DoW Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Program, Therapeutic Idea Award

The Department of the Army Medical Command, through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, is soliciting applications for the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Program Therapeutic Idea Award, with full applications due September 30, 2026, and a pre-application deadline of June 24, 2026. Eligible applicants are unrestricted and include extramural and intramural U.S. Department of War organizations, foreign and domestic entities, and for-profit and nonprofit organizations; independent investigators affiliated with eligible organizations may serve as Principal Investigator regardless of citizenship, but are limited to three FY26 ALSRP applications across all award mechanisms.

The program expects to allot approximately $10.08 million to fund roughly 12 awards, with a total cost cap of $840,000 per award and a maximum performance period of two years. No cost share is required. The award supports new, innovative, high-risk, high-gain ideas aimed at ALS drug or therapy discovery, including medical device and investigational drug studies. Applications must be hypothesis-driven and generate preliminary data for future therapeutic investigation; preliminary data is not required, and applications may achieve interpretable results in the absence of supporting data, with application strength relying on approach rather than existing data. Rational biomarker development specific to the therapeutic strategy's biological mechanism is a critical requirement; biomarkers may target engagement, pharmacodynamic effects, or predictive or cohort-selective markers. Applications involving animal studies must include an Animal Research Plan adhering to published ALS model guidelines and ARRIVE 2.0 standards. Clinical trials and projects focusing primarily on ALS pathophysiology without therapy or device development are not permitted. Travel costs are restricted to support for multi-institutional collaborations and one investigator per year to present project results at a scientific or technical meeting.

Applications undergo two-tier review: pre-applications are screened on innovation, impact, research strategy and feasibility, and biomarker rationale; invited applicants then submit full applications evaluated through peer review and programmatic review for technical merit, relevance to ALSRP priorities, and portfolio composition. Peer review scoring addresses innovation, impact, research strategy and feasibility, biomarker statement, and data sharing. Awards are anticipated by September 30, 2027. The opportunity falls under CFDA 12.420 (Military Medical Research and Development).