Our organization earned a 2021 Gold Seal of Transparency! Now, everyone can view our financial details and learn about the people at our organization. Check out our updated #NonprofitProfile on Candid: https://www.guidestar.org/profile/52-1784596

For a combined 88 years, Foundation Center and GuideStar each helped change the world by giving people the information they needed to do good. But the world faced growing challenges: polarization, climate change, technological revolution, and poverty and inequality. Fast forward, these forces merged to give birth to a new organization called Candid to work with their combined data, technology and talent. Candid is now a beacon for all to push positive change forward. 

VHA Travel Expansion – per attached memo signed last month by Dr. Stone, fully vaccinated VA employees may now be authorized to travel to restart mandatory program inspections, conduct face-to-face meetings, and support staff speaking engagements and continuing education.  What this means for you:  NPPO has begun scheduling some on-site reviews and will return to a full schedule on October 2021.  Expect more details from NPPO in mid-August following their next NPOB meeting.

OAA Memo - Academic Affiliate Payment for Clinical Rotations – OAA Policy specifically prohibits the giving of gifts (monetary donations) in exchange for clinical rotations at the VAMC.  There can be no quid pro quo.  Explicitly linking payments to the willingness of the VA to host trainee rotations is prohibited.  Contributing funds to the NPC on a “per head” basis for trainee rotations is prohibited.  However, NPCs may accept donations for support of educational activities that are not specifically tied to the number of trainee rotations.  NPPO and OAA are working on a webinar to provide additional information later this summer.

NAVREF 2021 Annual Conferences - Please go to www.navref.org to register yourself and your team for the virtual conference (Aug 23-25) and the New Orleans conference (Sep 12-15).  Note that ORD is covering registration costs for ACOS-Rs and AOs who are not included with their NPC’s registration.  ACOS-Rs and AOscan contact Hawk (htran@navref.org) for ORD’s registration coupon code.

NAVREF Annual Awards – please consider nominating your deserving colleagues for one of three NAVREF Awards (all three include cash prizes).  Take time this week to complete and submit the attached nomination form—the award nomination window is closing soon!

NAVREF Survey on Joint Recruitment – please consider completing a short survey that will help inform one of the presentations scheduled for our virtual conference on August 23rd.  The title of the session is “Joint Recruitment Strategies and Role of the NPC.”  The ACOS-Rs have already been surveyed and I’m hoping you can exceed their response level (42 responses)!  Additionally, if your NPC has experience participating in these joint recruitment activities, we would love to include you on the conference panel.  The survey should take you less than 4 minutes to complete:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/jointrecruitmentNPC

Study Opportunities – over the last two weeks NAVREF has disseminated two oncology study opportunities from Exact Sciences and one oncology study opportunity from Istari Oncology. Interested sites should contact Rick (rstarrs@navref.org) to get connected to the study sponsors.

The National Research Advisory Council will hold a virtual meeting on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, from 11am-2pm ET by WebEx. The meeting is open to the public. The agenda will include a follow up discussion of diversity, equity, and inclusion activities in response to the NRAC recommendations; alternative strategies for funding research—MVP Mind and other opportunities; and lessons learned from COVID research activities. The teleconference number is 1-404-397-1596, conference ID 199 017 8011# or the meeting link is https://veteransaffairs.webex.com/veteransaffairs/j.php?MTID=mc1e9b14087e6f88db874e991d6a969ca.

NAVREF is proud to partner with Elk Tannery Consulting to offer federal contracting expertise at a discounted rate. Dr. Monte Kapec is an Army retiree serving as an independent consultant. He is the former Head of the Contracting Activity for US Army Medical Command. See attached bio. If you have questions about a contracting matter, please contact NAVREF and we will connect you with Dr. Kapec.

