HT942526PRMRPDA_GG.pdf

This program announcement must be read in conjunction with the General Application Instructions, version CD26_01.

Program Announcement for the Defense Health Agency

Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program

Discovery Award

Funding Opportunity Number: HT942526PRMRPDA

Pre-Application Due: July 16, 2026

Application Due: July 30, 2026 https://ebrap.org/eBRAP/public/gai.htm?version=CD26_01

FY26 Peer Reviewed Medical Discovery Award 2

Content

Before You Begin 3

Basic Information Summarizes the funding opportunity, funding details, submission deadlines and review dates

Eligibility Details eligibility factors for the applicant organization and Principal Investigator

Program Description Describes the program mission and intent of the Discovery Award; provides key award information and considerations; and outlines funding details

Application Contents Presents the two-step application process and instructions for preparing a pre-application and full application

Submission Requirements Provides locations for application packages, instructions for submitting pre-applications and full applications, and describes application verification

Application Review Information Outlines the processes for application compliance review, pre-application and full application selection/notification, and risk assessment. Also, details the review criteria for pre-application screening and both tiers of the CDMRP application review process – Peer Review and Programmatic Review

Federal Award Notices Outlines what a successful applicant can expect if recommended for funding

Post-Award Requirements References policy requirements for funded research; outlines reporting requirements and restrictions related to Principal Investigator changes and institutional award transfers

Other Information Outlines criteria for administrative actions including application rejection, modification, withdrawal and withhold

Appendix 1 Includes a checklist for all full application components to facilitate application submission

Appendix 2 Acronym List

FY26 Peer Reviewed Medical Discovery Award 3

Before You Begin

• Active SAM.gov, eBRAP.org and Grants.gov registrations are required for application submission. User registration for each of these websites can take several weeks or longer.

Each applicant must ensure their registrations are active and up to date prior to application preparation.

• Read this funding opportunity announcement in the order it is written before beginning to prepare application materials. It is the responsibility of the applicant to determine whether the proposed research meets the intent of this funding opportunity and that all parties meet eligibility requirements.

• To support application preparation, additional resources are available including an application process FAQ, a Guide for Intragovernmental & Intramural Applicants and a CDMRP Video Series detailing the application process.

Who to Contact for Support

This document uses internal links; you can go back to where you were by pressing the Alt + left arrow keys (Windows) or command + left arrow keys (Macintosh) on your keyboard.

Click to be taken to additional guidance and instructions within the General Application Instructions (GAI).

eBRAP Help Desk

301-682-5507 help@eBRAP.org

Questions regarding funding opportunity submission requirements, as well as technical assistance related to pre-application or intramural application submission.

Grants.gov Support Center

800-518-4726 International: 1-606-545-5035 support@grants.gov

Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and Workspace.

https://sam.gov/ https://ebrap.org/eBRAP/public/index.htm https://grants.gov/register https://cdmrp.health.mil/#:~:text=Frequently%20Asked%20Questions%20%C2%BB https://cdmrp.health.mil/#:~:text=Guide%20for%20Intragovernmental%20%26%20Intramural%20Applicants https://ebrap.org/eBRAP/public/Program.htm#:~:text=Journey%20of%20an,Tier%20Review%20Process mailto:help@eBRAP.org mailto:support@grants.gov https://ebrap.org/eBRAP/public/gai.htm?version=CD26_01

Section Shortcuts Basic Information | Eligibility | Program Description | Application Contents and Format | Submission Requirements

Application Review Information | Federal Award Notices | Post-Award Requirements | Other Information

FY26 Peer Reviewed Medical Discovery Award 4

1. Basic Information About the Funding Opportunity

Summary: The fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) Discovery Award supports novel, untested, high-risk, high-reward research projects with the potential to provide new insights, paradigms, technologies, or applications and with a potential to generate preliminary data that will lay the foundation for future projects. The application must address a critical problem or question in the field of research and/or patient care in a congressionally directed FY26 PRMRP topic area and one of the FY26 PRMRP portfolio-specific strategic goals.

Distinctive Features: Applications must not include preliminary data. The focus of this award mechanism is innovation. Research proposed to this mechanism should be pioneering and revolutionary, and the outcomes generated by the award are expected to generate robust preliminary data that will lay the groundwork for future avenues of scientific investigation or product development.

Funding Details: The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) expects to allot roughly $11.165M to fund approximately 29 Discovery Award applications with total cost caps of $385,000 per award. The maximum period of performance is 2 years. It is anticipated that awards made from this FY26 funding opportunity will be funded with FY26 funds, which will expire for use on September 30, 2032. Awards supported with FY26 funds will be made no later than September 30, 2027.

