The FY20 Defense Appropriation provides $15 million (M) to the Department of Defense Autism Research Program (ARP) to provide support for research of exceptional scientific merit and innovation with high impact that focuses on autism spectrum disorders (ASD). 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’s 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 Development Command (USAMRDC).
FY20 ARP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on the Grants.gov website.
https://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/arp
Clinical Trial Award – preapplication due April 15, 2020
Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent), or
Early-Career Investigator Partnering Principal Investigator (PI) 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.
Applications in the following areas are strongly encouraged:
- Dissemination/implementation of clinically validated interventions
- Behavioral, cognitive, and other non-pharmacological therapies for ASD core symptoms or to alleviate co-occurring conditions.
- Pharmacological, genetic, and other biological treatments for ASD core symptoms or to alleviate co-occurring conditions.
- Improve diagnosis and access to services across the life span
- Interventions promoting success in key transitions to adulthood for individuals living with ASD
- Healthcare provider-focused training or tools to improve healthcare delivery for individuals with ASD across the life span and the continuum of care (i.e., primary care, urgent/emergent care, and disaster relief)
- Cultural, socioeconomic, and gender factors in diagnosis, treatment efficacy, delivery, and access to services
- Understanding heterogeneity in treatment response
Preliminary data relevant to the proposed clinical trial are required.
Pre-application is required; application submission is by invitation only.
Early-Career Investigator Partnering PI Option supports the development of young investigators pursuing or wishing to pursue a career in ASD clinical trial research.
The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $2,000,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs).
Maximum period of performance is 4 years.
Early-Career Investigator Partnering PI Option:
The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $2,300,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
Maximum period of performance is 4 years.
Clinical Translational Research Award – preapplication due April 15, 2020
Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)
- Supports early-phase, proof-of-principle translational studies with the potential to have a major impact on the treatment and/or management of ASD.
- Applications in the following areas are strongly encouraged:
-
- Dissemination/implementation of clinically validated interventions
- Behavioral, cognitive, and other non-pharmacological therapies for ASD core symptoms or to alleviate co-occurring conditions.
- Pharmacological, genetic, and other biological treatments for ASD core symptoms or to alleviate co-occurring conditions.
- Improve diagnosis and access to services across the life span
- Interventions promoting success in key transitions to adulthood for individuals living with ASD
- Healthcare provider-focused training or tools to improve healthcare delivery for individuals with ASD across the life span and the continuum of care (i.e., primary care, urgent/emergent care, and disaster relief)
- Cultural, socioeconomic, and gender factors in diagnosis, treatment efficacy, delivery, and access to services
- Understanding heterogeneity in treatment response
- Preliminary data relevant to the proposed project are required.
- Pre-application is required; application submission is by invitation only.
- The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $600,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs).
- Maximum period of performance is 3 years.
Idea Development Award – preapplication due April 15, 2020
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 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.
- Applications in the following areas are strongly encouraged:
-
- Test of implementation strategies to increases use of evidence-based practices
- Development of healthcare provider-focused training or tools to improve healthcare delivery for individuals with ASD across the life span and the continuum of care (i.e., primary care, urgent/emergent care, and disaster relief)
- Assessment of novel therapeutics using valid preclinical models
- Mechanisms of heterogeneous clinical expression of ASD
- Environmental risk factors
- Improve diagnosis across the life span
- Factors promoting success in key transitions to independence for individuals living with ASD
- Cultural and socioeconomic factors in treatment efficacy, delivery, and access to services
- Mechanisms underlying sex differences in ASD diagnosis
- Mechanisms underlying conditions co-occurring with ASD (e.g., sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal issues, inflammation, aggression, depression, anxiety, attention deficit, seizures)
- Factors impacting quality of life during geographic relocation, such as military permanent change of station
- Long-term treatment outcomes from previous clinical trials for ASD core symptoms or to alleviate co-occurring conditions
- Preliminary data are required.
- Multiple PI Option: Up to two investigators may collaborate on a single application, each of whom will be recognized as a PI and receive a separate award.
- Pre-application is required; application submission is by invitation only.
- The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $550,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs).
- Maximum period of performance is 3 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 and other USAMRDC extramural funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420.
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 ARP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.army.mil).
Point of Contact:
CDMRP Help Desk
301-682-5507
help@eBrap.org
