DoD Epilepsy, Research Partnership Award | W81XWH 20 ERP RPA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 20 ERP RPA

The DoD Epilepsy Research Partnership Award (FY20 ERP RPA; W81XWH-20-ERP-RPA) is a Department of Defense funding opportunity designed to push epilepsy research forward through true collaboration. Its central goal is to fund research partnerships where the combined effort of at least two investigators makes it possible to tackle a research problem in a way that would not be achievable if each investigator worked separately. Applications are expected to be impact-based, meaning they need to make a clear case for why the work matters, what near-term outcomes the study will deliver, and how those outcomes could build toward longer-term scientific and clinical gains. The program is especially focused on benefits that extend across military Service members, Veterans, and civilians, with a strong emphasis on research that can move the field toward real-world clinical application.

A major scientific theme across the announcement is post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE), particularly in relation to traumatic brain injury (TBI). Applicants are encouraged to align with one of three focus areas, although proposing work outside these areas is allowed if the justification is strong. The first focus area, Markers and Mechanisms, targets identification of biological or mechanistic signals using preclinical models, including work on biomarkers and underlying mechanisms tied to treatment, prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, and comorbidities. The second focus area, Epidemiology, emphasizes population-level characterization of PTE after TBI, such as evaluating demographic or genetic risk factors, injury-related factors, clinical outcomes like latency to epilepsy and mortality, the role of pre-existing psychological or psychiatric conditions, treatment and healthcare outcomes, and the important challenge of distinguishing PTE from psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES). The third focus area, Longitudinal Studies, centers on following the evolution of PTE over time, including seizure patterns and semiology, injury characteristics and patient factors, comorbidities (for example depression, sleep disorders, functional deficits, or major illness), latency from injury to epilepsy, mortality, and treatment or healthcare outcomes.

The award offers two distinct funding levels, structured around the type of research and the maturity of the evidence base. Funding Level I is meant for preclinical or pre-validation research, essentially supporting studies that build or strengthen the foundation for later translation. Funding Level II is meant for research that requires access to a patient cohort and is framed as a prospective study level of effort. For Level II, the program encourages feasibility work that combines multiple kinds of measures, such as neuropsychological testing, imaging, and genomics, reflecting a push toward multi-modal approaches that can better explain or predict who develops PTE after TBI. A key expectation for Level II is a careful plan for how TBI exposure will be defined and characterized within the cohort and how the link between TBI and subsequent PTE will be assessed, including a clear statistical plan that explains how different types or features of TBI will be handled analytically. Because Level II is explicitly patient-centered, animal research is not allowed under Level II applications.

Regardless of funding level, the partnership requirements are central and non-negotiable. The project must be jointly designed by at least two investigators, with clear evidence that each partner provided equal intellectual input into the project concept and study design. One partner can serve as the Principal Investigator while the other(s) serve as Co-PI(s). Multi-institutional teams are encouraged but not required; however, the application must convincingly show that the project depends on the partners unique expertise and that the collaboration itself is what enables the work to succeed. Applicants also need to demonstrate that the team has experience spanning both TBI and epilepsy research, reinforcing the program goal of integrated expertise rather than isolated disciplinary work.

Operationally, applications must lay out a concrete collaboration plan that explains how the partnership will function day to day. That includes how the team will communicate, make decisions, allocate resources, coordinate progress, share results, and manage and share data across investigators and organizations. If the application involves multiple institutions, it must also include an intellectual property plan to address potential intellectual or material property issues and reduce institutional barriers that could interfere with full cooperation. The program also requires preliminary data to show feasibility of the hypotheses or objectives; this can come from lab discoveries, clinical observations, population studies, or existing peer-reviewed literature, but it must be presented in a way that credibly supports the proposed work.

From an award mechanics standpoint, the DoD indicates that awards will be made as assistance agreements, meaning either a grant or a cooperative agreement. Which one is used depends on how much involvement the DoD anticipates having during the project. If the agency expects no substantial involvement, the mechanism is a grant; if substantial involvement is expected (for example, collaboration or participation by the DoD during performance), the mechanism becomes a cooperative agreement, and the specific nature of that involvement is spelled out in the award. The final award type and start date are determined during negotiation.

In terms of budget and scale, the total cost cap for Funding Level I is up to $1.3 million for the entire period of performance, while Funding Level II is up to $3.1 million total. The program expected to make about two awards in total: approximately one award at each funding level, corresponding to the approximate allocations of $1.3M and $3.1M. Awards were expected to be made no later than September 30, 2021, and the funding for resulting awards was anticipated to come from FY20 funds with availability limited by the federal fiscal lifecycle, noted as expiring for use on September 30, 2026. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), and the opportunity is administered by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, USAMRAA under CFDA 12.420, within the science and technology and research and development category. The original closing date for applications was July 21, 2020, and as with most competitive federal programs, actual funding depends on federal fund availability and on scientific and programmatic review outcomes.

• 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, Research Partnership 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 19, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 21, 2020. (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 2 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 20 ERP RPA

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