Submission and Review Dates and Times

• Pre-Application (Letter of Intent) Submission Deadline: 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET), July 16, 2026

• Application Submission Deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET, July 30, 2026

• End of Application Verification Period: 5:00 p.m. ET, August 5, 2026

• Peer Review: September/October 2026

• Programmatic Review: December 2026/January 2027

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: HT942526PRMRPDA

Assistance Listing Number: 12.420

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FY26 Peer Reviewed Medical Discovery Award 5

2. Eligibility Information

2.1. Eligible Applicants

2.1.1. Organization

Extramural and intramural U.S. Department of War (DOW) organizations are eligible to apply, including foreign and domestic organizations, for-profit and nonprofit organizations, and public or private entities.

2.1.2. Principal Investigator

Investigators at all levels may be named by the organization as the Principal Investigator (PI) on the application.

Each investigator may be named on only one FY26 PRMRP application as PI. If more than one pre-application submitted to the FY26 PRMRP names the same PI, the first submission will be accepted, and subsequent submissions will be administratively withdrawn.

Independent investigators affiliated with an eligible organization are eligible to be named PI on the application, regardless of ethnicity, nationality or citizenship status.

2.2. Cost Sharing

Cost sharing is not an eligibility requirement.

2.3. Other

Awards are made to eligible organizations, not to individuals. Refer to the GAI for additional recipient qualification requirements.

https://ebrap.org/eBRAP/public/gai.htm?version=CD26_01#_Content_Form_Full_App_Submission:~:text=pre%2Dapplication%20submission.-,Extramural%20Organization%3A,-A%20foreign%20or https://ebrap.org/eBRAP/public/gai.htm?version=CD26_01#_Definition_List:~:text=Intramural%20DOW%20Organization%3A%20A%20subset%20of%20intragovernmental%20organizations%3B%20refers%20specifically%20to%20DOW%20organizations%2C%20including%20DOW%20laboratories%2C%20DOW%20military%20treatment%20facilities%2C%20and/or%20DOW%20activities%20embedded%20within%20a%20civilian%20medical%20center https://ebrap.org/eBRAP/public/gai.htm?version=CD26_01#_Recipient_Qualification_Restriction_Info:~:text=APPENDIX%201-,RECIPIENT%20QUALIFICATION%20AND%20RESTRICTION%20INFORMATION,-A.%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0

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3. Program Description

The Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity (DHACA) is soliciting applications to this funding opportunity using delegated authority provided by United States Code, Title 10, Section 4001 (10 USC 4001). The CDMRP is the program office managing this FY26 funding opportunity as part of the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP). The CDMRP is located within the Defense Health Agency Research and Development (DHA R&D), which is part of the Department of Defense, DOD, herein referred to using the secondary title Department of War, DOW. Congress initiated the PRMRP in 1999 to support medical research projects of clear scientific merit and direct relevance to military health. Appropriations for the PRMRP from FY99 through FY25 totaled $4.34 billion. The FY26 appropriation is $370 million.

FY26 PRMRP Research Development Pipeline

To address the congressionally directed FY26 PRMRP topic areas in a bench-to-bedside fashion, the FY26 PRMRP award mechanisms are aligned to different phases of the research development pipeline illustrated below.

The Use-Inspired Basic Research phase represents novel, exploratory research aimed at generating preliminary data; and/or preclinical research that is ready for validation through expansion, replication or comparative studies. While projects may be aiming to understand fundamental physiological phenomena, “basic research,” they should be driven by a specific clinical need and potential application, “use-inspired.” Applicants seeking support for research aligning to the Use-Inspired Basic Research phase may consider:

• FY26 PRMRP Discovery Award (HT942526PRMRPDA) for novel, high-risk, high reward research projects with the potential to yield high-impact findings and new avenues of investigation. Preliminary data is not allowed.

Basic Information | Eligibility | Program Description | Application Contents and Format | Submission Requirements

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• FY26 PRMRP Research Advancement Award (HT942526PRMRPRAA) for building upon existing preliminary data to validate a concept.

The Translational Research phase seeks to transition scientific data towards treatment, diagnostic and/or preventive strategies. Research projects are expected to have significant near-term impact on patients’ lives. Examples of projects in the translational phase include product/device development and clinical translation of concepts previously validated through expansion, replication or comparative studies. Applicants seeking support for research aligning to the Translational Research phase may consider:

• FY26 PRMRP Impact Award (HT942526PRMRPIPA) for mature research projects that are ready to translate ideas into solutions. Initial product discovery, development and optimization are supported.

• FY26 PRMRP Technology/Therapeutic Development Award (HT942526PRMRPTTDA) for finalizing preclinical development of tangible products (drugs or biologics), knowledge-based products and/or devices. The research outcome should be a regulatory filing or translation of findings into clinical practice, as applicable.

The Translational to Clinical Transition phase represents the final stages of product development with early clinical trials (phase 0/1, or equivalent). Products may include both knowledge and tangible items that will be used to impact patient care.

• FY26 PRMRP Platform Clinical Translation Award (HT942526PRMRPPCTA) for finalizing preclinical development, conducting clinical validation studies, and/or conducting first in human clinical trials for a platform product with the potential to impact clinical care for two or more FY26 PRMRP topic areas.

