DoD Clinical and Rehabilitative Medicine Neuromusculoskeletal Injuries Research Award | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the NMSIRA funding opportunity?

The Clinical and Rehabilitative Medicine Neuromusculoskeletal Injuries Research Award (NMSIRA) is a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) funding opportunity that supports research intended to improve rehabilitation outcomes after severe extremity trauma, with a strong emphasis on real-world function using prostheses, orthoses, and related assistive technologies.

Which DoD programs sponsor or manage this award?

NMSIRA is offered under the Defense Medical Research and Development Program (DMRDP) and the Clinical and Rehabilitative Medicine Research Program (CRMRP).

What types of research are supported (preclinical vs. clinical)?

The opportunity supports both preclinical research and clinical trials, as long as the proposed work is clinically relevant and aimed at improving rehabilitation and functional outcomes after serious neuromusculoskeletal injuries.

What is the overall purpose or goal of the award?

The goal is to move practical, clinically relevant solutions forward that directly affect recovery, long-term health, and performance after severe neuromusculoskeletal injuries, including injuries common among military and veteran populations. A key emphasis is how people function day-to-day with assistive technologies.

Do applications have to fit within specific Focus Areas?

Yes. To be considered responsive, a proposal must squarely fit within one or more specified Focus Areas. Applications outside those areas are not encouraged for submission.

What are the three Focus Areas covered by NMSIRA?

The announcement describes three main Focus Areas: (1) improving assistive device functional utility at the human-device interface, (2) addressing secondary health problems after a severe extremity injury, and (3) optimizing rehabilitation strategies and sequencing of care after severe extremity trauma.

What is included in Focus Area 1 (human-device interface and assistive device utility)?

Focus Area 1 includes work to improve the functional utility of assistive devices at the human-device interface, including prostheses, orthoses, and related assistive technologies. Examples highlighted include improving prosthetic socket comfort and residual limb skin and tissue health, adding proprioceptive or other sensory feedback, and improving user intent control through better sensors, control algorithms, or interface methods.

Why does the opportunity emphasize prosthetic socket comfort and limb skin/tissue health?

The description notes that socket fit and comfort are often the biggest limiting factors in daily prosthesis use. Research that improves comfort and supports residual limb skin and tissue health aligns with the stated priorities within Focus Area 1.

What does the opportunity mean by proprioceptive or sensory feedback?

It refers to approaches that provide the user with proprioceptive or other sensory feedback to help restore a sense of limb position and movement, which can improve control, stability, and confidence when using assistive devices.

What is "user intent control" in this context?

User intent control refers to improving how a device interprets and responds to what the user is trying to do. The opportunity highlights improvements via sensors, control algorithms, or interface methods that reduce effort and increase precision.

What is included in Focus Area 2 (secondary health problems)?

Focus Area 2 targets secondary health problems that can develop after severe primary extremity injury. The announcement highlights interest in predicting, identifying, and reducing downstream issues such as osteoarthritis, low back pain, and other musculoskeletal complications that may arise due to compensation, altered gait mechanics, or uneven loading over time.

Does the award address fall prevention or fracture risk?

Yes. The opportunity highlights the need for intervention strategies that reduce falls and fracture risk, reflecting real-world consequences of impaired balance, altered sensation, or device limitations.

Is heterotopic ossification an explicitly named topic?

Yes. The opportunity specifically calls out heterotopic ossification (bone formation in soft tissue after trauma) and supports strategies to improve both treatment and rehabilitation when this complication occurs.

What is included in Focus Area 3 (rehabilitation strategies and sequencing of care)?

Focus Area 3 addresses optimizing rehabilitation strategies and the sequencing of care after severe extremity trauma. It emphasizes identifying the best combination, dose, and timing of rehabilitative techniques to minimize impairments and maximize functional outcomes, including comparing approaches, intensities, and progression schedules.

Does the opportunity encourage more objective prosthetic and orthotic prescription?

Yes. Focus Area 3 includes making prosthetic and orthotic prescription more objective and evidence-based, with device selection and tuning guided by measurable data and functional performance rather than trial-and-error alone.

What kinds of outcomes are emphasized across the program?

The opportunity emphasizes practical outcomes tied to rehabilitation and real-world function, including daily performance with prostheses and orthoses, clinically actionable evidence for rehabilitation decisions, and reducing downstream complications that affect long-term health and performance.

Are FDA regulatory requirements relevant to this opportunity?

Yes. The announcement includes specific administrative and regulatory requirements for studies involving unapproved drugs/biologics and investigational devices.

What is required if a project involves an unapproved drug or biologic (IND)?

Studies involving unapproved drugs or biologics must address FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) requirements. When applicable, applicants must show that an IND exemption application has been submitted or will be submitted within 60 days of award.

What is required if a project involves an investigational device (IDE)?

For investigational devices that are not FDA approved or cleared for investigational clinical use, applicants may need to comply with Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) regulations. The application must provide evidence that an IDE has been submitted or will be submitted within 60 days of award, or that the device is exempt.

Can funding be withdrawn based on IND/IDE status?

Yes. The DoD reserves the right to withdraw funding if the required IND or IDE submission is not made within 60 days of the award date, or if documented IND/IDE status is not obtained within 6 months.

What funding instruments are used for this opportunity?

The mechanism supports awards through grants and cooperative agreements. This means some projects may involve substantial involvement or coordination with the sponsoring agency, depending on the specific instrument used.

How much total funding and how many awards were anticipated for FY14?

For this FY14 opportunity, estimated total funding was about $8.3 million, with an anticipated five awards.

Is cost-sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity states there was no cost-sharing or matching requirement.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was described as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of organizations could apply, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement.

Which agency administered the opportunity?

The opportunity was administered by the Department of the Army through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA).

What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?

The Funding Opportunity Number provided is W81XWH-14-DMRDP-CRMRP-NMSIRA.

When was this opportunity posted and when did it close?

It was originally posted in late 2013, with a final closing date in February 2014.

Does the opportunity emphasize military and veteran relevance?

Yes. The description notes that the award is intended to address severe neuromusculoskeletal injuries, including those commonly seen in military and veteran populations.

What kinds of assistive technologies are most central to the opportunity description?

The description repeatedly emphasizes prostheses and orthoses, as well as related assistive technologies, particularly in terms of improving real-life function, comfort, control, stability, and confidence.