DoD Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) Epilepsy Research Program

The FY22 Defense Appropriations Act is anticipated to provide funding for the Epilepsy Research Program (ERP) to understand the mechanisms of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) and associated comorbidities to improve quality of life, especially in Service Members, Veterans, and caregivers. 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 ERP 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 ERP 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 ERP must address one or more of the following Focus Areas:

  • Innovative Research: Tools intended to better inform or improve upon PTE research and care, which may include the following:
    • Strategies that will improve seizure detection, characterization, visualization, or diagnosis
    • Development of new models or better characterization of existing etiologically relevant models for PTE
  • Markers and Mechanisms: Identifying biomarkers or mechanisms of PTE, which may include the following:
    • Predictive biomarkers for epileptogenesis (acute and chronic)
    • Research into the prevention of epilepsy and/or seizures
  • Epidemiology: Epidemiological characterization of PTE following traumatic brain injury (TBI), which may include the following:
    • Understanding and improving the quality of life of individuals with PTE, their families, and their caregivers
    • Predictors of the development of epilepsy
    • Outcomes, including latency to and prevention of epilepsy, comorbidities, and mortality
  • Longitudinal Studies: Studies of the evolution of PTE, which may include the following:
    • Understanding and improving quality of life of individuals with PTE, their families, and their caregivers
    • Treatment and healthcare outcomes research, including quality of care
    • Natural history of PTE and prognosis
    • Comorbidities (e.g., depression, functional deficits, sleep disorders, major illness)

https://cdmrp.army.mil/pubs/press/2022/22erppreann

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 at https://eBRAP.org. For more information about the ERP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website.

Contact osrp@iit.edu for help with your proposal.