The FY22 Defense Appropriations Bill has not been signed into law. Although FY22 funds have not been appropriated for the Peer Reviewed Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program (PRARP), the PRARP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY22 funding opportunities. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the government.

The FY22 Defense Appropriations Act is anticipated to provide funding for the Peer Reviewed Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program (PRARP) to support research that addresses the long-term implications of military service as they pertain to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD) for Service Members, Veterans, and the general public. The managing agent for the anticipated program announcements/ funding opportunities is the CDMRP at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC).

The PRARP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY22 funding opportunities. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the government. The FY22 PRARP funding opportunity announcements for the following award mechanisms will be posted on the Grants.gov website. Pre-application and application deadlines will be available when the announcements are released.

Applications submitted to the FY22 PRARP must address one or more of the following Focus Areas:

Individual, caregiver, and family support: Research and resources focused on long-term care, quality of life, psychosocial wellness and support, and community and home resources supporting aging-in-place and community living for individuals living with dementia, their families, and care partners. Family is broadly defined to include family of choice as well. Study population diversity is strongly encouraged. Community-based participatory research inclusion is strongly preferred.
Environmental, Diagnostic, and Prognostic Factors: Research to better detect, diagnose, and predict long-term outcomes and risk factors associated with AD/ADRD following military service and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI). Research of interest may include, but is not limited to:
○ Identification and validation of biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of AD and ADRD: including but not limited to fluid, tissues, imaging, device, and psychosocial, or a combination thereof.

○ Risk and resiliency factors for development of AD/ADRD during and after military service, such as genetic, physiological, psychosocial, and life history.

○ Epidemiological studies examining TBI and/or military service-related factors, including TBI and AD/ADRD development.

Fundamental research to better understand the etiology, risk, and comorbidities for AD/ADRD after TBI.
Press Release: 2022 Peer Reviewed Alzheimer’s Research Program, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (army.mil)

NEW: Investigator-Initiated Research Award

The Principal Investigator (PI) must be an independent investigator as named by their institution.

Early-Career-Investigator Partnering PI Option:

Must be a junior investigator within 10 years of a terminal degree or new to the field.

Supports research with high innovation/impact in one of the PRARP Focus Areas.
Early-Career Investigator Partnering PI Option available.
Clinical trials will not be supported, but studies with prospective human subjects’ enrollment may be allowed.
Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.
Maximum funding of $750,000 for total costs.
Maximum period of performance is 3 years

NEW: Translational Research Award

The PI must be an independent investigator as named by their institution.

· Supports the translation of promising research into clinical application (i.e., preclinical to clinical translation) and clinical care (i.e., implementation science).

· Also supports optional small-scale clinical trials.

· Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission

· Maximum funding of $1.2 million (M) for total costs.

· Maximum period of performance is 3 years.

Accelerating Diagnostics Research Award

The PI must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).

Supports validation and implementation of innovative diagnostic modalities to better determine the trajectory, long-term outcomes, and impact of AD/ADRD following military service and/or TBI.
Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.

• Maximum funding of $2.5M for total costs.
• Maximum period of performance is 4 years.

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) at https://eBRAP.org prior to the pre-application deadline. All applications must conform to the final funding opportunity announcements that will be available for downloading from the Grants.gov website. The application package containing the required forms for each award mechanism will also be found on Grants.gov. A listing of all CDMRP and other USAMRDC extramural funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420.

All proposals are due to the Office of Sponsored Research five days prior to the sponsor deadline. Contact osrp@iit.edu for help with your proposal.

Submission deadlines are not available until the funding opportunity announcements are released. For email notification when announcements are released, subscribe to program-specific news and updates under “Email Subscriptions” on the eBRAP homepage. For more information about the PRARP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website.