Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs | May 2025

Alzheimer's Research Program

Transforming Diagnosis Award

  • Eligibility: Independent investigators at all career levels (or equivalent). Career Initiation or Transition (CIT) Partnering PI Option available for initiation investigators with 3-7 years of research experience beyond a terminal degree or transition investigators new to the Alzheimer's disease/Alzheimer's disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD) and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI) fields.
  • Purpose: Supports research seeking to transform diagnosis and prognosis to better determine the trajectory, long-term outcomes, and impact of AD/ADRD following military service and/or TBI. Studies are required to prospectively recruit study participants. Clinical trials are not allowed; data and/or human anatomical substances from an existing clinical trial may be used. Community collaboration is required. Animal studies are not allowed.
    Funding: $1.5M (base option), $1.7M (CIT) for 4 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Pre-Proposal): June 12, 2025; Application: August 29, 2025.

Transforming Research Award

  • Eligibility: Independent investigators at all career levels (or equivalent). CIT Partnering PI Option available for initiation investigators with 3-7 years of research experience beyond a terminal degree or transition investigators new to the AD/ADRD and/or TBI fields.
  • Purpose: Supports transformative research studies that reduce risk of or prevent the development of AD/ADRD with near-term, high-impact outcomes and demonstrate significant positive impact toward improving patient care and/or quality of life. Risk reduction considering TBI is of particular interest. Clinical trials are not allowed. Preliminary data are required. Community collaboration is required for projects involving clinical research. Studies with prospective human subjects’ enrollment are allowed.
  • Funding: $1.0M for 3 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Pre-Proposal): June 12, 2025; Application: August 29, 2025.

Transforming Care Award

  • Eligibility: Independent investigators at all career levels (or equivalent). CIT Partnering PI Option available for initiation investigators with 3-7 years of research experience beyond a terminal degree or transition investigators new to the AD/ADRD and/or TBI fields.
  • Purpose: Supports person-centered research that prioritizes the individual with AD/ADRD, their care partner/caregiver, and/or both that clearly demonstrates feasibility and identifies a realistic approach to scaling and implementation. “Care” does not include medical care (such as medical interventions administered by a physician). Clinical trials are allowed. Preliminary data are required. Community collaboration is required. Animal studies are not allowed.
  • Funding: $1.6M (base option), $1.9M (CIT) for 4 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Pre-Proposal): June 12, 2025; Application: August 29, 2025.
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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Program

Pilot Clinical Trial Award

  • Eligibility: Independent investigators at any career level.
  • Purpose: Supports phase 1 to small-scale phase 2 trials aimed at de-risking and informing the design of more advanced trials. Projects may propose interventions focused on improving existing clinical care and/or symptom management strategies. Therapeutic interventions must incorporate biomarkers specific to the intervention.
  • Funding: $2M for direct costs over 3 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application: June 6, 2025; Application: August 27, 2025.

Clinical Outcomes and Biomarkers Award

  • Eligibility: Independent investigators at any career level.
  • Purpose: Supports the development and/or validation of clinical outcomes and/or biomarkers to enrich clinical trials in ALS. Studies may include prospective enrollment of patients to collect biospecimens and/or clinical or digital data. Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Funding: $750K for direct costs over 3 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application: June 6, 2025; Application: August 27, 2025.

Therapeutic Development Award

  • Eligibility: Independent investigators at any career level.
  • Purpose: Supports research ranging from preclinical validation of therapeutic leads through FDA Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies. Applications must begin with lead compounds in hand and include proof-of-concept efficacy data in at least one appropriate preclinical model system of ALS.
  • Funding: $1.5M for direct costs over 3 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application: June 6, 2025; Application: August 27, 2025.

Therapeutic Idea Award

  • Eligibility: Independent investigators at any career level.
  • Purpose: Supports new, innovative, high-risk, high-gain ideas aimed at ALS drug or therapy discovery. Projects should be hypothesis-driven and generate preliminary data for future therapeutic investigation. Incorporation of rational biomarker development is required.
  • Funding: $600K for direct costs over 2 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application: June 6, 2025; Application: August 27, 2025.
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Breast Cancer Research Program

Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2

  • Eligibility: Investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent). Applications from postdoctoral fellows are encouraged.
  • Purpose: Supports promising research with high potential to lead to or make breakthroughs in breast cancer.
  • Funding: Level 1: $540,000 (Single PI), $900,000 (Partnering PI) for 3 years. Level 2: $1.2M (Single PI), $1.8M (Partnering PI), $1.8M (Population Science and Prevention Studies - Single PI), $2.4M (Population Science and Prevention Studies - Partnering PI) for 3-4 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application: June 13, 2025; Application: June 27, 2025.

Clinical Research Extension Award

  • Eligibility: Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent).
  • Purpose: Supports the extension or expansion of data collection, follow-up, and analysis of breast cancer clinical studies.
  • Funding: $5M (Single PI), $6M (Partnering PI) for 4 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application: June 13, 2025; Application: June 27, 2025.

