DoD Tick-Borne Disease, Idea Development Award | W81XWH 22 TBDRP IDA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 22 TBDRP IDA

The DoD Tick-Borne Disease, Idea Development Award (FY22 TBDRP IDA; Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-22-TBDRP-IDA) is a research grant/cooperative agreement program run through the Department of Defense (CDMRP/USAMRAA) focused on accelerating meaningful progress against Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. The central goal is to fund conceptually innovative work that could produce impactful discoveries or major advances that reduce disease burden and improve patient care and quality of life, with an explicit emphasis on relevance to military Service Members, Veterans, and their beneficiaries, while also benefiting the broader American public. The program is not looking for small, incremental extensions of existing published findings; instead, it prioritizes ideas that introduce new concepts, ask new questions, challenge prevailing assumptions, or approach long-standing problems from a fresh perspective.

The scope is intentionally broad across the research pipeline, supporting basic through translational efforts. Applicants can propose preclinical and clinical research as long as it does not include a clinical trial under this funding mechanism. Human subjects research and research using human anatomical substances are allowed, and the announcement also encourages correlative studies that connect to an existing clinical trial as a way to establish proof-of-principle for future work, but the grant itself cannot fund a clinical trial. A key expectation is that applications clearly explain both short- and long-term impact and tie that impact to an evidence-based description of the public health burden of the disease(s) being addressed.

Methodologically, the opportunity encourages strong study design and responsible use of existing resources where it makes sense. Applicants are urged (though not strictly required) to leverage validated specimens from Lyme and other tick-borne disease biorepositories and to use databases that can increase sample size and statistical power. The program highlights best practices such as authenticating proposed cell lines, applying statistical rigor in in vitro and animal experiments, and validating findings in well-characterized, well-pedigreed patient cohorts with consistent documentation. Projects that use large patient datasets with long-term health records, biospecimen repositories, and pre-existing studies are encouraged, especially when paired with modern analytical approaches like genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, and mathematical modeling. If an application relies on curated biospecimens or database resources, it must explain the inclusion and exclusion criteria used to assemble those resources, so reviewers can judge whether the data/specimens are valid for the proposed analyses.

A distinct Career Development Option is available for early-career investigators who want to pursue an innovative tick-borne disease project under the guidance of an established mentor. This Career Development Option uses separate review criteria and is evaluated by a dedicated panel focused on career development elements. Eligibility is limited to investigators within 10 years of completing their terminal degree (with exclusions for time in residency and certain leave, such as family medical leave). Because career development is central, the applicant’s institution is expected to demonstrate a strong commitment to the investigator, including at least 75 percent protected research time devoted to tick-borne disease research projects (with more protected time viewed favorably). Mentorship requirements are specific: the mentor must be an experienced tick-borne disease researcher with recent productivity (funding and publications within the past five years), should ideally have a track record mentoring independent scientists, must hold at least an Associate Professor-level position (or equivalent), and must remain engaged throughout the project. The application must include a Career Development Plan that lays out how the investigator will build skills, expertise, and professional engagement in the tick-borne disease research community (and advocacy community when relevant), along with a clear plan for how the mentor will support that growth. A practical note that matters for planning: preliminary data are required for the standard Idea Development Award but are not required for the Career Development Option.

Funding is provided as an assistance agreement, meaning awards may be issued as either grants or cooperative agreements depending on how much involvement the DoD anticipates having during the work. If no substantial federal involvement is expected, the award is typically a grant; if substantial involvement is anticipated (for example, collaboration or participation in the research), it will be a cooperative agreement, and the specific nature of that involvement would be identified during negotiations. Budget-wise, the direct cost cap is $500,000 for the standard Idea Development Award and $300,000 for the Career Development Option, both covering the full period of performance (with additional details governed by the program’s funding restrictions section). The program expected to allocate about $2.08 million total to fund roughly three awards in FY22 (approximately two standard IDAs and one Career Development Option), with final decisions dependent on federal fund availability, application volume, and scientific/programmatic merit.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is listed under CFDA 12.420, with an unrestricted eligibility category (open to any entity type, subject to any specific clarifications in the full announcement). The posting date was April 11, 2022, and the original application closing date was August 25, 2022, with awards anticipated no later than September 30, 2023. Funds associated with FY22 awards were expected to be available for obligation within the FY22 window and, as noted in the announcement, would expire for use on September 30, 2028, which is important for long-range program planning and spending timelines.

• The Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DoD Tick-Borne Disease, Idea Development Award" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.420.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 11, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 25, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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