DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS

NEWS RELEASE

Released: January 23, 2024

Department of Defense
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP)
Autism Research Program (ARP)
Anticipated Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24)

The FY24 Defense Appropriations Bill has not been signed into law. Although FY24 funds have not been appropriated for the Autism Research Program (ARP), the ARP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY24 funding opportunities. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the government.

The FY24 Defense Appropriations Act is anticipated to provide funding for the ARP to support research of exceptional scientific merit and innovation with high impact that focuses on autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The managing agent for the anticipated funding opportunities is the CDMRP at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC).

The ARP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY24 funding opportunities. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the government. The FY24 ARP 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.


Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding
Clinical Trial Award Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) or

Nested Early-Career Investigator Option: Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) may collaborate on a single application with a young investigator (at the level of postdoctoral fellow up to early-career independent faculty) who meets the following criteria at the application submission deadline date:

  • Must be in a current postdoctoral training position or have completed postdoctoral training by the application deadline
  • Is no more than 7 years from the receipt of a terminal degree
  • Has the freedom to commit at least 50% time to the project
  • Supports research with the potential to have a major impact on the treatment and/or management of ASD.
  • Preliminary data relevant to the proposed clinical trial are required.
  • Nested Early-Career Investigator Option: Supports the development of young investigators pursuing or wishing to pursue a career in ASD clinical trial research.
  • Pre-application is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Maximum funding of $1,900,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years.

Nested Early-Career Investigator Option:

  • Maximum funding of $2,200,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years.
Idea Development Award Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)

Multiple PI Option: 
Up to two investigators may collaborate on a single application, each of whom will be recognized as a Principal Investigator (PI) and receive a separate award. 

  • Supports the development of innovative, high-impact ideas that advance the understanding of ASD and ultimately lead to improved outcomes.
  • Preliminary data relevant to the proposed project are required.
  • Clinical trials or applications, including a clinical trial aim, are not allowed.
  • Pre-application is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Maximum funding of $550,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years.
Career Development Award Independent investigators at or below the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) or

Established independent investigators in an area other than ASD at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) and seeking to transition to a career in ASD, thereby bringing their expertise to the field.

Investigators must not have received a Career Development Award (or equivalent) previously from any program within the CDMRP. 

Investigators must not have received more than $300,000 in total direct costs for previous or concurrent ASD research as a PI of one or more federally or privately funded, non-mentored, peer-reviewed grants.

Must hold a Ph.D., M.D., M.D./Ph.D., or equivalent at time of pre-application submission.

Must not be a graduate student, postdoctoral fellow, or other “mentored” researcher.

  • Supports early-career, independent investigators and/or the transition of established investigators from other research fields to conduct:
    • Innovative, high-impact ideas or
    • Early-phase, proof-of-principle clinical trials with the potential to have a major impact on ASD.
  • Preliminary data relevant to the proposed project are required.
  • Pre-application is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Maximum funding of $550,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years.
Discovery Award Investigators at or above the level of postdoctoral fellow.
  • Supports innovative, non-incremental, high-risk/potentially high-reward research in the earliest stages of idea development or an untested theory that addresses an important problem in ASD.
  • Emphasis on Innovation and Impact.
  • Preliminary data are not required.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • A letter of intent is required; an invitation to submit a full application is not required.
  • The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $200,000 for direct costs.
  • Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution’s negotiated rate agreement.
  • The maximum period of performance is 2 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 ARP 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@health.mil


Last updated Thursday, February 8, 2024