DOD Tick-Borne Disease Career Development Award by CDMRP

The FY19 TBDRP Career Development Award supports independent, early-career

investigators in their efforts to conduct impactful research with the mentorship of an experienced

tick-borne diseases researcher (i.e., the Mentor), thus providing an opportunity to obtain the

funding, guidance, and experience necessary for productive, independent careers at the forefront of

tick-borne diseases research. This award supports impactful research projects with an emphasis on

discovery that may be translational in nature, but are not clinical trials. Under this award

mechanism, the early-career investigator is considered the Principal Investigator (PI), and the

application should focus on the PI’s research and career development. It should be clear that the

proposed research is intellectually designed by the PI and not a product of the Mentor.

Preliminary data are not required.  However, logical reasoning and a sound scientific

rationale for the proposed research must be demonstrated.

The following are key aspects of the FY19 TBDRP Career Development Award:

•   Principal Investigator:  The PI must be an early-career research scientist or physician

scientist within 10 years of completion of his/her terminal degree (excluding time spent in

residency or on family medical leave).  The PI’s record of accomplishments and the proposed

valuated regarding his/her potential for contributing to the field of tick-borne diseases research.  Because career development is the focus of this award, the PI’s institution must demonstrate a commitment to the PI through a minimum of 75% protected time for tick-borne diseases research, although more protected time is highly desirable.

• Mentorship: The Mentor must be an experienced tick-borne diseases researcher as demonstrated by a proven record of funding and publications in tick-borne diseases research. The Mentor must hold a position at or above the level of an Associate Professor (or equivalent). In addition, the Mentor must demonstrate a commitment to developing the PI’s career in tick-borne diseases research.  The Mentor and PI may be at different organizations.

• Career Development Plan:  A career development plan is required and should be prepared by the PI with appropriate guidance from the Mentor. A clearly articulated strategy for acquiring the

necessary skills, competence, and expertise to establish a career at the forefront of tick-borne

diseases research should be included. The plan should outline how the PI will gain experience in

tick-borne diseases research.

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 Career Development Award will not exceed $250,000.  Refer to Section II.D.5, FundingRestrictions, for detailed funding information.

The CDMRP expects to allot approximately $0.8M to fund approximately two Career

Development Award applications. 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
Email:help@eBRAP.org