DoW Autism Career Development Award
This grant supports early-career or transitioning researchers in conducting innovative autism studies or pilot clinical trials, requiring community collaboration and a focus on high-impact research areas.
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Funder: Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA
Due Dates: July 27, 2026 (Preproposal) | August 28, 2026 (Invitation notification) | October 22, 2026 (Full application) | October 27, 2026 (Verification)
Funding Amounts: Up to $750,000 in total costs for up to 3 years; $1.5 million available for approximately 2 awards
Summary: Supports independent early-career investigators and established investigators transitioning into autism research through innovative studies and proof-of-principle clinical trials.
Key Information: Full applications require an invitation; graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and other mentored researchers are ineligible.
Description
The FY26 Autism Research Program Career Development Award supports innovative, high-impact autism research and early-phase, proof-of-principle clinical trials. Managed by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs within Defense Health Agency Research and Development, the opportunity is solicited by the Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity. It supports independent investigators early in their careers and established investigators bringing expertise from other fields into autism research.
The program seeks research responsive to the needs of Autistic individuals, their families, and caregivers, with potential to improve understanding, care, and outcomes. Applications are strongly encouraged to address an FY26 area of interest or justify another critical autism problem, question, or need. Preliminary data are required but may come from outside autism research. Community partnerships are encouraged for all projects and required for projects with a pilot clinical trial component.