The Clinical Research phase represents small- and large-scale confirmatory trials and/or applied clinical research that will revolutionize the clinical management of the diseases and conditions assigned to the program as topic areas. Applicants seeking support for trials and studies aligned to the Clinical Research phase may consider:

• FY26 PRMRP Lifestyle and Applied Health Research Award (HT942526PRMRPLAHRA) for clinical trials focused on efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions or noninvasive devices or clinical research to examine the impact of prevention, diagnostic, treatment or health care delivery approaches on health outcomes. Animal research is not allowed.

• FY26 PRMRP Clinical Trial Award (HT942526PRMRPCTA) for projects to determine the safety or efficacy outcomes of pharmacological interventions, devices or implants on prospectively recruited human participants. Animal research, preclinical experiments, and optimization/validation of the intervention are not allowed.

NOTE: The scope of research proposed in applications in response to the FY26 PRMRP program announcements must align with the research phases outlined above. It is the responsibility of the applicant to select the award mechanism that aligns with the scope of the proposed research. The funding mechanism should be selected based on the research scope defined in the program announcement, and not on the amount of the budget. Applications submitted under a mechanism that is not deemed appropriate for the scope of research proposed will not be funded.

3.1. Award History

The PRMRP first offered the Discovery Award mechanism in FY11 as a blinded award mechanism (i.e., reviewers were blinded to the identities of the applicants). In FY22, the PRMRP Discovery Award became a non-blinded award mechanism. In FY24, the PRMRP

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Discovery Award no longer allowed the inclusion of preliminary data, and this continues for

FY26.

3.2. Intent of the Discovery Award

The FY26 PRMRP Discovery Award intends to support innovative, untested, non-incremental, high-risk/potentially high-reward research that will provide new insights, paradigms, technologies or applications. The proposed project may be exploratory, hypothesis-driven, or hypothesis-generating research, but must be novel and must be based on a strong scientific rationale and a well-developed study design and plan of analysis. The PRMRP expects studies supported by this award to lay the groundwork for future avenues of scientific investigation or product development. The outcome of research supported by this award should be the generation of robust preliminary data that can be used as a foundation for groundbreaking future research projects.

This award is not intended to support/validate ongoing research, and the inclusion of preliminary data is not allowed. Inclusion of preliminary data other than serendipitous findings is not consistent with the exploratory nature of this award. Applicants seeking funding for research to further an existing research project should consider one of the other FY26 PRMRP program announcements being offered. For information about these award mechanisms, see information contained in the FY26 PRMRP Research Development Pipeline.

3.2.1. FY26 PRMRP Topic Areas and Strategic Goals

To meet the intent of the funding opportunity, all applications for FY26 PRMRP funding must specifically address one of the FY26 PRMRP topic areas as directed by the U.S.

Congress and have direct relevance to military health. Additionally, the PRMRP implements a portfolio-driven approach by grouping related topic areas with strategic goals as a framework within which to address critical gaps in major research areas. All applications must address one of the FY26 PRMRP strategic goals as it relates to the portfolio-assigned FY26 PRMRP topic area. The FY26 PRMRP strategic goals for each portfolio are aligned to the categories of the continuum of care (foundational studies, epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis and treatment). If the proposed research does not specifically address one FY26 PRMRP topic area and one FY26 PRMRP strategic goal, then the government reserves the right to administratively withdraw the application. The government reserves the right to reassign the application’s topic area if submitted to an incorrect topic area. The section below lists the FY26 PRMRP topic areas and strategic goals in each PRMRP portfolio category.

FY26 PRMRP Portfolio Categories With Associated FY26 PRMRP Topic Areas and FY26 PRMRP Strategic Goals

AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS AND IMMUNOLOGY

All applications under this portfolio must be aligned to Autoimmune Disorders and

Immunology by addressing one topic area and one strategic goal listed below.

TOPIC AREAS

• Celiac Disease

• Eczema

• Food Allergies

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease

• Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus (PANDAS)

• Sarcoidosis

• Scleroderma

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STRATEGIC GOALS BY CONTINUUM OF CARE

Foundational Studies

• Investigate the mechanisms driving the pathobiology of the disease/condition.

• Investigate factors affecting disease/condition onset, progression, or heterogeneity, such as environmental exposures, comorbidities, behaviors, genetics, stress, infections, neuroimmune interactions, or microbiome dynamics.

• Investigate sex differences in the immune system.

Epidemiology

• Conduct patient-centered research to identify factors driving incidence trends, including recent increases.

• Conduct patient-centered studies to better understand differences between childhood- and adult-onset immune-mediated diseases/conditions, focusing on underlying pathobiology and treatment response.

• Conduct population-based studies to identify risk factors and enhance methods for detecting individuals at high risk.

• Conduct research to better understand sex differences in incidence and/or outcomes.

• Conduct population-based studies to examine variations in incidence and outcomes across different population subgroups.