Last week the VHA CFO circulated the attached financial alert that provides VA guidance on the law change related to the transfer of Inter Agency Agreement funds from VAMCs to NPCs. The guidance itself simply details the steps VAMC offices need to take per standard operating procedure in order to ensure the funds become “no year” funds consistent with the law’s requirement that funds “shall be available without regard to fiscal year limitations.” However, many of you expressed concern about the statement that this policy is not applicable for funds collected/transferred after October 1, 2021. It appears several federal agencies—including VA and OMB—are working to make an administrative fix to the legislation that would make it easier to implement. The fix would deem anything transferred after Sep 30, 2021 to be obligated, thereby satisfying the Economy Act provision that originally created this situation. This is considered a fairly routine fix. The impact is that the process used by VA to account for the funds may change from FY21 to FY22. However, the bottom line is that IAA funds transferred to NPCs will be available to NPCs without regard to fiscal year limitations in FY21, FY22, and beyond. No action is required on your part. Please let me know if you have any questions.

The FY21 Defense Appropriations Act is anticipated to provide funding to the Department of Defense PRMRP to support research that will improve the health, care, and well-being of all military Service members, Veterans, and beneficiaries by encouraging, identifying, selecting, and managing medical research projects of clear scientific merit and direct relevance to military health. 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 Development Command (USAMRDC).

FY21 PRMRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on the Grants.gov website.

 

Congressionally Directed Topic Areas: Applications submitted to the FY21 PRMRP must address at least one of the FY21 PRMRP Congressionally directed topic areas. As of the release date of this pre-announcement, the FY21 PRMRP Topic Areas have not been finalized. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the Government to include any of these Topic Areas or others in the FY21 PRMRP. The potential FY21 PRMRP Topic Areas are as follows:

• ·       Arthritis
• ·       Burn pit exposure
• ·       Cardiomyopathy
• ·       Congenital heart disease
• ·       Diabetes
• ·       Dystonia
• ·       Eating disorders
• ·       Emerging viral diseases
• ·       Endometriosis
• ·       Epidermolysis bullosa
• ·       Familial hypercholesterolemia
• ·           Fibrous dysplasia
• ·           Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis
• ·           Food allergies
• ·           Fragile X
• ·           Frontotemporal degeneration
• ·           Hemorrhage control
• ·           Hepatitis B
• ·           Hydrocephalus
• ·           Hypertension
• ·           Inflammatory bowel diseases
• ·           Malaria
• ·       Metals toxicology
• ·       Mitochondrial disease
• ·       Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome
• ·       Myotonic dystrophy
• ·       Non-opioid therapy for pain management
• ·       Nutrition optimization
• ·       Pathogen-inactivated blood products
• ·       Peripheral neuropathy
• ·       Plant-based vaccines
• ·       Platelet like cell production
• ·           Polycystic kidney disease
• ·           Pressure ulcers
• ·           Pulmonary fibrosis
• ·           Respiratory health
• ·           Rheumatoid arthritis
• ·           Sleep disorders and restriction
• ·           Suicide prevention
• ·           Sustained release drug delivery
• ·           Vascular malformations
• ·           Women's heart disease

 

https://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/prmrp

Clinical Trial Award – Preproposal due May 13, 2021

Assistant Professor level or above (or equivalent)

• ·      Preproposal submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.
• ·      Supports the rapid implementation of clinical trials of novel interventions with the potential to have a significant impact on patient care in the topic area(s) of interest.
• ·      Proposed projects may range from small proof-of-concept trials through large-scale, definitive trials.
• ·      Two options will be offered:
• ○        Planning Phase with Clinical Trial Option: Provides support to prepare and submit an Investigational New Drug/Investigational Device Exemption (IND/IDE) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and requires FDA/regulatory approval or exemption to proceed before the Clinical Trial Award is made.
• ○        Clinical Trial Only Option: Provides support for the clinical trial. Investigational New Drug or Investigational Device Exemption applications to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), if needed, must be approved by the FDA and included in the application submission.

