DoD Neurofibromatosis, New Investigator Award

Background
The Department of Defense (DoD) is offering the Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP) New Investigator Award to support the development of promising early-stage investigators and the transition of established investigators from other research fields into a career in NF research. The NFRP was initiated in 1996 to promote the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of neurofibromatosis (NF), including NF type 1 (NF1) and type 2 (NF2) and schwannomatosis. The program aims to decrease the clinical impact of NF by supporting innovative, high-impact research that fosters new directions for NF research, sponsors multidisciplinary collaborations, promotes translational and clinical studies, and develops a balanced portfolio of meritorious research related to all aspects of NF1, NF2, and schwannomatosis.

Grant Details
The NFRP New Investigator Award supports research projects relevant to active-duty Service Members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the American public. The award mechanism does not require prior experience in NF research but encourages collaboration with experienced NF researchers. The proposed research should focus on any phase of research excluding clinical trials and may address critical needs of the NF community in various areas such as NF2-related areas, biomarker discovery, non-tumor manifestations, preclinical efficacy studies, target identification, drug discovery, health services research, and more. The total anticipated direct costs budgeted for the entire period of performance will not exceed $450,000. Awards are expected to be made no later than September 30, 2023.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include all organizations including foreign organizations and government agencies within the United States. Principal Investigators (PIs) must be either an Early-Stage Investigator or an Established Investigator. Early-Stage Investigators must commit at least 30% effort toward the proposed NF research project while Established Investigators must commit at least 10% effort. PIs must not have received more than $300,000 in total direct costs for previous NF research as a PI of one or more federally funded non-mentored peer-reviewed grants at the time of application submission. Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and other 'mentored' researchers are not eligible for this award.

Period of Performance
The period of performance for an FY22 NFRP New Investigator Award will be determined during the negotiation process. Awards are expected to be made no later than September 30, 2023.

Grant Value
$20.0M is appropriated for FY22 with approximately $2.16M expected to fund approximately three New Investigator Award applications. Funds to be obligated on any award resulting from this funding opportunity will be available for use until September 30, 2028.