USA Flag An official website of the United States government
Official websites use .mil
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of War organization.
Secure .mil websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
DEPARTMENT OF WAR - CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS
  1. Home
  2. Research Programs
  3. Spinal Cord Injury
  4. Research Highlights/News
  5. 2026 Spinal Cord Injury Research Program

Spinal Cord Injury

NEWS RELEASE

Released: February 17, 2026

Defense Health Agency Research and Development
Medical Research and Development Command
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
Spinal Cord Injury Research Program
Anticipated Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2026

The FY26 Defense Appropriations Act provides funding for the SCIRP to support innovative, high-impact research with clinical relevance that will support traumatic spinal cord injury research. As part of the DHA R&D-MRDC, the CDMRP is the program office managing these anticipated FY26 funding opportunities.

The SCIRP provides the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY26 funding opportunities. Investigators should not construe this pre-announcement as an obligation or promise by the government. The CDMRP will post FY26 SCIRP funding opportunity announcements on the Grants.gov website. Once released, the funding opportunity announcements will include pre-application and application deadlines.

For FY26, the SCIRP identified near-term and long-term goals for program-supported research outcomes and products, which align to four key priority areas within the SCI field. Research supported by the FY26 SCIRP must address at least one of the program priority areas and an associated near-team goal listed below. Additionally, applications must describe the steps the research team will take to further advance the research outcome/product in accordance with the long-term goal of the same priority area.

Priority Area: Acute Injury Intervention
  • Near-Term Goal: Develop and test interventions, e.g., surgical, device, pharmacologic, to preserve and/or protect spinal cord tissue within a clinically feasible timeframe for improved neurologic outcomes relevant to the civilian and/or battlefield/deployed environment
  • Long-Term Goal: Adoption of acute SCI management/stabilization practices within the battlefield, pre-hospital or hospital environments that meaningfully improve outcomes
Priority Area: Secondary Health Effects
  • Near-Term Goal: Develop and test interventions to address secondary health effects of SCI that impact injury survivors throughout their full lifespan
  • Long-Term Goal: Adoption of interventions that address secondary health effects of SCI
Priority Area: Psychosocial issues
  • Near-Term Goal: Develop and test interventions that address psychosocial issues and that are specifically tailored for people with SCI, their families and/or their care-partners.
  • Long-Term Goal: Adoption of interventions that promote psychosocial well-being for people with SCI, their families and/or their care-partners.
Priority Area: Rehabilitation and Regeneration
  • Near-Term Goal A: Develop and test rehabilitation strategies that meaningfully improve functional recovery after SCI
  • Near-Term Goal B: Develop and test regenerative/neuroplastic interventions that meaningfully improve outcomes after SCI
  • Long-Term Goal: Adoption of interventions/techniques that meaningfully improve outcomes after SCI

Early-Career Partnership Option: For all FY26 SCIRP funding opportunities, the program anticipates offering an early-career partnership option to enhance research capacity within the SCI field. This option accommodates two principal investigators who will work together on a single research project. Each PI will receive a separate award, even if they are located within the same organization.


Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding
Clinical Trial Award Single PI Option

Independent investigators at all career levels.

Early-Career Partnership Option

Requires one early-career investigator to partner with one independent investigator at any career level.
  • Early-career investigators are individuals with at least 3 years of independent or non-independent research experience beyond a terminal degree but no more than 7 years within their first faculty appointment or equivalent independent research position.
  • The early-career investigator may serve as the initiating or partnering PI.
  • Supports the rapid implementation of clinical trials with the potential to have a significant impact on the treatment or management of SCI.
  • Proposed projects may range from small proof-of-concept trials to demonstrate feasibility or inform the design of more advanced trials, through large-scale trials to determine efficacy in relevant populations.
  • Alternative trial designs to traditional randomized clinical trials are allowed but should be appropriate to the objective of the trial.
  • Applications must name at least two community partners who will provide advice and consultation throughout the planning and implementation of the research project.
 Single PI Option
  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years
  • Maximum allowable funding is $4.8 million for total costs*
Early-Career Partnership Option
  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years
  • Maximum allowable funding is $4.96M for total costs*
  • Accommodates two PIs on seperate individual awards
Clinical Translation Research Award Single PI Option

Independent investigators at all career levels.