Clinical Trial:

• ·      Funding limit not defined; requested funding must be appropriate for the scope of work proposed
• ·      Maximum period of performance is 4 years for the clinical trial

Planning Phase with Clinical Trial Option:

• ·      Maximum of $500,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs) for the Planning Phase Option
• ·      Maximum period of performance is 18 months for the Planning Phase Option

Discovery Award – Letter of Intent Due April 29, 2021

Postdoctoral fellow or clinical fellow (or equivalent) and above

• ·      Supports the exploration of a highly innovative new concept or untested theory.
• ·      Not intended to support the logical progression of an already established line of questioning.
• ·      Reviewers will be blinded to the identity of the Principal Investigator (PI), collaborators, and their organization(s).
• ·      Clinical trials will not be funded.
• ·      Maximum of $200,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
• ·      Maximum period of performance is 2 years

Focused Program Award – Preproposal due May 13, 2021

Full Professor level or above (or equivalent)

• ·      Preproposal submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.
• ·      Supports a synergistic, multidisciplinary research program of at least four distinct but complementary projects addressing an overarching goal.
• ·      Projects should work together to answer critical questions, resolve differing hypotheses, and translate laboratory findings to clinical applications.
• ·      Projects may range from exploratory/hypothesis-developing through small-scale clinical trials that together will address the overarching goal/question.
• ·      Research team of highly qualified, multidisciplinary project leaders should be led by a PI with demonstrated success in directing large, focused projects.

 

• ·      Maximum of $7.2 million for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
• ·      Maximum period of performance is 4 years

Investigator-Initiated Research Award – Preproposal due by April 28, 2021

Assistant Professor level or above (or equivalent)

• ·      Preproposal submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.
• ·      Supports research that will make an original and important contribution to the field of research or patient care in the topic area(s) of interest.
• ·      Partnering PI Option available.
• ·      Clinical trials will not be funded.
• ·      Maximum of $1.6 million for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
• ·      Maximum of $2 million for direct costs (plus indirect costs) for applications including a Partnering PI Option
• ·      Maximum period of performance is 4 years

Technology/ Therapeutic Development Award – Preproposal due by April 28, 2021

Assistant Professor level or above (or equivalent)

• ·      Preproposal submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.
• ·      Supports the translation of promising preclinical findings into clinical applications for prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, or quality of life.
• ·      Product-oriented (e.g., device, drug, clinical guidelines). The product(s) to be developed may be a tangible item such as a pharmacologic agent (drugs or biologics) or device, or a knowledge-based product.
• ·      New for FY21: Two funding levels available, depending on the maturity of the product. The following are general descriptions, although not all-inclusive, of the scope of research projects that would be appropriate to propose under each funding level:
• ○        Funding Level 1: Supports research that is supported by significant preliminary data but has not advanced to the level of clinical translation.
• ○        Funding Level 2: Supports research that is in the final states of preclinical development with potential for near-term clinical development. Applications must provide relevant data that support the rationale for the proposed study. Funding Level 2 recipients must submit or obtain an IND/IDE application to the FDA, or must transition the product to clinical practice, within the period of performance.
• ·      Clinical trials will not be funded.

Funding Level 1:

• ·      Maximum of $2 million for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
• ·      Maximum period of performance is 4 years

Funding Level 2:

• ·      Maximum of $4 million for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
• ·      Maximum period of performance is 4 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 PRMRP 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

The FY21 Defense Appropriations Act provides funding to the Department of Defense Gulf War Illness Research Program (GWIRP) to support research addressing Gulf War Illness treatment, diagnosis and pathobiology underlying symptoms of disease.  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 Development Command (USAMRDC).

 

The FY21 GWIRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on the Grants.gov website.   

