Department of Defense Tick-Borne Disease, Idea Award for Lyme Disease Research

II.B.  Award Information

The FY19 TBDRP Idea Award intends to support conceptually innovative, high-

risk/potentially high-reward research in the early stages of development that could lead to

critical discoveries or major advancements that will accelerate progress in improving outcomes for individuals affected by Lyme disease and/or other tick-borne illnesses. This award mechanism

promotes new ideas that represent innovative approaches to Lyme disease and other tick-borne

diseases research and have the potential to make an important contribution toward the TBDRP

mission. Applications should include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis based on strong

scientific rationale that is established through inferential reasoning and/or critical review and

analysis of the literature.

The following are key aspects of the FY19 TBDRP Idea Award:

•Innovation:  Innovative research may introduce a new paradigm, challenge existing

paradigms, look at existing problems from new perspectives, or exhibit other uniquely creative

qualities that may include high-risk/potentially high-gain approaches to Lyme disease and other

tick-borne diseases research.  Research that is merely an incremental

advance (the next logical step) is not considered innovative.

• Relevance: Applications should articulate how the proposed research is relevant to at least one

of the FY19 TBDRP Focus Areas. Highly relevant research will address the current evidence-based burden of disease on public health, while also considering the healthcare needs and welfare of military Service members and their families.

•   Preliminary Data:  Due to this award’s emphasis on innovation, inclusion of preliminary data,

such as unpublished data from the laboratory of the Principal Investigator (PI) or collaborators

named on the application, and/or data from published literature that are relevant to Lyme disease

and other tick-borne diseases and support the proposed research project, is encouraged, but not

required.

To leverage existing resources and maximize statistical power, Lyme and other tick-borne

disease biorepositories and databases are important resources to consider if retrospectively

collected human anatomical substances or correlated data are critical to the proposed studies.

Investigators are strongly encouraged to incorporate the following components into their study

design where appropriate: authentication of proposed cell lines; statistical rigor of in vitro

cellular studies and preclinical animal experiments; and validation in well-pedigreed cohorts of

uniformly documented patients. Studies utilizing data derived from large patient studies that

include long-term health records, biospecimen repositories, and pre-existing research, and/or

studies that apply state-of-the art genomic and/or proteomic analysis, bioinformatics, and/or

mathematical models to such data are also encouraged.

The proposed research must be relevant to active duty Service members, Veterans, military

beneficiaries, and/or the American public.

The anticipated direct costs budgeted for the entire period of performance for an FY19 TBDRP Idea Award will not exceed $300,000.  Refer to Section II.D.5, Funding Restrictions, for detailed

funding information.

The CDMRP expects to allot approximately $0.48M to fund approximately one Idea Award

application. Funding of applications received is contingent upon the availability of Federal funds

for this program as well as the number of applications received, the quality and merit of the

applications as evaluated by scientific and programmatic review, and the requirements of the

Government. Funds to be obligated on any award resulting from this funding opportunity will be

available for use for a limited time period based on the fiscal year of the funds. It is anticipated that awards made from this FY19 funding opportunity will be funded with FY19 funds,

which will expire for use on September 30, 2025.

Awards will be made no later than September 30, 2020.  For additional information refer to

Section II.F.1, Federal Award Notices.

The types of awards made under the Program Announcement will be assistance agreements

(grants or cooperative agreements). The level of involvement on the part of the Department of

Defense (DoD) during project performance is the key factor in determining whether to award a grant or cooperative agreement.

An assistance agreement (grant or cooperative agreement) is appropriate when the Federal

Government transfers a “thing of value” to a “state, local government,” or “other recipient” to

carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by a law of the United States,

instead of acquiring property or service for the direct benefit and use of the U.S. Government. An

assistance agreement can take the form of a grant or cooperative agreement. If “no substantial

involvement” on the part of the funding agency is anticipated, a grant award will be made (31 USC 6304). Conversely, if substantial involvement on the part of the funding agency is anticipated, a cooperative agreement will be made (31 USC 6305) and the award will identify the specific substantial involvement. Substantial involvement may include collaboration, participation, or intervention in the research to be performed under the award.  The award type,

along with the start date, will be determined during the negotiation process.

CDMRP Help Desk

Phone: 301-682-5507
Email:help@eBRAP.org