Era of Hope Scholar Award

  • Eligibility: Independent, non-mentored investigators within six years of their last training position.
  • Purpose: Supports early-career individuals who have demonstrated significant potential to effect meaningful change in breast cancer.
  • Funding: $3.5M for 4 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application: June 13, 2025; Application: June 27, 2025; Confidential Letters of Recommendation: July 2, 2025.

Breakthrough Award Level 3

  • Eligibility: Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent).
  • Purpose: Supports promising research with high potential to lead to or make breakthroughs in breast cancer.
  • Funding: $4M (Single PI), $5M (Partnering PI) for 4 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application: June 13, 2025; Application: September 10, 2025.
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Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research Program

Idea Development Award

  • Eligibility: Established investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent), or new investigators within 10 years of their first faculty appointment.
  • Purpose: Supports the development of innovative, high-impact ideas that advance the understanding of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and lead to improved outcomes. Therapies that will be efficacious across the lifespan, particularly in adolescence and adults, are encouraged.
  • Funding: Maximum allowable funding is $350,000 for direct costs over a period of 2 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Letter of Intent) by July 25, 2025, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time; Application by August 8, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Clinical/Translational Research Award

  • Eligibility: Independent investigators at all career levels. Early-career partnering principal investigators must be within 10 years of their first faculty appointment.
  • Purpose: Supports translational studies that have moved beyond basic research and have the potential to result in a near-term impact in clinical research or the clinic. Research projects investigating therapies that will be efficacious across the lifespan, particularly in adolescents and adults, are strongly encouraged.
  • Funding: Varies based on funding level ($650,000 to $1.3M)
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Letter of Intent) by July 25, 2025, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time; Application by August 8, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
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Military Burn Research Program

Discovery Award

  • Eligibility: Organizations may name Principal Investigators (PIs) at all academic levels (or industry equivalent).
  • Purpose: Supports innovative, untested, groundbreaking research that provides new insights and explores early concepts in battlefield burn care. The research should lay the groundwork for future avenues of scientific investigation or product development for burn care delivered in an austere, resource-limited, battlefield environment. Preliminary data are not required. Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Funding: The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $200,000 for total costs. The maximum period of performance is 2 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Preproposal) by June 23, 2025, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time; Application by September 8, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Patient-Centered Research Award

  • Eligibility: Organizations may name PIs at or above the level of Assistant Professor or an independent investigator within the biomedical industry.
  • Purpose: Bridges the gap between research, practice, and policy by building a knowledge base that provides clinically useful findings about how interventions, clinical practices/guidelines, tools, and policies can be deployed to burn patients in an austere, resource-limited, battlefield environment at the point of need. Preliminary data are required. Funding from this award mechanism must support clinical research or clinical trials. Descriptive, observational, and experimental studies are allowed. Preclinical or animal research is not allowed.
  • Funding: The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $1.7 million for total costs. The maximum period of performance is 4 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Preproposal) by June 23, 2025, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time; Application by September 8, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Technology/Therapeutic Development Award

  • Eligibility: Organizations may name PIs at all academic levels (or industry equivalent).
  • Purpose: Supports the translation of promising preclinical findings into burn products for clinical application in an austere, resource-limited, battlefield environment. The research should be product-oriented (e.g., medical device, drug, or clinical practice guidelines involving a therapeutic or technology).
  • Funding: The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $3 million for total costs. The maximum period of performance is 4 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Preproposal) by June 23, 2025, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time; Application by September 8, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
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Ovarian Cancer Research Program

Investigator-Initiated Research Award

  • Eligibility: Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).
  • Purpose: Supports high-impact research that addresses a critical need and has the potential to make an important contribution to ovarian cancer or patient/survivor care. Research aimed at extending the lives of advanced-stage and recurrent patients is encouraged. Preliminary data are required. Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Funding: $1,050,000 for total costs (direct + indirect costs) for a single Principal Investigator (PI); $1,400,000 for total costs (direct + indirect costs) for Partnering PIs.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Preproposal): June 12, 2025, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). Application: September 11, 2025, 11:59 p.m. ET.

Ovarian Cancer Clinical Trial Academy – Early-Career Investigator Award

  • Eligibility: Investigators must be within 12 years of their last postdoctoral research position (Ph.D.), clinical fellowship (M.D.), or equivalent at the time of full application submission deadline. A letter attesting to eligibility is required.
  • Purpose: Supports the addition of new early-career investigators (ECIs) to the unique, interactive virtual Clinical Trial Academy that provides intensive mentoring, national networking, collaborations, and a peer group for junior faculty. Research will support translational research and small-scale, early-phase clinical trials in ovarian cancer. Preliminary data are required. Clinical trials are allowed.
  • Funding: $1,400,000 for total costs (direct + indirect costs).
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Preproposal): June 12, 2025, 5:00 p.m. ET. Application: September 11, 2025, 11:59 p.m. ET.

