[Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA](https://usamraa.health.mil)

August 13, 2026: Application deadline

~$2,000,000 total; up to $250,000 total costs per award for up to 2 years; ~8 awards expected

Supports innovative, high-risk research to develop and test novel hypotheses in multiple sclerosis, with options for both established and new investigators.

No preliminary data required; New Investigator option has specific eligibility criteria.

--- ## Description This award supports the initial exploration of innovative, high-risk, and potentially groundbreaking concepts in multiple sclerosis (MS) research. The intent is to lay the groundwork for new scientific directions by funding projects with strong scientific rationale and well-formulated, testable hypotheses, even in the absence of preliminary data. Applications must address one or more of the specified FY26 focus areas related to MS. Two application options are available: - **Established Investigator:** Open to independent investigators at any career stage. - **New Investigator:** For those within five years of starting their first non-mentored faculty position and with limited prior MS funding. Projects must be innovative—incremental advances or mere extensions of existing work are not suitable. Clinical trials are not allowed. --- ## Due Dates - **Application deadline:** August 13, 2026 - **Pre-application (Letter of Intent) deadline:** July 30, 2026 - **End of application verification period:** August 20, 2026 --- ## Funding Amount - **Total program funding:** ~$2,000,000 - **Expected number of awards:** ~8 - **Maximum award:** $250,000 total costs (direct + indirect) per award - **Period of performance:** Up to 2 years No cost sharing or matching is required. --- ## Eligibility - **Organizations:** Open to extramural and intramural U.S. and foreign organizations, including for-profit, nonprofit, public, or private entities. - **Principal Investigator (PI):** - **Established Investigator:** Any independent investigator. - **New Investigator:** Must be within 5 years of their first non-mentored position and must not have received more than $300,000 in total direct costs for prior/concurrent MS research as PI on non-mentored, peer-reviewed grants. - An investigator may only apply as PI to one application (either as Established or New Investigator). - No restrictions on citizenship, nationality, or ethnicity. - **Other:** Awards are made to organizations, not individuals. --- ## Application Process 1. **Pre-Application (Letter of Intent):** - Submit via [eBRAP](https://www.ebrap.org/) by July 30, 2026. - Required for all applicants; no invitation required to submit a full application. 2. **Full Application:** - Extramural organizations: submit through [Grants.gov](https://www.grants.gov/). - Intramural DOW organizations: submit via eBRAP. - Include all required attachments (project narrative, technical/lay abstracts, SOW, impact/innovation statements, etc.). - For the "Correlates of Disease Activity and Progression in MS" focus area, provide a letter confirming access to pre-existing specimens/data. 3. **Verification:** - After submission, verify application content in eBRAP by August 20, 2026. **Note:** The project narrative and budget cannot be changed after the application deadline; other components may be updated until the verification deadline. --- ## Additional Information - **Focus Areas:** Applications must address at least one of the following: - Central nervous system repair, protection, and regenerative potential in MS - Correlates of disease activity and progression in MS (must use pre-existing data/specimens) - Biology and measurement of MS symptoms - Mechanisms contributing to, or associated with, MS etiology, prodrome, onset, and disease course - **Restrictions:** - Clinical trials are not permitted. - No support for studies solely on developmental myelination, basic demyelination mechanisms, or peripheral immunomodulatory therapies. - For "Correlates" focus area, only pre-existing cohorts/data may be used—no new collection allowed. - **Review Criteria:** Innovation, research strategy/feasibility, impact, personnel, environment, budget, and research sharing plan. - **Reporting:** Annual and final technical progress reports required. --- ## External Links - [Program Announcement & Instructions (PDF)](https://api.atomgrants.com/storage/v1/object/public/grants3-sources/HT942526MSRPEHDA_GG.pdf) - [Grants.gov Opportunity Listing](https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/362229) - [eBRAP Portal](https://www.ebrap.org/) - [Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA](https://usamraa.health.mil) --- ## Contact Information | Contact | Details | |------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | eBRAP Help Desk | 301-682-5507
[help@eBRAP.org](mailto:help@eBRAP.org) | | Grants.gov Support | 800-518-4726
[support@grants.gov](mailto:support@grants.gov) | | USAMRAA General Email | [USArmy.Detrick.MEDCOM-USAMRMC.List.Webmaster@health.mil](mailto:USArmy.Detrick.MEDCOM-USAMRMC.List.Webmaster@health.mil) | ---

DoW Multiple Sclerosis Exploration-Hypothesis Development Award

Sign in to see full grant listing