Gulf War Illness, Investigator-Initiated Focused Research Award | W81XWH 18 GWIRP IIFRA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 18 GWIRP IIFRA

The FY18 Gulf War Illness Research Program (GWIRP) Investigator-Initiated Focused Research Award (IIFRA) is a Department of Defense funding opportunity designed to push forward applied research that can realistically improve the diagnosis and/or treatment of Gulf War Illness (GWI). The program is specifically centered on Veterans who served in the 1990-1991 Gulf War and who are affected by GWI, meaning proposals need to be clearly anchored in that population rather than broad, general chronic illness research. A major theme of the opportunity is clinical relevance: even if a project is not immediately running a clinical trial or delivering a ready-to-use medical product, applicants are expected to explain, in a concrete and credible way, how the work could lead to clinical impact for Veterans with GWI. The Principal Investigator is expected to spell out the project’s potential impact, rather than assuming reviewers will infer it.

This award supports both fresh, investigator-driven ideas and continued development of ongoing lines of applied research, as long as the work is aimed at diagnostic advancement (for example, better biomarkers, validated diagnostic tools, or clearer case definitions tied to measurable biology) or therapeutic advancement (for example, intervention targets, treatment strategies, or evidence that supports moving an approach toward clinical testing). The intent is not just to generate knowledge in the abstract, but to strengthen the pathway from research findings to practical benefits for affected Veterans, such as improved identification of illness mechanisms, clearer diagnostic criteria, or better treatment options that can be evaluated in clinical settings.

A notable feature introduced in FY18 is the Biorepository Contribution Option. In the prior year, the program invested in infrastructure for a dedicated GWI biorepository, and this network is now established as the Boston Biorepository, Recruitment, and Integrative Network (BBRAIN) for GWI. BBRAIN is meant to retain and distribute biospecimens and related data to accelerate and standardize GWI research, which is often limited by small cohorts and inconsistent sample handling. For FY18 applicants, contributing biospecimens and/or data to BBRAIN is strongly encouraged, and the opportunity includes a nested funding option that can provide higher support for applications that commit to those contributions. To be considered for that higher funding level, the PI must submit a Biorepository Contribution Statement that lays out the proposed costs and shows a willingness to follow BBRAIN’s protocols and Standard Operating Procedures to ensure quality and consistency. The broader goal is to build a more connected research ecosystem where data and samples can be reused, validated, and combined across studies, improving reproducibility and speeding progress toward clinically meaningful outcomes.

The IIFRA is structured to accommodate projects at different stages of maturity through two separate tiers. Applicants must select the tier that best fits the scope and developmental stage of the proposed work, and the program stresses that this decision should be driven by what the science requires rather than by the maximum funding level. In other words, the tier selection is intended to align expectations, milestones, and deliverables with where the project actually sits on the path from concept to application.

Administratively, the opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH 18 GWIRP IIFRA) is offered by the Department of Defense through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). It is listed under the research and development category (CFDA 12.420) and uses grant and/or cooperative agreement mechanisms. Eligibility is broadly open (unrestricted by organization type, unless otherwise clarified in the full announcement). The posting date is May 1, 2018, with an original closing date of November 8, 2018, and the program anticipated making around 13 awards. The award ceiling is listed as 0 in the summary data, which typically indicates that the maximum is defined elsewhere in the detailed program announcement (often by tier and by whether the biorepository contribution option is selected), rather than as a single universal cap in the top-line listing.

Taken together, this funding opportunity is aimed at moving the GWI field toward practical outcomes by supporting targeted, applied research with a clearly articulated route to clinical benefit, while also incentivizing the sharing of high-quality biospecimens and data through BBRAIN to strengthen collaboration, validation, and long-term impact for Gulf War Veterans living with GWI.

• 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 "Gulf War Illness, Investigator-Initiated Focused Research 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 01, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 08, 2018. (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 13 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.

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