DOD Neurofibromatosis, Investigator- Initiated Research Award | W81XWH 21 NFRP IIRA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 21 NFRP IIRA

The Department of Defense (DoD), through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA), offered the Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP) Investigator-Initiated Research Award (IIRA) under funding opportunity number W81XWH 21 NFRP IIRA. This opportunity is designed to fund ambitious, well-justified research projects in neurofibromatosis (NF) that are both highly rigorous and positioned to create a meaningful impact on NF science and/or patient care. The emphasis is on investigator-driven ideas, meaning applicants propose their own compelling research questions and approaches rather than responding to a narrowly defined topic list, as long as the work is clearly relevant to NF.

A central feature of this award is its focus on high-impact research across essentially any phase of the research pipeline, with one major exclusion: clinical trials are not allowed under this mechanism. Within that boundary, projects can span basic laboratory studies, translational work, and other forms of preclinical or clinical research that do not meet the definition of a clinical trial. The program explicitly recognizes that strong NF research questions can emerge from multiple starting points, including lab discoveries, population-based or epidemiological observations, a clinician's direct experience treating NF patients, or even carefully considered anecdotal patterns that warrant formal investigation. In practice, this creates room for a wide range of scientific strategies, provided the proposal is methodologically strong and clearly tied to improving understanding of NF or informing better care.

Applications are expected to be grounded in evidence rather than purely speculative concepts. Specifically, proposals must include preliminary data and/or published data that are relevant both to NF and to the proposed project. This requirement signals that the program is looking for projects that have already demonstrated feasibility or credible scientific footing, and that can realistically produce informative results within the award period. The overall intent is to support research that is not only innovative but also sufficiently mature to deliver clear advances for the field.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was categorized as discretionary and supported awards through either grants or cooperative agreements, indicating the DoD could fund projects using a standard assistance award structure or a more collaborative cooperative model depending on the specific award arrangement. The activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and the associated CFDA number is 12.420. Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning it was broadly open to different entity types (such as academic institutions, nonprofits, for-profits, and others), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications included in the full announcement text. The opportunity was created on April 30, 2021, with an original closing date of July 22, 2021. The posting indicated an expectation of about five awards. The award ceiling was listed as 0, which typically means the maximum funding level was not specified in that summary field and would need to be confirmed in the full program announcement or associated budget guidance.

• 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 Neurofibromatosis, Investigator- Initiated 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 Apr 30, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 22, 2021. (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 5 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 21 NFRP IIRA

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