TRA) Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent)
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports translational research that moves promising laboratory research into clinical applications.
  • It is expected that an IND or IDE application will be submitted during or by the end of the period of performance.
  • Expansion of a highly impactful research project that was previously funded through a VRP funding opportunity is encouraged but not required.
  • Preliminary data required.
  • May include, as a portion of the proposed research, a pilot clinical trial component that collects preliminary data to support the feasibility, rationale, and design of subsequent clinical trials.
  • Maximum funding of $1,000,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • The maximum period of performance is 3 years.

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) 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. For more information about the VRP or other CPMRP-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@health.mil


Last updated Tuesday, March 28, 2023