Prevention

• Develop and test innovative strategies to prevent the onset, relapse, and/or progression of the disease/condition.

• Identify and test approaches to establish immune tolerance early in life.

Diagnosis

• Identify and validate biomarkers for continuous monitoring of disease/condition progression or to evaluate intervention response.

• Develop and validate improved diagnostic tools to enable early, accurate detection and to standardize diagnostic strategies.

Treatment

• Develop and test curative and immune reset interventions.

• Develop and test therapies effective across all or multiple allergens or autoantigens.

• Develop and test strategies to improve outcomes, reduce inflammation, promote healing, provide neuroprotection, delay symptom onset, or minimize toxicity, including lifestyle changes, targeted drugs, nutraceuticals, and personalized treatments.

• Generate evidence for repurposing and off-label use of potential treatments.

CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH

All applications under this portfolio must be aligned to Cardiovascular Health by addressing one topic area and one strategic goal listed below.

TOPIC AREAS

• Brain Injury Impact on Cardiac Health • Hypoxia

STRATEGIC GOALS BY CONTINUUM OF CARE

Foundational Studies

• Investigate the mechanisms driving the pathobiology of the disease/condition.

• Investigate the mechanisms driving cardiovascular dysfunction following brain injury.

• Enhance understanding of oxygen sensing and the biological response to low oxygen levels.

• Identify risk factors, with a focus on comorbidities and genetic predispositions.

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Epidemiology

• Conduct population-based studies to monitor cardiovascular changes over time.

• Conduct population-based research to identify risk factors, including but not limited to brain injury, and improve methods to detect individuals at high risk.

• Conduct population-based studies to examine variations in incidence and outcomes across different population subgroups.

Prevention

• Develop and test strategies to prevent or reduce the impact of the disease/condition on the heart, brain, arteries, and additional target organs.

• Develop and test strategies to reduce/prevent risk factors associated with disease onset, progression, or complications.

Diagnosis

• Develop and test strategies to enhance detection accuracy and sensitivity, including strategies to identify maladaptive vascular remodeling or to enable continuous monitoring or detection of tissue- or cell-specific oxygen levels.

• Develop and validate less invasive diagnostic methods.

• Identify and validate biomarkers that reliably predict outcomes.

Treatment

• Generate evidence to support the repurposing and off-label use of treatments, including research on optimal dosing regimens.

• Develop and test innovative therapeutic strategies, with an emphasis on targeted, localized, and personalized approaches.

INFECTIOUS DISEASES

All applications under this portfolio must be aligned to Infectious Diseases by addressing one topic area and one strategic goal listed below.

TOPIC AREAS

• Congenital Cytomegalovirus

• Hepatitis B

• Tuberculosis

STRATEGIC GOALS BY CONTINUUM OF CARE

Foundational Studies

• Investigate the mechanisms of infection, transmission, pathogenicity, or drug resistance.

• Develop innovative preclinical models to investigate disease pathobiology, host response, and to support drug discovery and testing.

• Enhance understanding of interactions between infection and comorbid conditions.

• Identify risk factors contributing to adverse outcomes.

• Discover and evaluate new drug targets.

Epidemiology

• Conduct population-based studies to collect data on disease trends, including those establishing, affiliated with, or contributing to clinical networks, biorepositories, or databanks.

• Conduct population-based studies to improve understanding of transmission, disease progression, and risk factors for complications.

• Conduct retrospective studies to assess the impacts of disease on quality of life.

Prevention

• Develop and test strategies to prevent complications and adverse outcomes following infection.

• Develop and test innovative strategies to prevent disease onset or inhibit its progression.

• Develop and test methods to eliminate maternal-fetal transmission.

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Diagnosis

• Develop and validate innovative diagnostic tools, focusing on less- or non-invasive methods, point-of-care applications, early detection, or improved sensitivity.

• Identify and validate biomarkers to improve infection diagnosis and/or prognosis, assess infection-related complications, or measure protection against infection.

Treatment

• Develop and test curative interventions or treatments that eliminate all symptoms, including precision medicine approaches and those that address latent infection.

• Develop and assess new therapeutic strategies that are more potent, act directly, require shorter dosing regimens, provide longer-lasting effects, better mitigate complications, address treatment resistance, and/or address latent infection.

• Generate evidence for optimal treatment regimens, including strategies tailored to specific age groups, combination therapies, and antiviral or vaccine dosing schedule recommendations.

INTERNAL MEDICINE

All applications under this portfolio must be aligned to Internal Medicine by addressing one topic area and one strategic goal listed below.

TOPIC AREAS

• Accelerated Aging Processes Associated with Military Service

• Endometriosis

• Hypertrophic Dyschromia

• Infertility Associated with Military Aviators and Aviation Support Personnel

• Interstitial Cystitis

• Pancreatitis

• Polycystic Kidney Disease

STRATEGIC GOALS BY CONTINUUM OF CARE

Foundational Studies

• Improve understanding of how military service or exposures contribute to physiological dysregulation, reproductive health issues, the aging process, and epigenetic changes.

