OpportunityTitle: Spinal Cord Injury Research Program Investigator-Initiated Research Award
Description: The Investigator-Initiated Research Award (IIRA) is intended to support studies that make an important contribution to SCI research and/or patient care. Projects should address an Area of Encouragement and be applicable to the health care needs of the military service members, their family members, and/or the U.S. veteran population. All applications must specifically and clearly address the military relevance of the proposed research. Collaboration with military researchers and clinicians is encouraged. Research projects may focus on any phase of research from basic laboratory through translational research including preclinical studies in animal models or human subjects, as well as correlative studies associated with an existing clinical trial. Observations that drive a research idea may be derived from laboratory discovery, population-based studies, or a clinician&#146;s firsthand knowledge of patients and anecdotal data. Proposals must include preliminary and/or published data relevant to the topic area and the proposed project. Clinical trials are not allowed under this mechanism. Principal Investigators (PIs) wishing to apply for funding for a clinical trial focused on rehabilitative medicine should utilize the SCIRP Clinical Trial Award &#150; Rehabilitation mechanism (for information about this mechanism, see http://cdmrp.army.mil). Refer to the Application Instructions &amp; General Information, Appendix 6, for helpful information about distinguishing clinical trials and clinical research. Use of Human Subjects and Human Biological Substances: All DOD-funded research involving human subjects and human biological substances must be reviewed and approved by the USAMRMC Office of Research Protections (ORP), Human Research Protection Office (HRPO), in addition to local IRBs. The HRPO is mandated to comply with specific laws and DOD Spinal Cord Injury Investigator-Initiated Research Award 4 directives governing all research involving human subjects that is conducted or supported by the DOD. These laws and directives are rigorous and detailed and will require information in addition to that supplied by the local review board. Allow a minimum of 6 months for regulatory review and approval processes for studies involving human subjects. Refer to the Application Instructions &amp; General Information, Appendix 6, for additional information. Encouraged Department of Defense (DOD) Collaboration and Alignment: Military relevance is a key feature of this program. Therefore, alignment with current DOD research and collaboration with military researchers and clinicians is encouraged. The following websites may be useful in identifying information about ongoing DOD areas of research interest within the FY09 SCI Areas of Encouragement. Defense Technical Information Center http://www.dtic.mil Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs http://cdmrp.army.mil U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command https://mrmc.amedd.army.mil Air Force Research Laboratory http://www.wpafb.af.mil/afrl Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center http://www-nehc.med.navy.mil/ U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Research and Development www.research.va.gov Office of Naval Research http://www.onr.navy.mil/ U.S. Army Research Laboratory http://www.arl.army.mil U.S. Naval Research Laboratory www.nrl.navy.mil Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency http://www.darpa.mil/ U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity http://www.usamraa.army.mil Naval Health Research Center http://www.nhrc.navy.mil/ Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics http://www.acq.osd.mil/ Optional Qualified Collaborator(s): The FY09 SCIRP strongly supports collaborative research between basic scientists and clinical researchers, and between academic scientists and biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry scientists. Collaborations that bring new perspectives from other disciplines or bring new investigators into the SCI field are also strongly encouraged. Collaborations that meet the criteria below will qualify for a higher level of funding as described in Section I.D. For the application to qualify for the higher level of funding, the PI must submit a Statement of Collaboration that clearly identifies the collaborating investigator and addresses how each of the criteria below are met. Additionally, the collaborator must provide a letter of collaboration describing his/her involvement in the proposed work. It should be clear that the success of the project depends on the unique skills and contributions of each partner. DOD Spinal Cord Injury Investigator-Initiated Research Award 5 The collaborator(s) must significantly contribute to the project such that the proposed work could not be accomplished without his/her involvement. &#9675; A proposed project in which the collaborator(s) merely supplies tissue samples or access to patients will not meet the intent and will not be qualified for the higher level of funding. Either the PI or the collaborator(s) must have SCI research experience as demonstrated through publications and/or funding history. The collaborator(s) must be at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent). At least a 10% level of effort is required of the collaborator(s). Contribution of the collaborator should be reflected in the application&#146;s budget.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: CDMRP Help Desk
GrantorContactText: PA HELP: 301-619-7079; cdmrp.pa@amedd.army.mil  &lt;br/&gt;eReceipt HELP: 301-682-5507; help@cdmrp.org &lt;br/&gt; &lt;br/&gt;