DoD Peer Reviewed Alzheimer’s Research Partnership Award | W81XWH 18 PRARP RPA

FAQs: DoD Peer Reviewed Alzheimer's Research Partnership Award (PRARP RPA; W81XWH-18-PRARP-RPA)

What is the PRARP RPA funding opportunity?

The PRARP Research Partnership Award (PRARP RPA; Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-18-PRARP-RPA) is a Department of Defense research grant/cooperative agreement intended to fund tightly integrated collaborations studying questions at the intersection of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Alzheimer's disease or Alzheimer's disease related dementias (AD/ADRD).

What is the main goal of this award?

The core goal is to support research that truly depends on a partnership to succeed. The application is expected to propose one unified project that would be difficult or impossible to accomplish as separate, parallel efforts.

What kinds of research does this program support?

The program supports basic research and also welcomes preclinical studies, with an emphasis on producing advances that move the field closer to clinical applications and can ultimately benefit military Service members, Veterans, and civilian populations.

How many investigators are required on a team?

Each application must include at least two investigators who jointly design a single integrated research project.

Does the program require equal intellectual contribution from partners?

Yes. The proposal must provide clear evidence that each partner contributed equally to the intellectual development of the research approach.

Can the application have a Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-PI(s)?

Yes. One partner may serve as the PI and the other(s) may be listed as Co-PI(s), as long as the project is designed as a unified partnership effort.

Who is eligible to serve as the named PI?

The named PI must be at or above the Assistant Professor level (or equivalent).

Are applicants limited to certain disciplines or fields?

No. Investigators may come from any discipline, but the team is expected to collectively demonstrate strong experience in both TBI and AD/ADRD to support the program's aim of bridging these areas.

Are multi-institutional collaborations required?

No. Multi-institutional collaborations are encouraged but not mandatory. The key requirement is that the partnership is essential and that the division of expertise and responsibilities is credible.

What is a required Collaboration Statement?

Applications must include a formal Collaboration Statement describing the partnership and demonstrating that the project is designed as a genuinely integrated collaboration rather than separate projects running in parallel.

What should the collaboration plan include?

The application should include a practical, detailed plan describing how partners will work together throughout the project, including routine communication methods, decision-making processes, allocation of resources and responsibilities, coordination of progress and results, and how data will be shared among investigators and participating organizations.

Is an intellectual property (IP) plan required?

If the collaboration spans multiple institutions, the application must include an intellectual property plan to address potential ownership and material transfer issues and reduce institutional barriers that could disrupt cooperation or slow progress.

Is preliminary data required?

Yes. Preliminary data are required to keep the project grounded and feasible and to support the central hypothesis and approach within the project period.

What types of preliminary data are acceptable?

Preliminary data can come from laboratory discoveries, clinical observations, or population-based studies, as long as they convincingly support feasibility.

What is the maximum funding amount?

The anticipated total costs for the full period of performance may not exceed $1.3 million. Although some source fields show an "Award Ceiling" of 0, the narrative guidance specifies a practical cap of $1.3 million in total costs over the full performance period.

What is the maximum project period?

The maximum project length is 3 years.

How many awards were anticipated?

The opportunity anticipated making about three awards.

What scientific themes must proposals address?

Proposals must address at least one of the program's FY18 "Overarching Challenges," which target gaps in understanding and managing the relationship between TBI and later AD/ADRD.

What are the FY18 Overarching Challenges described for this program?

The listed challenges include: limited research resources and limited clinical studies on how TBI relates to later dementia risk; the need for improved diagnostic technologies, tests, biomarkers, or devices to detect or predict progression toward AD/ADRD after TBI; the need for quality-of-life and caregiver-focused tools or interventions for people living with overlapping symptoms/deficits from TBI and AD/ADRD; and an emphasis on epidemiology to improve population-level evidence and identify risk factors for AD/ADRD after TBI.

Are there specific Focus Areas applicants are encouraged to align with?

Yes. The program lists several Focus Areas that applicants are encouraged to align with, although work outside these areas can still be considered if a strong rationale is provided.

What Focus Areas are specifically mentioned?

The Focus Areas include: mechanisms of pathogenesis (for example, traumatic axonal injury, neuroinflammation, immune regulation, tau biology/pathology, vascular contributions, and omics-based approaches); biomarker development (fluid, imaging, physiological, and omics-based strategies); quality-of-life research addressing shared symptoms/deficits and management of comorbidities and modifiable risk factors (for example, sleep apnea or obesity), cognitive training, wellness and behavioral interventions; caregiver support research (training, home-based support, behavioral and relationship interventions); epidemiology (incidence and distribution); novel target identification through non-human basic research that leads directly to new therapeutic targets; and nonpharmacological interventions to improve quality of life or caregiving.

Does the program allow research outside the stated Focus Areas?

Yes. Research outside the Focus Areas can still be considered if the application provides a strong rationale for why the work fits the program's goals and mission.

How does the program view clinical impact and translation?

Even when the work is basic or preclinical, the program expects research to accelerate advances aligned with the PRARP mission and move the field closer to clinical applications.

Are pharmacological treatment studies allowed?

Pharmacological interventions are specifically discouraged. In this opportunity, a pharmacological intervention is defined as clinical research that requires investigational or FDA-approved drugs or medicines.

If drug-based studies are discouraged, what types of projects are emphasized instead?

The opportunity steers applicants toward mechanistic studies, biomarker and diagnostic development, epidemiology, and non-drug (nonpharmacological) interventions that can translate into practical benefits for patients and caregivers affected by long-term consequences of TBI and risk or progression of AD/ADRD.

Is caregiver-focused research within scope?

Yes. Caregiver support is explicitly identified as a challenge area and a Focus Area, including training, home-based support, and behavioral and relationship interventions.

Is quality-of-life research within scope?

Yes. Quality-of-life research is explicitly included, particularly work that alleviates or characterizes shared symptoms and deficits across TBI and AD/ADRD, and work addressing comorbidities and modifiable risk factors.

Are diagnostics and biomarkers a priority?

Yes. A stated Overarching Challenge is the need for improved diagnostic technologies, tests, biomarkers, or devices to detect or predict progression toward AD/ADRD following TBI. Biomarker development is also a listed Focus Area.

Is epidemiological research encouraged?

Yes. Epidemiology is emphasized as a challenge area and a Focus Area, including work on incidence/distribution and identifying risk factors that may predispose individuals to AD/ADRD after TBI.

What does the program mean by a "tightly integrated" collaboration?

It means the investigators jointly design and execute one unified research project with coordinated responsibilities, shared decision-making, and planned data sharing, rather than dividing the work into independent projects that could run separately.

What is the intended beneficiary population?

The program emphasizes impact that can ultimately benefit military Service members, Veterans, and civilian populations.