• Investigate the mechanisms and pathophysiology underlying disease onset and/or progression.

• Improve understanding of disease/condition heterogeneity, comorbidities, systemic impacts, and long-term complications.

Epidemiology

• Conduct comparative studies to determine military-specific risks and enhance understanding of diseases/conditions that have increased incidence in the active-duty and Veteran population.

• Conduct population- and/or patient-based studies to improve understanding of disease heterogeneity and phenotypic variability.

• Conduct research to better understand sex differences in incidence and/or outcomes.

• Conduct population-, occupational-, and/or patient-based studies to identify risk factors that influence disease development, progression, treatment, and outcomes.

Prevention

• Develop and test strategies to reduce the health impacts of military service and exposures and prevent long-term consequences.

• Develop and test innovative strategies to prevent disease onset, progression, and/or associated comorbidities.

Diagnosis

• Develop and validate screening tools to detect conditions associated with premature aging processes.

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• Develop and validate innovative diagnostic approaches, focusing on less invasive methods, faster timelines, and methods that account for disease heterogeneity.

• Develop and validate biomarkers, imaging techniques, or other tools for diagnosis, objective prognosis, subtype differentiation, monitoring, or assessing treatment response.

• Develop and validate methods for identifying and measuring toxic agents and their pathophysiological effects.

Treatment

• Develop and test efficacy of lifestyle and other non-drug interventions.

• Develop and test novel treatment strategies aimed at cures or improved symptom management to enhance quality of life, including drug repurposing studies, combination therapies, and innovative drug delivery techniques.

• Develop and assess strategies to enable personalized care recommendations or optimize treatments for specific population subgroups, including studies on the efficacy of existing treatment options.

• Develop and test innovative approaches for pain management as a symptom of the disease/condition.

• Develop and test innovative approaches to improve organ transplant outcomes or transplant alternatives, such as artificial organs, xenotransplants, and novel strategies to prevent rejection.

NEUROSCIENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH

All applications under this portfolio must be aligned to Neuroscience and Mental Health by addressing one topic area and one strategic goal listed below.

TOPIC AREAS

• Brain Injury Impact on Cardiac Health

• Dystonia

• Eating Disorders

• Gambling Addiction

• Hydrocephalus

• Intranasal Ketamine Anesthetics

• Maternal Mental Health

• Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• PANS and PANDAS

• Peripheral Neuropathy

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

• Sleep Disorders and Restrictions

• Suicide Prevention

STRATEGIC GOALS BY CONTINUUM OF CARE

Foundational Studies

• Investigate the mechanisms underlying disease/condition pathobiology, progression, and associated comorbidities at multi-organ/system, circuit, or cellular/molecular levels.

• Identify factors that predispose individuals to the disease/condition, predict adverse outcomes, or contribute to resilience.

• Enhance understanding of disease/condition heterogeneity, including variations in phenotypic, symptom, and behavioral presentation.

• Develop and evaluate innovative models that can be used to understand etiology and will facilitate drug discovery and testing.

Epidemiology

• Conduct population-based studies to identify and track trends and treatment responses, generating data on treatment efficacy to inform the development of personalized treatments.

• Conduct population-based studies to enhance understanding of risk factors and progression of disease/condition.

• Conduct comparative studies to identify military-specific aspects of diseases/conditions, including risk factors, comorbidities, quality of life impacts, treatment preferences, prevalence, and ability to return to duty.

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FY26 Peer Reviewed Medical Discovery Award 13

• Conduct research to better understand sex differences in incidence and/or outcomes.

• Conduct population-based studies to examine variations in incidence and outcomes across different population subgroups.

Prevention

• Develop and test strategies to prevent the disease/condition, as well as its downstream complications, including methods for relapse prevention or mitigation of risk factors.

• Develop and test innovative strategies to maintain optimal cognitive functioning and mental resilience.

Diagnosis

• Develop and validate objective diagnostic methods that are accurate, sensitive, enable early detection, and account for heterogeneity in disease/condition phenotypes, includes screening tools.

• Identify and validate biomarkers that predict risk for the primary disease/condition and its secondary complications.

• Develop and validate methods for continuous monitoring and evaluating treatment efficacy.

Treatment

• Develop and test treatments to achieve curative or regenerative outcomes, preserve cognition, and enhance quality of life, including gene therapies, noninvasive stimulation techniques, alternatives to brain surgery, pharmaceuticals, and behavioral interventions.

• Evaluate repurposed drugs to accelerate strategies for improving symptom management and enhancing quality of life.

• Develop and assess guidelines for optimal intervention use, including evidence for safety and efficacy across diverse populations, precision medicine approaches, dosing regimens, safety monitoring, side effect management, and delivery methods.

• Develop and test innovative strategies to increase access to treatments, such as telemedicine approaches and adaptations tailored to specific populations.

