The FY17 Defense Appropriations Act provides $16 million (M) to the Department of Defense Parkinson’s Research Program (PRP), formerly the Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Parkinson’s Research Program, to support research of exceptional scientific merit leading to an understanding of the cause, prevention, and treatment of the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra that result in Parkinson’s disease.  Applications to the FY17 PRP are being solicited by the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity.  The managing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

FY17 PRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on Grants.gov. 

IMPORTANT:  The PRP seeks to focus applications and direct funding by providing Focus Areas to address the critical needs in Parkinson’s disease research.  Applications to the FY17 PRP must address at least one of the Focus Areas noted below: 

• Mechanisms of neuroplasticity in the Parkinson’s disease brain
• Studies to identify gene-environment interactions in Parkinson’s disease cohorts
• Pathophysiological implications of tau protein in Parkinson’s disease

Investigator-Initiated Research Award – Letter of Intent due August 17, 2017

Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).

·         Supports highly rigorous, high-impact research projects that have the potential to make an important contribution to Parkinson’s disease research and/or patient care.

·         Potential impact of research may be near-term or long-term, but it must be significant and go beyond an incremental advancement.

·         Clinical trials are not allowed.

·         Preliminary data to support feasibility are encouraged.

·         Partnering PI Option:

·         Provides a higher level of funding to support synergistic partnerships between two or three independent investigators collaborating on a single application.

• ·         Principal Investigators (PIs) are expected to demonstrate within the application the synergistic components that will significantly advance the project, such that the research outcomes could not otherwise be accomplished through the independent efforts of a single PI.

·         Individual PI:

·         Maximum funding of $1M in total costs.

·         Maximum period of performance is 3 years.

·         Partnering PI Option:

·         Maximum funding of $2.5M in total costs.

·         Maximum period of performance is 4 years.

 

Early Investigator Research Award – Letter of Intent due August 17, 2017

Investigator must be a postdoctoral or clinical fellow within 3 years of advanced degree or residency training (or equivalent).

Verification of eligibility criteria must be provided in an Eligibility Statement signed by an appropriate institutional official and the PI. 

·         Supports early-career investigators who have innovative, high-impact ideas or new technologies applicable to Parkinson’s disease research and/or patient care.

·         Clinical fellows must be specialized in movement disorders.

·         PIs must have a designated mentor who is an experienced Parkinson’s disease researcher.

·         The application must include an individualized, Parkinson’s disease-focused researcher development plan.

·         Preliminary data are not required.

• ·         Clinical trials are not allowed.

·         Maximum funding of $321,000 in total costs.

• ·         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 Program Announcements and General Application Instructions available for electronic 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 funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420. 

 

Applications must be submitted through the federal government’s single-entry portal, Grants.gov.  For email notification when Program 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 PRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (http://cdmrp.army.mil).

Point of Contact:

CDMRP Help Desk

301-682-5507
help@eBrap.org