The FY19 Defense Appropriation provides $15 million (M) to the Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Alzheimer’s Research Program (PRARP) to support research which addresses the long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI) as they pertain to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD).  As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency, J9 Research and Development Directorate manages the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation. The managing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC).

The PRARP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop applications.  FY19 PRARP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are anticipated to be posted on the Grants.gov website in May 2019.  Pre-application and application deadlines will be available when the Program Announcements are released.  This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the government.

FY19 PRARP Overarching Challenges and Focus Areas:

All applications for FY19 PRARP Program Announcements must address at least one of the following FY19 Overarching Challenges.  The FY19 Overarching Challenges will be award mechanism-specific. 

FY19 PRARP Overarching Challenges are listed below.

PRARP FY19 Overarching Challenges
Paucity of Research Resources:  The paucity of research resources and models to examine the interrelationship between TBI and subsequent AD/ADRD for the military, Veteran, and civilian communities and translate these findings
Paucity of Clinical Studies:  The paucity of clinical studies to examine the interrelationship between TBI and subsequent AD/ADRD for the military, Veteran, and civilian communities
Diagnostics and Prognostics:  The need for technologies, tests, surveys, questionnaires, devices, biomarkers, or analyses to detect TBI and sequelae to include AD/ADRD utilizing new and/or pre-existing datasets
Epidemiology:  The paucity of epidemiological research to examine the interrelationship between TBI, risk and resiliency factors, and subsequent AD/ADRD for the military, Veteran, and civilian communities
Quality of Life:  The need for technologies, assessments, interventions, or devices to benefit individuals living with the common symptoms of TBI and/or AD/ADRD
Family and Care Support:  The need for technologies, assessments, interventions, or devices that enhance the lives of those providing care and families of individuals living with the common symptoms of TBI and/or AD/ADRD

In addition to addressing one or more of the specified FY19 Overarching Challenges, applications should also address at least one of the following FY19 Focus Areas in support of the FY19 Overarching Challenges.  An application that proposes research outside of the FY19 Focus Areas is acceptable, as long as the applicant provides a strong rationale.  The Focus Areas will be award mechanism-specific.

The PRARP FY19 Focus Areas are listed below.

PRARP FY19 Focus Areas

Mechanisms of Pathogenesis:  Identification of contributing mechanisms to include circuit dysfunction associated with TBI and subsequent AD/ADRD

Biomarkers:  Development of methods to diagnose, prognose, or characterize neurological changes or risk/resiliency factors associated with TBI and subsequent AD/ADRD

Quality of Life:  Research intended to alleviate, stabilize, or characterize the symptoms, or deficits, common to TBI and AD/ADRD

Family and Caregiver Support: Research intended to reduce the burden of care on the caregivers or families of individuals living with the common symptoms or deficits of TBI and AD/ADRD

Epidemiology:  Utilize new and existing studies and datasets to examine the relationships between risk and resiliency factors for TBI and subsequent AD/ADRD

Novel Target Identification:  Basic research (non-human) directly leading to identification of new targets for the development of existing or new investigational medicines, drugs, or agents for TBI and subsequent AD/ADRD

Nonpharmacological Interventions and Devices:  Research into non-medication-based interventions and devices to improve quality of life or caregiving for those living with the common symptoms of TBI and AD/ADRD

Bioinformatics:  Tools, including machine learning, to access, annotate, curate, store, and visualize large existing or novel datasets, e.g., multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), other imaging techniques, surveys, questionnaires, and diagnostics for TBI and subsequent AD/ADRD

The following is a summary of the FY19 PRARP Program Announcements.  Three award mechanisms will be offered for FY19. 

https://cdmrp.army.mil/pubs/press/2019/19prarppreann

Convergence Science Research Award

Level I:  The Principal Investigator (PI) must be an independent, early-career investigator within 3 years of his/her first independent faculty position (or equivalent).  

Intent:  Support innovative or novel efforts to generate research resources, tools, or research efforts for researchers and/or practitioners in health sciences.

• Funding Level I is intended to support early-career investigators within 3 years of their first independent faculty position, from any field or discipline.
• Funding Level II is intended to support PIs at or above the level of assistant professor (or equivalent) from any field or discipline.

Applications must address one or more of the following FY19 PRARP Overarching Challenges:

·       Paucity of Research Resources

·       Paucity of Clinical Studies

·       Diagnostics and Prognostics

·       Epidemiology

Applications should address at least one of the following FY19 PRARP Focus Areas:

·       Mechanisms of Pathogenesis

·       Biomarkers

·       Epidemiology

·       Novel Target Identification

·       Bioinformatics

Research considering pharmacologic interventions is specifically discouraged under this mechanism.

Preliminary data, while not required, are encouraged.Level II:  The PI must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).

Level I:

·      Maximum funding of $225,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).

·      Maximum period of performance is 3 years.

·      Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution's rate agreement.

Level II:

·      Maximum funding of $500,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).

·      Maximum period of performance is 3 years.

·      Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution's rate agreement.

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 that will be 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 and other USAMRMC 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 Program Announcements are released.  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 PRARP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.army.mil).

Point of Contact:

CDMRP Public Affairs
301-619-9783
usarmy.detrick.medcom-cdmrp.mbx.cdmrp-public-affairs@mail.mil