DoW Spinal Cord Injury, Translational Research Award

Background
The fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP) Translational Research Award (TRA) is managed by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) under the Defense Health Agency.

The SCIRP aims to support research that significantly improves the health and well-being of military Service Members, Veterans, and individuals living with spinal cord injuries (SCI). This funding opportunity encourages innovative research that translates promising ideas into clinical applications, thereby enhancing treatment and management strategies for SCI.

Grant Details
The TRA supports translational research that accelerates the movement of promising ideas in SCI research into clinical applications. Key features include:
- An Early-Career Partnership Option allowing two principal investigators (PIs), with at least one being an early-career investigator. Only the initiating PI submits a pre-application, while both must submit full applications. If funded, each PI receives a separate award.
- Applications must include at least one SCI community partner who will provide advice throughout the project.
- The maximum period of performance is 3 years.
- The funding caps are $2.0M for a single PI and $2.16M for the Early-Career Partnership Option.
- The program encourages multidisciplinary collaborations and innovative approaches to address critical questions in SCI research.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include U.S. Department of War organizations, both extramural and intramural, as well as foreign and domestic organizations, for-profit and nonprofit entities, and public or private organizations. Principal Investigators must be affiliated with an eligible organization and can be of any ethnicity or nationality. Each investigator may only be named on one FY26 SCIRP TRA application as a PI.

Period of Performance
The maximum period of performance for funded projects is 3 years, with awards anticipated to be made no later than September 30, 2027.

Grant Value
The total expected funding for this opportunity is approximately $8.32 million, with individual grant awards capped at $2.0 million for a single PI or $2.16 million for those utilizing the Early-Career Partnership Option.