Pilot Award

  • Eligibility: Investigators at the level of postdoctoral fellow or clinical fellow (or equivalent).
  • Purpose: Supports innovative, high-risk/high-reward research in ovarian cancer that could ultimately lead to critical discoveries or major advancements that will drive the field forward. Innovation is an important review criterion. Preliminary data are not required but are allowed. Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Funding: $350,000 for total costs (direct + indirect costs).
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Preproposal): June 12, 2025, 5:00 p.m. ET. Application: September 11, 2025, 11:59 p.m. ET
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Rare Cancers Research Program

Concept Award

  • Eligibility: Investigators at or above the level of postdoctoral fellow.
  • Purpose: Supports highly innovative, untested, potentially groundbreaking novel concepts in rare cancers. Proof-of-concept is the anticipated outcome. Reviewers will be blinded to the identity of the Principal Investigator, collaborators, and their organization(s). Submission must address at least one of the FY25 focus areas of Biology, Research, and/or Therapy. Preliminary data are not required. Clinical trials are not allowed. Submission of a letter of intent is required prior to full application submission.
  • Funding: The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $140,000 for total costs (direct plus indirect costs). The maximum period of performance is 2 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Letter of Intent): July 22, 2025, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Application: August 26, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Idea Development Award

  • Eligibility: Independent Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor.
  • Purpose: Promotes new ideas that are still in the early stages of development and have the potential to yield impactful data and new avenues of investigation in the rare cancers field. Impact is a key criterion of this award mechanism. Applications that demonstrate exceptional scientific merit but lack high potential impact do not meet the intent of the award mechanism. Submission must address at least one of the FY25 focus areas of Biology, Research, and/or Therapy. Preliminary data with disease-specific rationale is required. However, these data do not necessarily need to be derived from studies of the proposed rare cancer type(s)/subtype(s) under study and may include correlative studies to ongoing clinical research. Clinical trials are not allowed. Pre-application submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Funding: The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $490,000 for total costs (direct plus indirect costs). The maximum period of performance is 3 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Preproposal): July 1, 2025, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Application: October 6, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Resource and Community Development Award

  • Eligibility: Independent Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor.
  • Purpose: Supports the development of research resources and clinical or preclinical data sets that advance the field of rare cancers research and ultimately improve outcomes of individuals with rare cancers. Emphasizes development of collaboration and information sharing among stakeholders such as researchers, patients, family members, caregivers, clinicians, and other members of the rare cancers community. Submission must address the FY25 focus area of Platform Development. Preliminary data are not required but may be included. Clinical trials are not allowed. Pre-application submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Funding: The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $1,120,000 for total costs (direct plus indirect costs). The maximum period of performance is 4 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Preproposal): July 1, 2025, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Application: October 6, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
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Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program

Clinical Trial Award

  • Eligibility: Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).
  • Purpose: Supports the rapid implementation of clinical trials with the potential to have a significant impact on the treatment or management of a disease or condition addressed in one of the congressionally directed FY25 PRMRP topic areas and FY25 PRMRP strategic goals. Proposed projects may range from small proof-of-concept trials through large-scale definitive trials. Clinical trials are required. Animal studies are not allowed.
  • Funding: The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $8.0 million for total costs. The maximum period of performance is 4 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Letter of Intent): June 9, 2025, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Application: July 21, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Technology/Therapeutic Development Award

  • Eligibility: Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).
  • Purpose: Supports the translation of promising preclinical findings into products for clinical applications including prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and/or quality of life for a disease or condition related to one of the FY25 PRMRP topic areas and FY25 PRMRP strategic goals. Supports product-oriented projects (e.g., device, drug, clinical guidelines). The product(s) to be developed may be a tangible item such as a pharmacologic agent (drugs or biologics) or device, or a knowledge-based product. Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Funding: The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $2.5 million for direct costs. Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution’s negotiated rate agreement. The maximum period of performance is 4 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Letter of Intent): June 9, 2025, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Application: July 21, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Focused Program Award

  • Eligibility: Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).
  • Purpose: Supports a synergistic, multidisciplinary research program of at least four distinct but complementary projects addressing an overarching goal in one of the FY25 PRMRP topic areas. Projects should work together to answer critical questions, resolve differing hypotheses, and translate laboratory findings to clinical applications. Preliminary data are required. Clinical trials are allowed.
  • Funding: The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $7.2 million for total costs. The maximum period of performance is 4 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Preproposal): June 9, 2025, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Application: July 21, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Investigator-Initiated Research Award

  • Eligibility: Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).
    Purpose: Supports research that will make an original and important contribution to the field of research or patient care in the FY25 PRMRP topic areas. Preliminary data are required. Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Funding: The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $1.6 million for total costs. The maximum period of performance is 4 years.
  • Submission Deadlines: Pre-Application (Preproposal): June 9, 2025, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Application: July 21, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
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