ORTHOPAEDIC MEDICINE

All applications under this portfolio must be aligned to Orthopaedic Medicine by addressing one topic area and one strategic goal listed below.

TOPIC AREAS

• Accelerated Aging Processes Associated with Military Service

• Musculoskeletal Health

• Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes

STRATEGIC GOALS BY CONTINUUM OF CARE

Foundational Studies

• Investigate mechanisms driving musculoskeletal disease/condition pathology and progression, focusing on muscle, connective tissue, genetics, epigenetics, aging, pain, sex differences, physical or mental stress, mechanobiology, cell senescence, and/or systemic interactions.

• Identify risk factors for orthopaedic diseases/conditions, including those that accelerate musculoskeletal degeneration, contribute to adverse outcomes, or lead to more severe symptoms.

• Develop and evaluate disease/injury using preclinical models to improve understanding of mechanisms and support intervention discovery and testing.

• Develop and evaluate small joint disease/injury models improve understanding of mechanisms and support intervention discovery and testing.

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FY26 Peer Reviewed Medical Discovery Award 14

• Investigate the impact of life stage impacts musculoskeletal health and related diseases/ conditions, including the effects of childhood growth, hormonal changes throughout the lifespan, and aging-related processes.

Epidemiology

• Leverage large data sets to generate evidence-based treatment guidelines to optimize joint longevity.

• Conduct patient-reported outcomes research incorporating both objective measures and quality-of-life metrics to evaluate treatment efficacy and guide intervention decisions.

• Conduct research to better understand sex differences in incidence and/or outcomes.

• Conduct comparative studies to better understand musculoskeletal degeneration in

Veterans and identify military-specific risk factors.

Prevention

• Develop and test strategies that improve point-of-injury care, focusing on reducing the risk of secondary complications and promoting joint preservation.

• Optimize and test personalized treatment or rehabilitation plans to address adverse outcomes and mitigate risk factors.

• Develop and test strategies to prevent inflammatory joint damage caused by aging or overuse.

Diagnosis

• Develop and validate strategies for early and precise diagnosis of musculoskeletal dysfunction, including screening methods tailored for pediatric populations.

• Identify and validate biomarkers that indicate the severity or progression rate of musculoskeletal disease or age-associated degeneration.

• Identify and validate biomarkers or outcome measures to monitor disease/condition progression, understand variability, assess treatment efficacy, and evaluate impacts on quality of life.

Treatment

• Advance innovative treatment strategies targeting etiology, preserving joint integrity, retaining functionality for daily activities, improving muscle strength and range of motion, reducing pain or fatigue, and/or regenerating damaged tissues.

• Develop and assess treatment strategies to enhance quality of life by increasing mobility, halting/slowing disease progression, or accelerating return to duty, including exercise regimens, regenerative or immune-modulating therapies, and device optimization.

• Develop and assess methods to optimize treatment, including patient-specific strategies, combination therapies, or refinement of intervention timing and dosing.

• Develop and test improved orthopedic devices, such as AI-driven auto-adjusting devices, better integrated designs for enhanced stability or accelerated healing, improved braces, prosthetic limbs, joint replacements, and strategies to enhance comfort.

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FY26 Peer Reviewed Medical Discovery Award 15

RARE DISEASES AND CONDITIONS

All applications under this portfolio must be aligned to Rare Diseases and Conditions by addressing one topic area and one strategic goal listed below.

TOPIC AREAS

• Angelman Syndrome

• Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

• Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy

• Fibrous Dysplasia/McCune-Albright Syndrome

• Fragile X

• Frontotemporal Degeneration

• Hereditary and Acquired Ataxias

• Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia

• Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome

• Mitochondrial Disease

• Myotonic Dystrophy

• Prader-Willi Syndrome

• Rett Syndrome

• Sickle-Cell Disease

• Spinal Muscular Atrophy

• von Hippel-Lindau Disease

STRATEGIC GOALS BY CONTINUUM OF CARE

Foundational Studies

• Develop and evaluate innovative models for drug discovery and testing, with an emphasis on patient-derived cell models.

• Investigate the mechanisms driving symptoms to identify new strategies for symptom management, including novel drug targets and paradigm-shifting insights into pathobiology.

Epidemiology

• Conduct population- or patient-based studies to evaluate intervention efficacy, incorporating patient-reported outcomes and objective metrics to refine clinical guidance, develop personalized treatments, and validate clinically relevant endpoints.

• Conduct population-based studies to monitor disease progression and identify factors that drive onset, progression, and outcomes.

• Conduct population-based studies to improve understanding of relationships between the disease/condition and comorbidities or conditions with shared symptoms.

• Integrate electronic medical records with real world data to improve the accuracy of prevalence estimates and guide precision medicine approaches.

Prevention

• Develop and test approaches to prevent complications associated with the disease/condition.

• Develop and test approaches, including gene therapy, to prevent symptoms or familial aggregation of the disease/condition.

• Develop and test evidence-based strategies to reduce disease/condition severity, including investigations promoting better health during pregnancy.

