DoD Lupus, Concept Award | W81XWH 19 LRP CA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 19 LRP CA

The DoD Lupus Research Program (LRP) Concept Award is a Department of Defense funding opportunity designed to push lupus research in bold, unconventional directions. Its core purpose is to support the exploration of highly innovative ideas or untested theories that tackle important lupus-related problems, especially where the work is high-risk but could deliver high-reward breakthroughs. In other words, this mechanism is meant for projects that could open entirely new lines of investigation rather than extend what is already well underway. Applicants are expected to explain clearly how their concept will expand current knowledge about lupus or launch an original, novel research path. While the award can help generate early findings that later support larger grants, preliminary data is not required, which makes it particularly suited to early-stage concepts that are scientifically sound but not yet well validated.

A major emphasis of the Concept Award is innovation. The program is looking for research that introduces a new paradigm, reframes a longstanding problem from an unexpected angle, or otherwise demonstrates a genuinely creative approach. Proposals that amount to incremental progress on previously published work are not considered innovative under this mechanism. Because of that, the Principal Investigator is expected to explicitly argue what makes the approach truly different, why it is not just a next step in an existing project, and how it could create new avenues for lupus research if it succeeds.

The second major pillar is impact. The proposed work, if successful, should matter in a way that is clearly significant for lupus, targeting problems of high importance in the disease area. Applicants must make a persuasive case for why the anticipated outcomes could be meaningful for people living with lupus and why the research question is worth the risk inherent to early, exploratory work. The review focus is not only on scientific novelty but also on whether the idea, if it pays off, could change understanding, direction, or future opportunities in lupus research.

The program also expects a strong research strategy even though the concept may be new. The scientific rationale and experimental approach should reflect a deep understanding of lupus biology and the existing evidence base. Methods can be novel, but they should still be grounded in a coherent rationale, often supported by a careful literature review. Essentially, the program is open to unconventional ideas, but it still requires that the study design and logic be credible and well thought out.

In terms of scope, the proposed research must align with at least one of the FY19 Lupus Research Program Focus Areas, meaning applicants need to map their idea to the program priorities for that fiscal year. Clinical trials are not permitted under this announcement, so the work must stay on the preclinical, mechanistic, or other non-trial side of the research spectrum. The proposal must also be relevant to active duty Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and or the American public, reflecting the DoD mission and the broader public health importance of lupus.

Funding and administrative details are relatively straightforward. The maximum total costs for the entire period of performance are capped at $200,000 per award. Program leadership anticipated allocating about $1.2 million total to make roughly six awards, though actual funding depends on federal fund availability, the number of submissions, and how applications score in scientific and programmatic review. Awards under this announcement are issued as assistance agreements, either grants or cooperative agreements. Which one is used depends on how much involvement the DoD expects to have during the project; minimal involvement typically leads to a grant, while substantial involvement (such as collaboration or active participation) leads to a cooperative agreement, with the nature of that involvement spelled out in the award terms.

Key dates and identifiers included in the announcement indicate it was published May 3, 2019, with an original closing date of September 4, 2019, under Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-19-LRP-CA. Awards were expected to be made no later than September 30, 2020, using FY19 funds that were stated to remain available for use until September 30, 2025. The administering agency is the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, USAMRAA, and the listing is associated with CFDA 12.420. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning a broad range of applicant organizations could apply, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement.

• 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 Lupus, Concept 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 May 03, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 04, 2019. (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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