DoD Epilepsy Leveraging Research Award

Background
The FY24 ERP challenges the research community to investigate topics related to epileptogenesis for the identification of mechanisms by which brain injury produces epilepsy, study the prevention of PTE and concomitant comorbidities, and develop innovative research tools or biomarkers to better detect, diagnose, or predict the development of PTE.

The ERP encourages collaboration among PTE researchers and urges the scientific community to utilize equitable partnerships with people living with PTE to maximize the translational and impact potential of proposed research.

Grant Details
The intent of the FY24 ERP LRA is to leverage ongoing or completed research studies for which PTE was not an original focus and to provide support to expand the research to develop such a focus and increase our understanding of PTE.

The project may include basic, translational, and/or clinical research studies. The study must be associated with an ongoing or completed research effort in which PTE is/was not a research priority and for which addition of cohorts, outcomes, assessments, or analysis specific to PTE would be scientifically justified to increase our understanding of PTE.

Examples of allowable research include but are not limited to: Secondary analysis of epilepsy surveillance data to evaluate PTE risk; Addition of a chronic TBI cohort in an ongoing preclinical animal study to evaluate seizure outcomes and epileptogenesis; Recruitment/Analysis of a PTE cohort within an ongoing observational longitudinal study for a known concomitant comorbidity of PTE such as depression, cognitive deficits, sleep disorder, etc.

Eligibility Requirements
Extramural and Intramural organizations are eligible to apply, including foreign or domestic organizations, for-profit and non-profit organizations, and public entities. The named Principal Investigator (PI) may be an investigator at any career level. An eligible PI must be employed by or affiliated with an eligible organization. Cost sharing/matching is not an eligibility requirement.

Period of Performance
Awards supported with FY24 funds will be made no later than September 30, 2025. Funds to be obligated on any award resulting from this funding opportunity will be available for use for a limited time period based on the fiscal year of the funds.

It is anticipated that awards made from this FY24 funding opportunity will be funded with FY24 funds, which will expire for use on September 30, 2030.

Grant Value
$2.40M is expected to fund approximately three Leveraging Research Award applications. The anticipated direct costs budgeted for the entire period of performance for an FY24 ERP Leveraging Research Award should not exceed $500,000.