Early-Career Partnership Option

Requires one early-career investigator to partner with one independent investigator at any career level.
  • Early-career investigators are individuals with at least 3 years of independent or non-independent research experience beyond a terminal degree but no more than 7 years within their first faculty appointment or equivalent independent research position.
  • The early-career investigator may serve as the initiating or partnering PI.
  • Supports high-impact, new or emerging clinical research that requires additional preliminary studies, such as feasibility, pilot or optimization, to prepare for larger-scale clinical trials.
  • Primary goals of this mechanism include:
    • Advance Clinical Practice: Translate current and emerging techniques/interventions into clinical use by de-risking and informing the design of definitive trials.
    • Inform Decision-Making: Identify the most effective diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation options to support critical decision-making for patients, clinicians, care-partners and policymakers.
  • Applications must propose clinical research or clinical trials and may not propose animal research.
  • Applications must name at least two community partners who will provide advice and consultation throughout the planning and implementation of the research project.
 Single PI Option
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years
  • Maximum allowable funding is $2.0M for total costs*
Early-Career Partnership Option
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years
  • Maximum allowable funding is $2.16M for total costs*
  • Accommodates two PIs on seperate individual awards
Translational Research Award Single PI Option

Independent investigators at all career levels.

Early-Career Partnership Option

Requires one early-career investigator to partner with one independent investigator at any career level.
  • Early-career investigators are individuals with at least 3 years of independent or non-independent research experience beyond a terminal degree but no more than 7 years within their first faculty appointment or equivalent independent research position.
  • The early-career investigator may serve as the initiating or partnering PI.
  • Supports research to accelerate the movement of promising ideas in SCI research toward clinical application.
  • Applications may include preclinical animal studies and/or clinical research involving human subjects and human anatomical substances.
  • May include a pilot clinical trial ONLY as a part of the proposed research where limited clinical testing of a novel intervention or device is necessary to inform the next step in the continuum of translational research.
  • Applications must name at least one community partner who will provide advice and consultation throughout the planning and implementation of the research project.
 Single PI Option
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years
  • Maximum allowable funding is $2.0M for total costs*
Early-Career Partnership Option
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years
  • Maximum allowable funding is $2.16M for total costs*
  • Accommodates two PIs on seperate individual awards
Investigator-Initiated Research Award Single PI Option

Independent investigators at all career levels.

Early-Career Partnership Option

Requires one early-career investigator to partner with one independent investigator at any career level.
  • Early-career investigators are individuals with at least 3 years of independent or non-independent research experience beyond a terminal degree but no more than 7 years within their first faculty appointment or equivalent independent research position.
  • The early-career investigator may serve as the initiating or partnering PI.
  • Funds research with the potential to make an important contribution to SCI research, patient care and/or quality of life.
  • Permitted research includes preclinical studies in animal models, research with human subjects or human anatomical substances, as well as ancillary studies associated with an existing clinical trial.
  • Preliminary data required.
  • Clinical trials not allowed.
 Single PI Option
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years
  • Maximum allowable funding is $800,000 for total costs*
Early-Career Partnership Option
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years
  • Maximum allowable funding is $960,000 for total costs*
  • Accommodates two PIs on seperate individual awards
*Total costs include direct and indirect costs.

Before full application submission, the CDMRP requires submission of a pre-application through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal, eBRAP, prior to the pre-application deadline. All applications must conform to the final funding opportunity announcements available for downloading from Grants.gov. To obtain a listing of all CDMRP funding opportunities on the Grants.gov website, perform a basic search using CFDA number 12.420.

To receive email notifications upon release of funding opportunity announcements, subscribe to program-specific news and updates under "Email Subscriptions" on the eBRAP homepage. For more information about the SCIRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website.

Point of Contact:
CDMRP Public Affairs
301-619-7071
dha.detrick.cdmrp.mbx.public-affairs@health.mil


Last updated Tuesday, February 17, 2026