DoD Multiple Sclerosis Investigator Initiated Research Award | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The DoD Multiple Sclerosis Investigator Initiated Research Award (MSRP IIRA) is a Department of the Army, USAMRAA funding opportunity created to support highly rigorous, high-impact research projects that can meaningfully advance multiple sclerosis (MS) science and ultimately improve patient care. Introduced for the first time in FY15, this mechanism is designed for investigator-driven ideas, meaning the project concept can originate from many legitimate sources such as a laboratory finding, population-based or epidemiologic observations, a clinician's direct experience treating patients, or even well-supported anecdotal observations that point to a testable research question. The emphasis is on projects that are not only innovative or promising, but also built on a strong scientific foundation and executed with careful methods that increase confidence in the results.

A key requirement is that applications include preliminary and/or published data directly relevant to MS and the proposed project. In practical terms, this signals that the program is not intended for purely speculative work; applicants must show evidence that the idea is grounded in prior findings and that the proposed aims are feasible. The award supports research across essentially any phase of MS research, from basic biology and mechanistic studies through translational or other preclinical work, with one major boundary: clinical trials are explicitly not allowed under this specific opportunity. Research involving human subjects or human anatomical substances is permitted, but it must remain outside the scope of a clinical trial. Investigators who want to run a clinical trial are directed instead to a separate mechanism, the FY15 MSRP Pilot Clinical Trial Award.

Another defining feature of this opportunity is its strong insistence on rigor, transparency, and reproducibility. Applicants are expected to design and report studies in line with widely recognized best practices, specifically referencing the standards discussed by Landis, S.C., et al. in Nature (2012) regarding transparent reporting and study design to improve the predictive value of preclinical research. Even though those standards were written with preclinical studies in mind, the opportunity makes it clear that the core principles apply broadly: randomization, blinding, appropriate sample size estimation, and clear data handling procedures should be incorporated wherever relevant. This is meant to reduce bias, strengthen interpretability, and increase the likelihood that findings can translate into meaningful advances.

For projects that involve animal models, the program adds an additional documentation requirement: applicants must submit an Animal Research Plan (Attachment 8) explaining how rigorous design and reporting standards will be addressed. Applicants are also encouraged to consult the ARRIVE guidelines (Animal Research Reporting In Vivo Experiments) to ensure the study is planned and ultimately reported in a way that meets modern expectations for animal research quality. This focus reflects the program's broader goal of ensuring that funded studies produce results that are credible, reproducible, and useful for the MS field.

Administratively, the opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-15-MSRP-IIRA) is categorized as discretionary funding and uses a cooperative agreement grant instrument within the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity area. The program anticipated making about 2 awards, with an estimated total funding amount of $1.9 million. Cost sharing or matching is not required, and eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to various types of entities, subject to any clarifications in the full announcement. The opportunity was posted on April 28, 2015, with an application closing date of September 10, 2015 (and an archive date of October 10, 2015). For applicants needing programmatic or technical assistance accessing the announcement, the CDMRP Help Desk is provided as the contact point.

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