DoD Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Therapeutic Idea Award | Apply Online

FAQs: DoD Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Therapeutic Idea Award

What is the DoD ALS Therapeutic Idea Award?

The DoD Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Therapeutic Idea Award is a U.S. Department of Defense funding opportunity administered through the Department of the Army (USAMRAA) under the ALS Research Program. It is designed to advance brand-new, early-stage therapeutic concepts for ALS, with the goal of generating highly impactful initial data and opening new directions for treatment research.

What is the main purpose of this award mechanism?

The main purpose is to move the ALS field toward novel therapeutics by supporting conceptually innovative, high risk/high reward ideas that could create meaningful leaps in therapeutic development. The emphasis is on treatment-oriented innovation rather than incremental extensions of existing work.

What kind of research does this award prioritize?

This mechanism prioritizes conceptually innovative research focused on therapeutic development for ALS. Proposed projects are expected to be early in development and positioned to generate critical early data that could enable new treatment strategies or modalities.

Is this award intended for high risk/high reward projects?

Yes. The Therapeutic Idea Award specifically targets high risk/high reward research. Applicants are expected to propose ideas that may be unproven or technically challenging, but that could lead to major advances if successful.

What does the program mean by "novel therapeutics"?

Within this opportunity, "novel therapeutics" refers to brand-new therapeutic concepts and approaches aimed at improving ALS treatment. The program is focused on opening fresh directions for treatment research rather than continuing or slightly modifying existing approaches.

Are incremental extensions of existing ALS projects a good fit?

No. The emphasis is not on incremental extensions of existing work. The opportunity is framed around advancing brand-new therapeutic concepts with the potential to substantially shift the treatment landscape.

Does the application need to include a hypothesis?

Yes. A key expectation is that the proposed work is framed around a well-formulated, testable hypothesis grounded in strong scientific rationale. The application should present a clear therapeutic concept, explain why it makes scientific sense, and describe how the experiments will test it.

Can the project be exploratory or open-ended?

The award is not intended for open-ended exploration. The proposal should be hypothesis-driven and designed to test a specific therapeutic concept rather than broadly exploring ALS without a defined treatment-focused endpoint.

How important is translational potential for this award?

Translational potential is a major expectation. The hypothesis and project design should be positioned to improve ALS treatment or meaningfully advance a therapeutic strategy, rather than stopping at descriptive findings.

Is research focused mainly on ALS pathophysiology within scope?

No. Projects focused mainly on investigating the pathophysiology of ALS are considered outside the scope for this mechanism. While biological background may be included to justify the therapeutic concept, the core of the project must remain centered on therapeutic innovation and treatment-oriented experimentation.

Can a proposal include some ALS biology research?

Yes, but only as supporting justification. Some biological background may be necessary to ground the therapeutic concept, but the center of gravity must remain on developing and testing a treatment-oriented therapeutic idea rather than studying disease mechanisms as the primary goal.

What outcomes is the program hoping to see from funded projects?

The program is looking for work that can plausibly produce "critical discoveries" or meaningful leaps in ALS therapeutic development, particularly approaches that could ultimately influence patient care, accelerate a treatment pipeline, or introduce a new treatment modality.

Who administers this funding opportunity?

This opportunity is administered through the Department of the Army (USAMRAA) under the ALS Research Program.

What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this announcement?

The Funding Opportunity Number is W81XWH-14-ALSRP-TIA.

When was this opportunity posted?

The opportunity was posted on April 1, 2014.

What was the application closing date?

The application closing date was August 20, 2014.

When was the archive date?

The archive date was September 19, 2014.

What type of funding instrument was offered?

The opportunity was offered as either a grant or a cooperative agreement.

What is the broader category of this opportunity?

This opportunity was listed under the broader category of science and technology research and development.

How much total funding was estimated for this opportunity?

The estimated total funding amount was $1,280,000.

How many awards were expected?

The announcement indicated an expectation of making about two awards.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. There was no cost-sharing or matching requirement listed for this opportunity.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning it was open to any type of applicant entity, subject to any additional eligibility details that may have appeared in the full announcement.

Where can applicants get help if they cannot access the full posting?

Applicants who have trouble accessing the full posting were directed to contact the CDMRP Help Desk by phone at 301-682-5507 or by email at help@eBRAP.org.

What is the role of initial data in this award?

The award emphasizes generating highly impactful initial data that can validate a new therapeutic direction, support a credible treatment strategy, and open up fresh avenues for ALS therapy development.