DoD FY21 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)

The Department of Defense (DoD announces the Fiscal Year 2021 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP).

DURIP is designed to improve the capabilities of accredited United States (US) institutions of higher education to conduct research and to educate scientists and engineers in areas important to national defense, by providing funds for the acquisition of research equipment or instrumentation. For-profit organizations are not eligible for DURIP funding. We refer to eligible institutions of higher education as universities in the rest of this announcement.

DURIP is part of the University Research Initiative (URI).

This program will be supplemented by additional funding provided by the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR). Additional awards may be made to principal investigators in DEPSCoR eligible states as defined in 10 U.S.C. 2358, as amended by Pub. L. 115 91, div. A, title II, sec. 219.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants should be alert for any amendments that may modify the announcement. Amendments to the original funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will be posted to the Grants.gov Webpage.

The DURIP Announcement has been amended. Amendment 2 corrects section D.5.f. on page 21 to reflect that Bibliography and References Cited are included in the page count. This amendment supersedes previous versions of this FOA. Click on the box below and navigate to the “Related Documents” tab for the full program announcement.

Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program

The FY20 Defense Appropriations Act provides funding to the Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program (PRORP) to support innovative, high-impact, clinically-relevant research to advance optimal treatment and rehabilitation from musculoskeletal injuries. 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 FY20 PRORP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on the Grants.gov website. 

Applications submitted to the FY20 PRORP must address one or more of the following FY20 Focus Areas:

  • Compartment Syndrome: Novel treatment strategies to improve current diagnoses for compartment syndrome. Alternatives to intracompartmental pressure measurements are encouraged.
  • Limb Stabilization and Protection: Development and/or clinical assessment of rapid limb stabilization and novel wound protectants for severely wounded limbs to enable transport at the point of need.
  • Orthotic Devices: Refinement of high-performance novel orthotic devices designed to enhance whole person performance and decrease pain in patients with limb salvage and impairment.
  • Osseointegration: Identification of best practices to address infection, rejection, and/or failure of percutaneous osseointegrated prosthetic limbs. 
  • Retention Strategies: Development, optimization, and/or validation of battlefield-feasible diagnostic capabilities, decision support tools, interventions, and/or rehabilitation strategies that can facilitate retention on duty for common combat-related musculoskeletal injuries.  Biomarker studies are excluded.  The current standard of care must be noted.  The rehabilitation strategy and the standard of care must be specified, as applicable.
    • Point of Injury: Battlefield-feasible strategies that can be utilized at or near the point of injury to allow an injured Service member to remain on duty and stay on mission without the need for immediate evacuation
    • Point of Duty: Strategies that can be utilized along the continuum of care to allow an injured Service member to return to duty without separation from Service.
  • Tissue Regeneration Therapeutics: Development of advanced tissue regeneration therapeutics in nerve, muscle (to include volumetric muscle loss), and/or composite tissue for the restoration of traumatically injured extremities.  Isolated bone or cartilage tissue engineering studies are excluded.
  • Translation of Early Findings: Translation of early research findings in the orthopaedic surgical care topic areas listed below to move the research toward clinical trials and clinical practice.
    • Soft Tissue Trauma: Strategies to develop and/or identify musculoskeletal extremity soft tissue trauma treatments for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or shoulder instability only, to optimize return to duty, work, or reintegration
    • Fracture-Related Infection: Strategies to decrease the burden of fracture-related infections (may include prevention, early detection, or improved eradication).  Alternatives to systemic and/or local antibiotic delivery are encouraged. 

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

Applied Research Award – Preproposal due May 27, 2020. Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent):

  • Pre-application is required; full application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports applied research applications focused on advancing optimal treatment and restoration of function for individuals with musculo-skeletal injuries sustained during combat or combat-related activities, and non-battle injuries that impact unit readiness and the ability to return to duty/work.
  • Proposed research should be supported by preliminary data and have the potential to make significant advancements toward clinical translation.
  • Clinical research and clinical trials are not allowed under this award mechanism.
  • Applications must address one of the following FY20 PRORP Focus Areas:
    • Limb Stabilization and Protection
    • Retention Strategies
      • Point of Injury
      • Return to Duty
  • Osseointegration

Maximum funding of $725,000 for total costs (includes direct and indirect costs). Maximum period of performance is 3 years.

Clinical Trial Award – Preproposal due May 27, 2020.Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent):

  • Pre-application is required; full application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports rapid implementation of clinical trials with the potential to have a major impact on military combat-related orthopaedic injuries or non-battle injuries that significantly impact unit readiness and return-to-duty/work rates.
  • Funding must support a clinical trial and may not be used for preclinical research studies.
  • Investigational New Drug or Investigational Device Exemption applications, if needed, should be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration within 6 months of the award date.
  • Applications must address one the following FY20 PRORP Focus Areas:
    • Limb Stabilization and Protection
    • Retention Strategies
      • Point of Injury
      • Return to Duty
    • Translation of Early Findings
      • Soft Tissue Trauma
      • Fracture-Related Infection

Funding Level 1:Maximum funding of $2.25M for total costs. (includes direct and indirect costs). Maximum period of performance is years.

Funding Level 2 (Translation of Early Findings – Soft Tissue Trauma Focus Area with Rehabilitation Option): Maximum funding of $2.75M for total costs (includes direct and indirect costs). Maximum period of performance is 4 years.

