DoD Autism Clinical Translational Research Award | W81XWH 18 ARP CTRA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 18 ARP CTRA

The Department of Defense Autism Research Program (ARP) Clinical Translational Research Award (CTRA) is a funding opportunity designed to move promising autism spectrum disorder (ASD) interventions closer to real-world clinical impact. The emphasis is on early-phase, proof-of-principle translational studies that are hypothesis-driven and focused on innovative interventions with clear potential to reduce current clinical deficits in ASD. In practical terms, this award is meant to help researchers generate the kind of initial human or clinically oriented evidence that can justify and shape later, larger-scale efficacy trials, with the long-term goal of changing standards of ASD clinical care rather than producing purely exploratory findings.

A central feature of the opportunity is its focus on specific community-relevant needs. Applicants are strongly encouraged to align their proposals with one or more established Areas of Interest, but projects outside those topics may still be considered if the application clearly explains how the work addresses a critical unmet need for the ASD community. The underlying expectation is that funded studies will produce actionable outcomes, such as early signals of clinical benefit, feasibility and acceptability data, optimization of intervention delivery, or other translational results that provide a solid scientific rationale for subsequent definitive clinical testing.

The Areas of Interest span a wide range of ASD-related clinical challenges and implementation gaps. They include behavioral, cognitive, and other non-pharmacological therapies; studies examining environmental risk factors; and pharmacological, genetic, or other biological treatments targeting ASD. The opportunity also prioritizes dissemination and implementation research that helps clinically validated interventions reach broader use in typical care settings, not just specialized research clinics. Another major focus is treatment of co-occurring conditions that often drive impairment and caregiver burden, including sleep problems, gastrointestinal issues, inflammation, aggression, depression, anxiety, attention deficit symptoms, and seizures. Additional priorities include interventions that support successful transitions into adulthood for individuals with ASD; tools or training aimed at healthcare providers to improve ASD care across the lifespan and across care contexts (primary care, urgent and emergency care, and disaster relief); efforts to improve diagnosis across the lifespan; and research addressing cultural and socioeconomic factors that influence treatment effectiveness, access, and service delivery.

Administratively, this opportunity is offered by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). The funding opportunity number is W81XWH 18 ARP CTRA, and it falls under CFDA 12.420, categorized as science and technology and other research and development. Funding instruments listed include both grants and cooperative agreements, indicating that some awards may involve substantial agency involvement or coordination expectations depending on the specific mechanism used. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning a broad range of organizations may apply, subject to any additional eligibility instructions in the full announcement. The posting indicates an expected two awards. The original opportunity was released May 21, 2018, with an original closing date of October 4, 2018. An explicit award ceiling is not stated in the provided summary (shown as 0), which typically means applicants needed to rely on the full solicitation for budget limits, project period guidance, and other cost rules.

Overall, the DoD ARP Clinical Translational Research Award is best understood as a bridge between discovery and practice for ASD: it is meant to fund early clinical translational work that is innovative but grounded in clear hypotheses, responsive to urgent community needs, and structured to produce results strong enough to launch the next step, namely larger, well-powered clinical trials that can meaningfully improve ASD care.

• 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 Autism Clinical Translational Research 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 May 21, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 04, 2018. (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 2 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.

Apply for W81XWH 18 ARP CTRA

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