 

Applications submitted to the FY21 GWIRP must address one or more of the following overarching challenges:

 

• Treatments:  Eliminate the health consequences associated with Gulf War Illness (GWI) and/or revolutionize treatment
• Diagnosis:  Better define and diagnose GWI
• Subtyping:  Distinguish subtypes to better target treatments; or monitor therapy; or identify severity of GWI; or why GWI is worse for some Veterans than for others
• Determinants:  Identify and validate determinants of GWI, latency, and impacts on organs and systems
• Consequences:  Determine whether GWI alters risk for developing neurological conditions, cancers, or other serious conditions; or whether GWI alters outcomes of other infections/diseases
• Communicate & Educate:  Help Veterans, their caregivers, and clinicians communicate effectively about GWI, its symptoms, and potential treatments

https://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/gwirp

 

Idea Award – Preproposal due May 7, 2021

Independent investigators at all academic levels

·      Supports high-risk/high-reward research in the earliest stages of development that will contribute to markers or treatments for Gulf War illness (GWI).

·      Emphasis is on impact and innovation; applications must articulate how results will lead to a clinical impact for Veterans with GWI, even if a clinical impact is not an immediate outcome.

·      Preliminary data are not required.

·      Clinical trials are not allowed.

·      Submission of a pre-application is required; application submission is by invitation only.

·      Biorepository Contribution Options:

·      Supports additional costs associated with submission of samples and data to the GWIRP-supported Biorepository Resource Network

·      Applicants must submit a Biorepository Contribution Statement providing a detailed accounting of proposed costs and a commitment to work with the GWIRP-supported Biorepository Resources Network.

·      Application to this option is not a requirement for Idea Award submission.

·      Maximum funding of $200,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)

·      Maximum funding of $220,000 for direct costs with the Biorepository Contribution Option (plus indirect costs).

·      Maximum period of performance is 2 years

 

Research Advancement Award – Preproposal due May 7, 2021

Independent investigators at all academic levels

• Supports applied research in GWI aimed at continued expansion and validation of markers and treatments that are supported evidence in the GWI field. 
• Preliminary data in the field of GWI and other supporting information is required.
• Applications must articulate how results will lead to a clinical impact for Veterans with GWI, even if a clinical impact is not an immediate outcome.
• Clinical trials are not allowed.
• Submission of a pre-application is required; application submission is by invitation only.

·      Biorepository Contribution Option:

·      Supports additional costs associated with submission of samples and data to the GWIRP-supported Biorepository Resource Network.

·      Applicants must submit a Biorepository Contributions Statement providing a detailed accounting of proposed costs and a commitment to work with the GWIRP-supported Biorepository Resource Network

·      Application to this option is not a requirement for Research Advancement Award submission.

·      Maximum funding of $600,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)

·      Maximum funding of $620,000 for direct costs with the Biorepository Contribution Option (plus indirect costs)

·      Maximum period of performance is 3 years

 

Clinical Evaluation Award – Preproposal due May 7, 2021

Independent investigators at all academic levels

• Supports translation of validated GWI research, including qualified and replicated preclinical findings, to a Gulf War Veteran population.
• Statistically powered biomarker trials with the potential to validate use of biomarkers as clinical endpoints or proof-of-concept intervention trials (e.g., pilot, first in human, Phase I-IIa) are encouraged under this funding opportunity.
• Preliminary data are required.
• Funding for this award mechanism must support research in a Gulf War Veteran population.  Proof of availability and access to necessary cohort(s) and/or critical regents must be provided.
• Submission of a pre-application is required application submission is by invitation only.
• Biorepository Contribution Option:
• Supports additional costs associated with submission of samples and data to the GWIRP-supported Biorepository Resource Network.
• Applicants must submit a Biorepository Contribution Statement providing a detailed accounting of proposed costs and a commitment to work with the GWIRP-supported Biorepository Resource Network.
• Application to this option is not a requirement for Clinical Evaluation Award submission.
• Clinical Consortium Collaboration Option:
• Supports additional costs associated with collaboration with the GWIRP-support Gulf War Illness Clinical Trials and Interventions Consortium (GWICTIC).
• Applicants must submit a Clinical Consortium Collaboration Statement providing a detailed accounting of proposed costs and clearly articulating the qualifications of the research team and institutions to participate as a new Clinical Research Site in the Consortium.
• Application to this option is not a requirement for Clinical Evaluation Award submission.
• Pre-application is required; full application submission is by invitation only.
• Maximum funding of $1,500,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
• Maximum funding of $1,520,000 for direct costs with the Biorepository Contribution Option (plus indirect costs).

