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. Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health
  4. Research Highlights/News
  5. 2026 Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research Program

Traumatic Brain Injury and
Psychological Health

NEWS RELEASE

Released: March 4, 2026

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

The FY26 Defense Appropriations Act provides funding for the TBIPHRP to support innovative, high-impact research with clinical relevance that will optimize the prevention, assessment, and treatment of psychological health conditions and/or traumatic brain injuries. As part of the DHA R&D-MRDC, the CDMRP is the program office managing these anticipated FY26 funding opportunities.

The TBIPHRP 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 TBIPHRP funding opportunity announcements on the Grants.gov website. Once released, the funding opportunity announcements will include pre-application and application deadlines.

Applications submitted to the FY26 TBIPHRP must address at least one sub-area, e.g., 1a, 1b, 2a, within one of the following focus areas:

  1. Understand: Research will address knowledge gaps in the epidemiology and etiology of psychological health conditions and/or TBI.
    1. Understanding of risk, protective and biological factors, including sex as a biological variable, contributing to an individual’s vulnerability to, response to and long-term outcomes of psychological health conditions and/or TBI.
    2. Understanding psychological health factors or outcomes associated with sexual harassment and assault perpetration, victimization and barriers to reporting and response. Studies that ensure participant anonymity strongly encouraged.
  2. Prevent and Assess: Research will address the prevention, screening, diagnosis or prognosis of psychological health conditions and/or TBI.
    1. Identification and validation of biomarkers or other objective methods for assessment, diagnosis, prognosis or real-time monitoring of psychological health conditions and/or TBI, including subclinical presentations, and associated sequelae of these conditions.
      • Development of decision-making frameworks or tools that incorporate objective assessments and may consider long-term outcomes to inform return-to-activity/duty decisions are within scope.
    2. Development and evaluation of approaches or tools to prevent or reduce risk of psychological health conditions and/or TBI.
    3. Development and evaluation of crosscutting prevention approaches to address multiple adverse outcomes such as suicide, interpersonal violence including intimate partner and family violence, sexual assault, psychological health issues and/or TBI.
      • Crosscutting prevention approaches refer to strategies that enhance protective factors and reduce risk factors at multiple socio-ecological levels, e.g., individual, relationship and community.
    4. Development and evaluation of solutions to support military and family readiness and increase psychological resilience in individuals to the potential negative impacts of specific military and life stressors.
      • Military readiness refers to the ability of military forces to fight and meet the demands of national military strategy; family readiness is the state of preparedness to effectively navigate the challenges of daily living experienced in the unique context of military service.
  3. Treat: Research will address novel and repurposed interventions to improve the outcomes of psychological health conditions and/or TBI. Efforts that address treatment, rehabilitation and health services research are within scope.
    1. Interventions that promote sustained functional recovery, including interventions administered acutely, during the post-acute phase or chronic phase of injury.
    2. Development of postvention strategies to support individuals in workplace or community environments following a sexual assault, suicide event or other trauma.
      • Postvention refers to response activities that should be undertaken in the immediate aftermath of a suicide that has impacted the unit. Postvention has two purposes: to help suicide attempt survivors cope with their grief, and to prevent additional suicide.
    3. Health services research to improve the adoption of evidence-based practices, access to care, or reduce barriers to care. Individual and systemic factors that influence access to or barriers to care as well as other factors that influence treatment engagement, follow-up care and improvement of long-term outcomes are applicable.

Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding
Clinical Trial Award Single PI Option: Independent investigators at any career level. Postdoctoral fellows are not considered independent investigators.

Early-Career Investigator Partnering Option: Accommodates two principal investigators, one of whom is within 10 years of completing their terminal degree at the application submission deadline. If recommended for funding, each PI will receive an individual award within the recipient organization(s).
  • Supports the rapid implementation of clinical trials with the potential to have a significant impact on psychological health conditions and/or TBI through clinical applications, including health care products, technologies, and/or practice guidelines.
  • The Clinical Trial Award offers funding for two research levels. The applicant is responsible for selecting one research level that reflects the scope of the research project proposed, rather than the amount of the budget. General descriptions, although not all-inclusive, of the scope of research projects appropriate to propose under each funding level include:
    • Research Level 1: Proof-of-principle pilot trials, correlative studies and other innovative, exploratory clinical trials
    • Research Level 2: Phase 1 or more advanced clinical trials for more promising interventions
The TBIPHRP CTA requires submission of a preproposal; application submission is by invitation only. 		Research Level 1
  • Maximum funding of $2.1 million for total costs*
  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years
Research Level 2
  • Maximum funding of $4.1 million for total costs*
  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years
Health Services Research Award Single PI Option: Independent investigators at any career level. Postdoctoral fellows are not considered independent investigators.

Early-Career Investigator Partnering Option: Accommodates two principal investigators, one of whom is within 10 years of completing their terminal degree at the application submission deadline. If recommended for funding, each PI will receive an individual award within the recipient organization(s).
  • Bridges the gap between research, practice and policy by building a knowledgebase on how to deploy interventions and clinical practices/guidelines and policies to targeted populations at the appropriate time at the point of need.
  • Clinical research/clinical trials allowed, but trials for new treatments prohibited.
The TBIPHRP HSRA requires submission of a Letter of Intent prior to full application submission.
  • Maximum funding of $4.0 million for total costs*
  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years
Translational Research Award Single PI Option: Independent investigators at any career level. Postdoctoral fellows are not considered independent investigators.

Early-Career Investigator Partnering Option: Accommodates two principal investigators, one of whom is within 10 years of completing their terminal degree at the application submission deadline. If recommended for funding, each PI will receive an individual award within the recipient organization(s).
  • Supports high-risk, high-reward research that accelerates the conversion of scientific findings into impactful clinical applications.
  • Prioritizes innovative approaches over purely iterative or incremental research.
  • Research outcomes must clearly lead to the development of transformative health care products, technologies, or clinical practice guidelines
  • Basic research and clinical trials prohibited.
  • The Translational Research Award offers funding for two research levels. The applicant is responsible for selecting one research level that reflects the scope of the research project proposed, rather than the amount of the budget. General descriptions, although not all-inclusive, of the scope of research projects appropriate to propose under each funding level include:
    • Research Level 1: Supports smaller, less-complex preclinical and/or clinical research
    • Research Level 2: Research Level 2 supports larger, more complex preclinical and/or clinical research
The TBIPHRP TRA requires submission of a preproposal; application submission is by invitation only. 		Research Level 1
  • Maximum funding of $1.0 million for total costs*
  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years
Research Level 2
  • Maximum funding of $2.0 million for total costs*
  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years
*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 TBIPHRP 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 Wednesday, March 4, 2026