DoD Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research, Applied Research Award | W81XWH 18 PRORP ARA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 18 PRORP ARA

The DoD Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program (PRORP), Applied Research Award (ARA), FY18, is a competitive Department of Defense funding opportunity aimed at improving the treatment and functional recovery of people who suffer musculoskeletal injuries in combat or in combat-related circumstances. The central goal is practical impact: proposals are expected to move beyond general scientific curiosity and instead develop or refine approaches that can directly improve care for wounded service members. A strong application, based on the language of the notice, is one that clearly connects the proposed work to real-world clinical decision-making and outcomes, such as helping clinicians deliver effective care closer to the point of injury (for example, in forward or austere settings) and/or helping injured personnel return to duty or work more quickly.

This award is specifically for applied research, not fundamental basic research. In other words, the program is not looking to fund studies that primarily seek to understand underlying biological mechanisms without a clear pathway to a practical medical application. Instead, it prioritizes projects that translate existing concepts into potential solutions and then assess their technical feasibility and usefulness. The opportunity description lists examples of the kinds of outputs that fit this applied emphasis: promising knowledge products, pharmacologic agents, behavioral and rehabilitation interventions, diagnostic or therapeutic techniques, clinical guidance, and emerging approaches or technologies. In practice, that means the program is oriented toward work that could realistically inform clinical practice, shape treatment protocols, validate a diagnostic strategy, improve rehabilitation methods, or demonstrate that a new technology can work in a relevant setting.

A key eligibility and responsiveness requirement is that every application must directly address a primary FY18 PRORP ARA Focus Area (referenced as being listed in Section II.A.2 of the full announcement). This is important because it signals that proposals are screened for fit, and research that is strong scientifically but does not align with one of the designated focus areas would not meet the program intent. The notice also highlights a specific exclusion related to sports injuries: proposals centered on sports injury research are considered nonresponsive and will not be funded unless the sports injuries being studied are tied to a combat injury. The intent here is to keep the program anchored to combat-relevant orthopaedic and musculoskeletal injury needs, rather than general athletics-related injury questions.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary federal funding opportunity administered by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). The funding opportunity number is W81XWH 18 PRORP ARA, with an associated CFDA number of 12.420, placing it within science and technology and other research and development activities. The announcement allows for funding via either grants or cooperative agreements, meaning awards could range from more investigator-driven projects (typical of grants) to projects where the government anticipates a higher level of involvement or coordination (more common in cooperative agreements). Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, which generally means a wide range of organizations may apply (for example, academic institutions, nonprofits, for-profits, and other entities), subject to any additional eligibility details that may appear in the full text.

In terms of scale and timing, the opportunity anticipated making around six awards. The listing provides an original posting date of June 18, 2018, and an original closing date of October 24, 2018. The award ceiling is shown as zero in the listing, which typically indicates that a maximum dollar amount was not captured in the summary field or was specified elsewhere in the full announcement rather than as a single fixed cap. Overall, the program is designed to fund orthopaedic and musculoskeletal injury research that is clearly geared toward deployable, clinically relevant solutions for combat-related injuries, with the expectation that the resulting knowledge and tools can also translate to benefits for civilian patients.

• 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 "DoD Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research, Applied 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 Jun 18, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 24, 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 6 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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