The Warfighter Medical Optimization Division (RHM) intends to solicit White Papers under this announcement with the focus of conducting medical research in support of optimizing of the warfighter by enabling, enhancing, restoring, and sustaining the Airman to more effectively execute the Air Force mission. This medical research objective is dual-natured: (1) ensure medical availability of Airmen by analyzing attributes (sensory, behavioral, physiologic) and operational environments (chemical, physical, psychological, biological, radiological stressors) to drive optimal performance of Airmen engaged in high-demand, high-impact mission tasks (2) investigate how the flight environment affects the process of life, the ability to maintain homeostasis, and the risk for injury or secondary insult, seeking to ameliorate these stressors to optimize Airman health and performance.

This is a Hybrid BAA solicitation which consists of an Open BAA and a BAA with Calls. This BAA is set up in two parts: (1) Open BAA, in which white papers may be submitted at any time during the open period, and (2) BAA with Calls, in which proposal call announcements may be issued by the Government in beta.sam.gov under FA8650-20-S-6008 at any time during the effectivity of the BAA. The two parts are explained in greater detail in separate sections in the solicitation. This BAA will remain open for seventy-two (72) months with Calls being released throughout the seventy-two (72) month period of performance.

White papers may be submitted at any time during the Open Period for specific research objectives and/or aims in accordance with the instructions in Section V found in the solicitation. The Government will suspend white paper submissions for research objectives and/or aims identified in an active Call and this will be stated in the Call announcement. Offerors should monitor the Beta.SAM website at http://www.beta.sam.gov in the event this announcement is amended.

White paper submittals for Open BAA portion must be submitted to the email address of the Contracting POC, AND AFRL/RAKHC.Office@us.af.mil. Proposals as a result of the 2nd step Open BAA and white papers/proposals as the result of a Call, shall be submitted to the Contracting POC’s postal delivery address, unless otherwise stated in the RFP or Call, respectively. Additional submission instructions will be contained in RFP and/or Call.

Applications to the Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) Vision Research Program (VRP) are being solicited for the Defense Health Agency (DHA) J9, Research and Development Directorate, by the US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) using delegated authority provided by United States Code, Title 10, Section 2358 (10 USC 2358). As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (OASD[HA]), the DHA manages the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation. The execution management agent for this Program Announcement is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). The VRP was initiated in 2009 to fund impactful military-relevant vision research that has the potential to significantly improve the healthcare and well-being of military Service members, Veterans, their family members and caregivers, and the American public. Appropriations for the VRP from FY09 through FY19 totaled $104.95 million (M). The FY20 appropriation is $20M.

The vision of the VRP is to transform visual system trauma care for our Armed Forces and the Nation. Eye injury and visual dysfunction resulting from battlefield trauma affect a large number of Service members and Veterans. Surveillance data from the Department of Defense (DoD) indicate that eye injury accounts for approximately 15% of all injuries from battlefield trauma sustained during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, resulting in more than 182,000 ambulatory patients and 4,000 hospitalizations between 2000 and 2011. In addition, statistics from the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center show that through the first quarter of 2018, more than 380,000 Service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI), which can have significant impact on vision even when there is no injury to the eye. Research sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) showed that as many as 75% of Service members who suffered a TBI have visual dysfunction, with some patients suffering vision loss and functional blindness.

The FY20 VRP challenges the scientific community to design innovative research that will significantly advance the understanding, prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, and/or treatment of eye injury or visual dysfunction associated with military-relevant trauma. Research outcomes are expected to ultimately improve the care of Service members and Veterans as well as the American public.

Would your research benefit from the involvement of thousands of volunteers? Zooniverse is currently seeking proposals for biomedical projects to be developed as part of the Zooniverse platform. The Zooniverse is the world’s largest and most successful online platform for crowd-sourced research with over 1.5 million registered volunteers working in collaboration with professional researchers on more than 50 research projects across a range of disciplines, from physics to biology.

Using our unique Project Builder you can create your own Zooniverse project for free with a set of tried and tested tools, including multiple-choice questions and region marking or drawing tools. If the platform doesn’t yet offer the tools you need, please propose your project below (last link on the post); they are particularly interested in developing novel projects that extend the functionality of their platform.