·     Maximum funding of $1,700,000 for direct costs with the Clinical Consortium Collaboration Option (plus indirect costs)

·      Maximum period of performance is 3 years

 

Therapeutic/Biomarker Trial Award – Preproposal due May 7, 2021

Independent investigators at all academic levels

• Supports large-scale, pivotal (Phase IIb or III) trials that revolutionize the clinical management of GWI.
• Proposed research should lead to an approach that is fundamentally better than interventions already approved or in clinical development.
• Objective biomarkers to measure the biological effect of an investigational therapeutic or predictive/cohort-selective biomarkers that indicate whether a specific therapy will be effective in an individual Gulf War Veteran or Gulf War Veteran subgroup must be included in the trial design.
• Investigators must have experience in successfully leading large-scale projects and demonstrated the ability to implement a clinical project successfully.
• Funding must be used to support a clinical trial.
• Proposal submission is required: application submission is by invitation only.
• Biorepository Contribution Option:
• Supports additional costs associated with submission of samples and data to the GWIRP-supported Biorepository Resource Network
• Applicants must submit a Biorepository Contribution Statement providing a detailed accounting of proposed costs and a commitment to work with the GWIRP-supported Biorepository Resource Network.
• Application to this option is not a requirement for Therapeutic/Biomarker Trial Award submission.
• Clinical Consortium Collaborative Option:
• Supports additional costs associated with collaboration with the GWIRP-supported Gulf War Illness Clinical Trials and Interventions Consortium (GWICTIC).
• Applicants must submit a Clinical Consortium Collaborative Statement providing a detailed accounting of proposed costs and clearly articulates the qualifications of the research team and institution to participate as a new Clinical Research Site in the Consortium.
• Application to this option is not a requirement for Therapeutic/Biomarker Trial Award submission.

·     Maximum funding of $5,000,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)

·     Maximum funding of $5,020,000 for direct costs with the Biorepository Contribution Option (plus indirect costs).

·     Maximum funding of $5,500,000 for direct costs with the Clinical Consortium Collaboration Option (plus indirect costs).

·      Maximum period of performance is 3 years

 

New Investigator Award – Preproposal due May 7, 2021

PIs may apply under one of the following three eligibility categories:

 

Transitioning Postdoctoral Fellow:  Senior postdoctoral fellows with at least 3 years of postdoctoral training

Early-Career Investigator:  Independent investigators within 5 years of last training position

New GWI Researcher:  Established independent investigators who have received less than $300,000 in federally funded, non-mentored GWI research

• Encourages applications from early-stage and established investigators new to the field of GWI research.
• Previous experience in GWI research is not required; however, collaborations with experienced GWI researchers is strongly encouraged.
• Preliminary data are not required.
• Clinical trials are not allowed.
• Preproposal submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.
• Biorepository Contribution Option:
• Supports additional costs associated with submission of samples and data to the GWIRP-supported Biorepository Resource Network.
• Applicants must submit a Biorepository Contribution Statement providing a detailed accounting of proposed costs and a commitment to work with the GWIRP-supported Biorepository Resource Network.
• Application to this option is not a requirement for New Investigator Award submission.

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

·     Maximum funding of $520,000 for direct costs with the Biorepository Contribution Option (plus indirect costs)

·     The 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 GWIRP 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

The March 2021 issue of DIA Global Forum includes an article about us! 

Click here for the full article

In this special presentation, USVets.TV interviews Rick Starrs, CEO of the National Association of Veterans Research and Education Foundations (NAVREF), on some of the important work that NAVREF does and the breakthroughs in Veterans medical research NAVREF has facilitated.

Click here to watch the full interview: http://www.usvets.tv/Featured-Content/US-Vets-Featured-Videos/VideoId/4355/usvetstv-interviews-rick-starrs-ceo-of-the-national-association-of-veterans-research-and-education-foundations-navref