Clinical Translational Research Award – Preproposal is due May 27, 2020. Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent):

  • Pre-application is required; full application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports high-impact and/or new/emerging clinical research that may or may not be ready for a full-scale, randomized, controlled clinical trial.
  • Funding must support clinical research studies involving humans.
  • Preliminary or published data relevant to the proposed research project are required.
  • Investigational New Drug or Investigational Device Exemption applications, if needed, should be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration within 12 months of the award date.
  • Applications must address one of the following FY19 PRORP CTRA Focus Areas:
    • Retention Strategies
      • Point of Injury
      • Return to Duty
    • Tissue Regeneration Therapeutics
    • Compartment Syndrome
    • Osseointegration
    • Orthotic Devices

Maximum funding of $1.5M for total costs (including direct and indirect costs). Maximum period of performance is years.

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) 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 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. For more information about the PRORP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website.

COVID-19 Resources for Applicants of NIH Funding

A NOTE FROM NIH REGARDING COVID-19. “The NIH is deeply concerned for the health and safety of people involved in NIH research, and about the effects on the biomedical enterprise in the areas affected by the HHS declared public health emergency for COVID-19. This is a rapidly evolving situation, and we are aware that many institutions are taking a variety of “social distancing” measures, including switching to telework and cancelling or postponing classes and non-essential meetings.”

“Due to the potential exceptional impact of the declared public health emergency, we want to assure our recipient community that NIH will be doing our part to help you continue your research. Our website on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Information for NIH Applicants and Recipients has a list of available resources.  The resources include links to NIH Guide Notices and FAQs as well as information provided by the CDC and the WHO.  Among the CDC links are advice for institutions of higher education and advice for mental health and coping.”

“Please visit our website often as we anticipate updates.”

“Most important of all please take care – we wish you, your colleagues, and your families all the best as we deal with the current challenges.”

21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC)

The 21st Century Community Learning Center’s (CLCC) program provides opportunities for children who come from economically disadvantaged families and attend low performing schools to receive academic supports. School districts, schools, community based organizations, including faith-based organizations, institutions of higher education, city or county government agencies, for-profit corporations and other public or private entities are eligible for CCLC grants.

The Ohio Department of Education’s Office of Improvement and Innovation administers the CLCC grant program. This federally funded program supports high-quality, out-of-school time learning opportunities and related activities for students who attend eligible schools. Recent flexibility from the U.S. Department of Education allows 21st Century funds to be used for expanded learning time programming during the school day, week or year in addition to out-of-school time.

The deadline for all Fiscal Year 2021 21st Century Community Learning Center applications is April 24, 2020, at 5 pm.
 
The U.S. Department of Education annually provides 21st Century funds to states to support activities pursuant to implementing expanded learning time and out-of-school time that clearly align academic services to the identified needs of students and state academic standards. Funding for this grant is contingent upon the Department’s receipt of federal funding.
 
Grant application period: Monday, March 2, 2020, at 8 am through Friday, April 24, 2020, at 5 pm.
 
Submission of grant application: Applicants must submit applications through the Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Plan (CCIP), the Department’s grants application system. No extensions will be permitted once the CCIP closes. The superintendent/CCIP authorized representative of the submitting organization must give final approval of the application in the CCIP prior to the deadline. 

Defense Health Program – Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20)

The FY20 Defense Appropriations Act provides funding to the Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) to support to support 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).

The FY20 PRMRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on the Grants.gov website.   

The vision and mission of the PRMRP is 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.

Congressionally Directed Topic Areas: All applications submitted to the PRMRP must address at least one of the FY20 PRMRP Congressionally directed topic areas. The FY20 PRMRP Topic Areas are as follows:

Arthritis Burn Pit Exposure
Chronic Migraine Post-Traumatic Headache
Congestive Heart Disease Diabetes
Dystonia Eating Disorder
Emerging Viral Disease Endometriosis
Epidermolysia Bullosa Familial Hypercholesterolemia
Fibrous Dysplasia Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis
Food Allergies Fragile X
Frontotemporal Degeneration Hepatitis B
Guillain-Barre Syndromemorrhage Control Immunomonitoring of Intestinal Transplants
Hydrocephalus Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Interstitial Cystitis Metals Toxicology
Mitchondrial Disease Musculoskeletal Health
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Myotonic Dystrophy Nutrition Optimization
Pancreatitis Pathogen-Inactivated Blood Products
Plant Based Vaccines Polycystic Kidney Disease
Pressure Ulcers Pulmonary Fibrosis
Resilience Training Respiratory Health
Rheumatoid Arthritis Sleep Disorders and Restriction
Spinal Muscular Atrophy Sustained Release Drug Delivery
Vascular Malformations Women’s Heart Disease

Discovery Award – Letter of Intent due April 16, 2020

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.
  • Clinical trials will not be funded.
  • Reviewers will be blinded to the identity of the Principal Investigator (PI), collaborators, and their organization(s).
  • Maximum of $200,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Maximum period of performance of 2 years.

Focused Program Award – Pre-proposal due April 23, 2020

Full Professor level or above (or equivalent):

  • Pre-proposal 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 of 4 years.

Investigator-Initiated Research Award – Pre-proposal due April 23, 2020

Assistant Professor level or above (or equivalent):
  • Pre-proposal 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 – Pre-proposal due April 23, 2020

Assistant Professor level or above (or equivalent):

  • Pre-proposal submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports the translation of promising pre-clinical 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.
  • Clinical trials will not be funded.
  • 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.

Point of Contact: CDMRP Help Desk
301-682-5507
help@eBrap.org