FY15 DoD Joint En Route Care Training System of Systems Initiative Hand Offs, Patient Transfers, and Systems Interoperability | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the purpose of this funding opportunity?

This FY15 Department of Defense opportunity (W81XWH-15-DMRDP-JPC1-JROUTE) funds research and planning work that lays the groundwork for a future Joint En Route Care Training "System of Systems." The focus is on making patient handoffs and transfers safer and more effective across the full continuum of care.

Is this funding meant to build a single training product or tool?

No. The central idea is to fund projects that do not simply build a single training tool. Instead, applicants are expected to produce well-researched designs, plans, frameworks, or architectural concepts that can guide later materiel development of an interoperable training ecosystem.

What kind of work is the DoD looking for?

The opportunity emphasizes analysis-of-alternatives style work that helps define what the overall training system should look like, how its parts should connect, and how it should train both individuals and teams who manage patients during transitions across settings and transport phases.

What does "System of Systems" mean in this context?

It refers to a comprehensive, interoperable training environment made up of multiple components that can integrate and work together across scenarios that mirror real-world patient movement through levels of care. The goal is to avoid a siloed solution and instead produce an architecture that can integrate future technologies over time.

What clinical or operational problem is this opportunity trying to address?

The emphasis is on en route care and the expanded continuum around it, where risk often increases because responsibility shifts between people, teams, and locations. The announcement highlights common transition-of-care safety problems, including communication breakdowns, incomplete transfer of critical information, inconsistent procedures, and incompatible systems or workflows.

Why are handoffs and transfers a focus area?

Because medical errors and adverse events can occur before, during, and after transfers when information, responsibility, and workflows are not aligned. By investing in training system architecture targeting handoffs and transfers, the DoD aims to reduce those risks and improve outcomes.

What types of deliverables are expected from applicants?

Applicants are expected to propose a solid, research-based concept product, such as a plan, design, framework, or architecture that could realistically support future development of a Joint En Route Care Training System of Systems.

What is the desired long-term end state?

The desired end state is a comprehensive, interoperable training environment that can integrate future technologies rather than becoming another siloed solution.

How important is interoperability to this solicitation?

Interoperability is a core theme. The solicitation seeks designs that enable different training components, platforms, or organizations to connect and operate together across realistic scenarios spanning patient transitions across levels of care.

Is this opportunity limited to military benefit, or is there an expected public benefit?

While the context is military medicine, the announcement explicitly anticipates broader public benefit because safer transitions of care are a universal healthcare challenge. Applicants are encouraged to address potential future public uses and consider how the resulting system could be disseminated and propagated for wider benefit.

Does the solicitation encourage open source approaches?

Yes. It encourages open source architecture "if and where possible," signaling a preference for designs that reduce lock-in and promote interoperability, reuse, and long-term adaptability.

Are proprietary tools or components allowed?

Proprietary tools are not prohibited. However, if proprietary components are included, the application must provide a clear justification for why they are necessary.

How should intellectual property (IP) be handled in an application?

Any proposed intellectual property elements must be clearly identified and marked in the application. This indicates a requirement for transparency about what would be restricted versus what could be broadly shared or adopted later.

Which agency and program administered this opportunity?

This was a discretionary research and development opportunity under CFDA 12.420 (Military Medical Research and Development). It was administered by the Department of the Army through USAMRAA, with funding provided through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) infrastructure.

What funding instrument types were available?

The funding instrument types listed were cooperative agreement and grant.

Was cost sharing or matching required?

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

How much funding was available, and how many awards were expected?

The estimated total funding amount was $3,000,000, with an expectation of approximately three awards.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was described as unrestricted, meaning it was open to a broad range of entities, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full text of the announcement.

What were the key dates for this opportunity?

The opportunity was posted on March 9, 2015. The original closing date was July 21, 2015, and the final closing date was August 5, 2015. The opportunity was archived on August 20, 2015.

Is this opportunity still open?

No. Based on the provided dates, the final closing date was August 5, 2015, and the opportunity was archived on August 20, 2015.

What is the opportunity identifier?

The funding opportunity identifier provided is W81XWH-15-DMRDP-JPC1-JROUTE.

Where could applicants get help with technical access issues?

For technical access questions, the announcement directed applicants to the CDMRP Help Desk at help@eBRAP.org or 301-682-5507.