Diagnosis

• Develop and validate diagnostic strategies that are objective, noninvasive, accurate, and enable early detection, subtype distinction, disease progression tracking, and complication prediction.

• Develop and validate methods to objectively measure symptoms and evaluate their impact on daily functioning.

• Develop and validate diagnostic, monitoring, or prognostic biomarkers.

• Identify and validate clinically relevant endpoints for assessing treatment response, suitable for use in FDA-regulated clinical trials.

Treatment

• Develop and test innovative treatment approaches, emphasizing early intervention, therapies that slow/halt disease/condition progression, therapies that address phenotypic/ subtype differences, and disease-modifying or curative treatments.

Basic Information | Eligibility | Program Description | Application Contents and Format | Submission Requirements

Application Review Information | Federal Award Notices | Post-Award Requirements | Other Information

FY26 Peer Reviewed Medical Discovery Award 16

• Develop and assess strategies to optimize existing treatments to reduce side effects and tailor interventions to specific patients.

• Generate evidence to support and guide the use of off-label drugs for symptom relief.

• Develop and test pharmacological or non-pharmacological interventions to manage symptoms and improve quality of life for patients and caregivers, including strategies for care transitions.

RESEARCH AND CLINICAL TOOLS

All applications under this portfolio must be aligned to Research and Clinical Tools by addressing one topic area and one strategic goal listed below.

TOPIC AREAS

• Proteomics

STRATEGIC GOALS BY CONTINUUM OF CARE

Foundational Studies

• Utilize proteomics to deepen understanding of the molecular mechanisms, progression, comorbidities, and long-term complications of the disease/condition/injury.

• Investigate the functional impact of post-translational modifications and proteoforms, beyond protein abundance, to guide management of the disease/condition/injury.

• Further the integration of proteomic databases and validated proteome subsets into advanced informatics tools.

Epidemiology

• Conduct population-based longitudinal proteomics studies to guide disease/ condition/injury management strategies and support the development of personalized care approaches.

• Leverage existing proteomic databases to conduct large-scale research.

Prevention

• Develop and validate proteomics-based technologies to prevent the onset, progression, recurrence, and/or comorbidities of the disease/condition/injury.

Diagnosis

• Develop and validate proteomics-based technologies or biomarkers for early detection, accurate diagnosis, subtype differentiation, monitoring disease/condition progression, or evaluating treatment response.

Treatment

• Develop and test proteomics-based technologies to support personalized treatment strategies.

• Use proteomics-based approaches to identify novel treatments or targets.

RESPIRATORY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

All applications under this portfolio must be aligned to Respiratory and Environmental Health by addressing one topic area and one strategic goal listed below.

TOPIC AREAS

• Burn Pit Exposure

• Hypoxia

• Pulmonary Fibrosis

• Respiratory Health

STRATEGIC GOALS BY CONTINUUM OF CARE

Foundational Studies

• Identify factors driving respiratory distress or chronic respiratory disease progression with the goal of identifying novel treatment targets.

• Investigate the mechanisms by which airborne hazards cause respiratory injury/disease, including research linking the toxicant to the specific pathobiology.

Basic Information | Eligibility | Program Description | Application Contents and Format | Submission Requirements

Application Review Information | Federal Award Notices | Post-Award Requirements | Other Information

FY26 Peer Reviewed Medical Discovery Award 17

Epidemiology

• Conduct population-based studies to generate data on risk factors, disease progression, and treatment outcomes to guide personalized medicine approaches.

• Conduct retrospective studies to correlate toxicant exposure with long-term illnesses.

Prevention

• Develop and test strategies to prevent lung disease following exposure to airborne pollutants, toxicants, or infectious agents.

• Develop and test strategies to prevent the extent of lung damage caused by trauma, transfusion, mechanical ventilation, infection, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or hemorrhagic shock.

Diagnosis

• Identify and validate biomarkers to diagnose, monitor progression, and predict adverse outcomes and complications of chronic respiratory diseases.

• Identify and validate biomarkers to support the development of personalized treatment strategies.

• Develop and validate tools to enable early and accurate detection of respiratory diseases/ conditions, focusing on noninvasive approaches and point-of-care strategies.

• Develop and test fieldable toolsets to monitor lung dysfunction.

• Develop and validate methods to quantify individual exposure levels to airborne hazards.

Treatment

• Develop and test innovative treatments to slow progression of the disease/condition and promote lung repair, emphasizing progress towards precision medicine and regenerative approaches.

• Develop and test treatments for respiratory infections.

• Develop and test minimally invasive or noninvasive methods of delivering oxygen and facilitating gas exchange when the lungs are compromised.

• Develop and test fieldable systems to treat lung injury in far-forward settings.

