DoD Epilepsy, Idea Development Award | W81XWH 19 ERP IDA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 19 ERP IDA

The DoD Epilepsy, Idea Development Award (FY19 ERP IDA; Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-19-ERP-IDA) is a research funding opportunity from the Department of Defense, Department of the Army (USAMRAA) under the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). It supports science and technology research and development aimed at post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE), with an emphasis on work that fits the Epilepsy Research Program (ERP) mission. The central goal is to bring in novel, innovative ideas that clarify how big the PTE problem is (its magnitude) and what biological or clinical processes drive it (its underlying mechanisms), especially as they relate to traumatic brain injury (TBI). The program is explicitly looking for projects that push beyond standard approaches, challenge existing research paradigms, and show a high level of creativity, while still making a clear case for real-world impact. Even though the program is DoD-focused, it expects benefits to extend beyond military settings to Veterans and the broader civilian population.

A key feature of this opportunity is that it offers two distinct funding levels that match different career stages and project maturities. Funding Level I is designed for high-risk/high-reward ideas led by early-career investigators. The principal investigator must be at least at the level of a postdoctoral fellow (or equivalent) but not yet an Assistant Professor (or equivalent). Level I applications must include an Eligibility Statement (Attachment 6) to confirm that the named PI meets these requirements. Funding Level II targets more established, hypothesis-driven projects and requires the PI to be an independent investigator at or above the Assistant Professor level (or equivalent). Across both levels, the program expects study teams to show credible expertise in both TBI and epilepsy, reflecting the award's focus on epilepsy that emerges after brain injury and the need for cross-disciplinary capability.

The award encourages, but does not require, preliminary data for either funding level. If included, preliminary support can come from the PI's prior publications, pilot data, or even peer-reviewed literature, which allows applicants to justify feasibility and rationale without making early data an absolute gatekeeper. Regardless of the approach, proposed studies must be clearly relevant to active duty Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and the American public. In practice, that means applicants should connect their aims to populations affected by TBI and related seizure disorders and show how the work could improve understanding, prediction, prevention, or management of PTE in these groups.

In terms of project structure and budget, both funding levels allow a maximum period of performance of up to three years. For Funding Level I, the anticipated direct costs for the entire project period cannot exceed $300,000. For Funding Level II, anticipated direct costs cannot exceed $500,000 for the full period. The solicitation emphasizes that the amount requested should match the scope of the proposed work, and applicants are directed to consult the funding restrictions section for detailed rules on allowable costs and budget construction. The funding instrument type listed for this opportunity includes both cooperative agreements and grants, which typically signals that some awards may involve closer coordination with the funding agency depending on the mechanism selected.

The FY19 ERP IDA also identifies specific focus areas meant to guide application development. These include innovative research (new concepts or approaches), markers and mechanisms (biological or measurable indicators and the processes driving PTE), epidemiology (patterns, frequency, risk factors, and burden across populations), and longitudinal studies (tracking outcomes and changes over time, which is especially relevant for a condition like PTE that can develop months or years after injury). Projects outside these focus areas are still allowed, but applicants are expected to provide a strong justification for why the alternative topic is important and aligned with the program's mission and vision.

From a funding outlook perspective, CDMRP anticipated allocating about $1.0 million total to support roughly two Funding Level I awards and about $2.4 million total to support roughly three Funding Level II awards, although actual awards depend on federal fund availability, application volume, scientific and programmatic review outcomes, and government requirements. The announcement notes that awards funded from FY19 appropriations would be available for obligation within a limited fiscal window, with FY19 funds expiring for use on September 30, 2025. The solicitation was created on May 16, 2019, and originally closed on July 17, 2019, with awards expected to be made no later than September 30, 2020. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any additional constraints stated in the full eligibility language, which means institutions such as universities, nonprofits, companies, and other research organizations could generally apply as long as they satisfy the program's PI and project requirements.

• The Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DoD Epilepsy, Idea Development Award" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.420.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 16, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 17, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 40 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for W81XWH 19 ERP IDA

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