Funder: Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA
Due Dates: July 25, 2025 (Pre-application/LOI) | August 8, 2025 (Full application)
Funding Amounts: Up to $500,000 total costs per award over 2 years; approx. 5 awards; $2.5M total program funding.
Summary: Supports innovative, high-risk/high-reward research to accelerate progress in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) therapy and outcomes.
Key Information: Preliminary DMD-relevant data required; clinical trials are not allowed; includes special categories for new investigators.
Description
This Department of Defense (DoD) funding opportunity supports the development of innovative, high-impact research projects aimed at improving outcomes for individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The Idea Development Award is designed to encourage new and conceptually creative approaches, particularly those in early stages of development, that could lead to critical discoveries or major advancements in DMD research and care. Applications must be grounded in strong scientific rationale and include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis supported by relevant preliminary data.
Distinctive features of this mechanism include dedicated categories for New Investigators:
- New Investigator – Early Stage: For applicants within 10 years of their first faculty appointment.
- New Investigator – Transitioning: For established investigators new to DMD research, seeking to bring expertise from other fields.
Research should address key challenges in developing safe and effective therapies that target the primary pathology of DMD, with a focus on innovation and potential for impact. Clinical trials are not permitted under this award, but clinical research and studies involving human subjects or samples are allowed.
Due Dates
- Pre-Application (Letter of Intent): July 25, 2025 (5:00 p.m. ET)
- Full Application: August 8, 2025 (11:59 p.m. ET)
- End of Application Verification Period: August 13, 2025 (5:00 p.m. ET)
Funding Amount
- Total Funding Available: $2,500,000
- Expected Number of Awards: Approximately 5
- Maximum Award: $500,000 total costs (direct + indirect) per project
- Project Duration: Up to 2 years
- Cost Sharing/Matching: Not required
Eligibility
- Eligible Applicants: Unrestricted. Open to extramural and intramural organizations, including:
- Academic institutions (domestic and foreign)
- Nonprofits
- For-profits
- Public and private entities
- Federal organizations (excluding DoD for extramural applications)
- Principal Investigator (PI) Requirements:
- Established Investigator: Independent investigator at or above Assistant Professor (or equivalent)
- New Investigator – Early Stage: Within 10 years of first faculty appointment, not previously funded by DMDRP IDA
- New Investigator – Transitioning: At or above Assistant Professor, established in another field, seeking to transition to DMD research (must commit at least 10% effort)
- Other Notes:
- Only one investigator category may be chosen per application.
- Collaboration with DMD-experienced investigators is encouraged for new investigators.
- No citizenship restrictions.
Application Process
-
Pre-Application (Letter of Intent):
- Submit via eBRAP.
- No invitation is required to submit a full application after LOI; applicants should prepare both in parallel.
-
Full Application:
- Submit via Grants.gov (extramural) or eBRAP (intramural DoD only).
- Full application components include:
- Project Narrative (10 pages)
- Supporting documentation (biosketches, letters of support, etc.)
- Technical and lay abstracts
- Statement of Work
- Impact and Innovation statements
- Budget and justification
- Required representations and certifications
-
Review Process:
- Two-tiered: Peer review (scientific merit) and programmatic review (relevance, portfolio balance, and impact)
- Applications assessed for innovation, impact, research strategy, and personnel qualifications
-
Compliance:
- Applications proposing essentially the same research to multiple DoD opportunities in the same year will be administratively withdrawn.
- Clinical trials are not allowed.
- All applicants must be registered in SAM.gov.
Additional Information
- Preliminary Data: Required and must be relevant to DMD.
- Research Focus: Must address development of therapies targeting primary DMD pathology; see program announcement for examples of encouraged and excluded research topics.
- Direct Cost Restrictions: No clinical trial costs; travel allowed for project-related meetings.
- Reporting: Annual and final technical reports required; additional reporting for projects involving human subjects or animal research.
- Data Sharing: Plans for sharing data and resources with the research community are required.
External Links
Contact Information