3.2.2. Key Elements for the Discovery Award

• Innovation: The Discovery Award supports high-risk/high-reward research, and, as such, innovation is the most important review criterion. Innovative research may introduce a new paradigm, challenge current paradigms, look at existing problems from new perspectives, introduce novel concepts or agents, or exhibit other highly creative qualities. Research that represents an incremental advancement on previously published work is not considered innovative. The following list, although not all-inclusive, provides examples of research that is innovative:

○ Exploring paradigm-shifting insights into the pathobiology of the disease/condition.

○ Developing innovative novel disease models to advance research and therapeutic discovery.

○ Investigating novel intervention targets.

○ Screening drug libraries to identify novel potential therapeutics.

○ Generating proof-of-concept data using disease models to demonstrate the potential for repurposing existing interventions to treat new diseases/conditions.

○ Conducting innovative omics studies to uncover novel insights into disease/condition pathobiology and inform optimal management strategies.

Basic Information | Eligibility | Program Description | Application Contents and Format | Submission Requirements

Application Review Information | Federal Award Notices | Post-Award Requirements | Other Information

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• Impact: The Discovery Award is designed to lay the groundwork for critical discoveries or major advancements. The application must clearly demonstrate the project’s potential to impact a critical problem or question in the field of research and/or patient care in the congressionally directed FY26 PRMRP Topic Area and FY26 PRMRP Strategic Goal addressed. In addition, applications must describe the evidence-based burden of disease on public health and how the proposed research may alleviate that burden in either the short or long term. Projects that focus primarily on investigating the pathophysiology of disease or condition, without consideration of therapeutic development or patient care, are not within the scope of this funding opportunity.

• No Preliminary Data Allowed: Inclusion of data (e.g., written descriptions of completed experiments, data, statistics) from pilot, proof-of concept, and/or feasibility studies is not allowed and will result in administrative withdrawal of the application. Figures that provide conceptual schematics or depicting experimental timelines are permitted. Examples of preliminary data that are not allowed within the Project Narrative or other application documents include:

○ Inclusion of data demonstrating utility of a proposed disease model that are specific to the pathway that will be further studied under the application activities or are otherwise specific to the hypothesis of the application.

○ Inclusion of data from an omics or sequencing study.

○ Inclusion of results measuring or assessing protein or nucleic acid levels via immunohistochemistry, blot, PCR, or other assay.

○ Inclusion of dose/drug-response data.

○ Inclusion of behavioral data from human participants or animal models.

○ Inclusion of survey data.

○ Inclusion of detailed written descriptions of experimental results.

○ Inclusion of data from pilot studies or experiments with a small sample size (low experimental n) that may or may not miss reaching statistical significance.

If any of the above have been collected, please consider one of the other FY26 PRMRP opportunities that may be more appropriate for building upon existing data.

Rationale that can be provided include:

○ Description of findings that were discovered by chance and were not the target of a planned experiment. Please avoid extensive details, such as experimental or statistical methods.

○ Citing publications and describing how the results shown in that publication led to the hypothesis to be tested. The hypothesis to be tested should be a novel line of inquiry and not the logical next step of the citation(s). Citations should not demonstrate proof-of-concept.

○ General descriptions of the model to be used without getting into specifics of the pathway to be studied.

• Relevance to Military Health: The program expects awards to address relevance to the health care needs of military Service Members, Veterans and their Families. The PRMRP encourages applicants to consider the following characteristics as examples of how a project may demonstrate relevance to military health:

Basic Information | Eligibility | Program Description | Application Contents and Format | Submission Requirements

Application Review Information | Federal Award Notices | Post-Award Requirements | Other Information

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○ Explanation of how the project addresses an aspect of the target disease/condition/technology that has direct relevance to the health of military Service Members, Veterans and their Families.

○ Description of how the knowledge, information, products, or technologies gained from the proposed research could be implemented in a dual-use capacity to benefit the civilian population and also address a military need.

○ Use of military or Veteran populations, samples, or datasets in the proposed research, if appropriate.

○ PIs are encouraged to integrate and/or align their research projects with DOW and/or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) research laboratories and programs.

Collaboration with the DOW and/or VA is also encouraged. A list of websites that may be useful in identifying additional information about ongoing DOW and VA areas of research interest or potential opportunities for collaboration can be found in Appendix 10 of the

GAI.

3.2.3. Other Important Considerations for the Discovery Award

In accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, Section 732, CDMRP does not support the conduct of painful research (U.S. Department of Agriculture pain category D or E) involving domestic cats or dogs, except for studies relating to military or service animals.

Clinical trials are not allowed within this funding opportunity; however, noninterventional clinical research studies are allowed. For help determining whether the proposed study meets the definition of a clinical research study or a clinical trial, refer to these case study examples.

Applicants seeking funding for a clinical trial should consider one of the other FY26 PRMRP program announcements being offered. For information about these award mechanisms, see the FY26 PRMRP Research Development Pipeline.

All projects should adhere to a core set of standards for rigorous study design and reporting to maximize the reproducibility and translational potential of clinical and preclinical research, such as those described in the STROBE and ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines.

Applications…