Project Selection

Zooniverse is looking for biomedical projects that will help them expand the functionality of the Zooniverse and build on the selection of tools available to researchers via the platform. Projects may involve a processing task applied to images, graphs, videos or another data format, data collection, or a combination of the two. Successful projects will be developed and hosted by the Zooniverse team, in close collaboration with the applicants. Examples of current biomedical projects include Microscopy Masters, where volunteers classify cryo-electron microscopy images to advance understanding of protein and virus structure, and Worm Watch Lab, which aims to improve understanding of the relationship between genes and behavior.

Selection Criteria:

1. Projects extending the capability of the Zooniverse platform or serving as case studies for crowdsourcing in new areas are encouraged.
2. Alignment with biomedical research (long-term aim of research is to improve human health outcomes).
3. Merit and usefulness of the data expected to result from the project.

Deadline

Project proposals are accepted on a rolling basis. Applications will be reviewed at the beginning of each month.

SUBMIT A BIOMEDICAL PROPOSAL

Under the authority of Section 21(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act), the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) established its discretionary grant program in 1978. In 1997, OSHA renamed the program in honor of the late Susan Harwood, former director of the OSHA Office of Risk Assessment.

The grant program offers opportunities for nonprofit organizations to compete annually for funding so they may develop and conduct training and educational programs for small business employers and workers on the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of occupational safety and health hazards in their workplaces, and to inform workers of their rights and employers of their responsibilities under the OSH Act.

The Susan Harwood Grant Program awards funds to qualifying organizations who have demonstrated capabilities to achieve the program’s performance expectations outlined in this FOA. This includes experience in employing subject matter experts, delivering and administering adult training programs, recruiting students, and managing grants. Following the grant awards, OSHA monitors each organization’s progress in achieving their performance goals and training targets. OSHA accomplishes this by conducting orientation meetings, training material reviews, training observations, program and financial monitoring visits, and quarterly and year-end report reviews.

For FY 2020, OSHA announces the availability of approximately $11.5 million to fund new Susan Harwood Training Program grants. Susan Harwood Training Program grants are subject to the availability of federal funding and appropriations. OSHA expects to award multiple grants to eligible nonprofit organizations under this competitive Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Program funding is for a 12-month period beginning no later than September 30, 2020, and ending on September 30, 2021. The maximum award for a Training and Educational Materials Development grant is $75,000.

Under the authority of Section 21(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act), the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) established its discretionary grant program in 1978. In 1997, OSHA renamed the program in honor of the late Susan Harwood, former director of the OSHA Office of Risk Assessment.

The grant program offers opportunities for nonprofit organizations to compete annually for funding so they may develop and conduct training and educational programs for small business employers and workers on the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of occupational safety and health hazards in their workplaces, and to inform workers of their rights and employers of their responsibilities under the OSH Act.

The Susan Harwood Grant Program awards funds to qualifying organizations who have demonstrated capabilities to achieve the program’s performance expectations outlined in this FOA. This includes experience in employing subject matter experts, delivering and administering adult training programs, recruiting students, and managing grants. Following the grant awards, OSHA monitors each organization’s progress in achieving their performance goals and training targets. OSHA accomplishes this by conducting orientation meetings, training material reviews, training observations, program and financial monitoring visits, and quarterly and year-end report reviews.

For FY 2020, OSHA announces the availability of approximately $4.5 million to fund Susan Harwood Training Program Capacity Building grants. Susan Harwood Training Program grants are subject to the availability of federal funding and appropriations. OSHA expects to award multiple grants to eligible nonprofit organizations under this competitive Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). This FOA does not itself obligate any federal funds. The obligation of funds occurs when grant recipients acknowledge receipt and acceptance of award documents.

Program funding is for a 12-month period beginning no later than September 30, 2020, and ending on September 30, 2021. Two types of capacity building grant opportunities are available. The maximum award for a Capacity Building Developmental grant is $180,000 and for a Capacity Building Pilot grant is $80,000.