DoD Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, Federal Interagency Traumatic Brain Injury Research Analysis Award | W81XWH 19 PHTBIRP FITBIRA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 19 PHTBIRP FITBIRA

The FY19 Federal Interagency Traumatic Brain Injury Research (FITBIR) Analysis Award, offered under the Department of Defense (DoD) Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program (PH/TBIRP) through JPC-6/CCCRP, is designed to fund studies that mine and analyze existing data already housed in FITBIR. The overall goal is practical: use the depth of FITBIR datasets to generate actionable findings that can improve how traumatic brain injury (TBI) is diagnosed, managed, and treated. While the award sits within a military-focused program, the research must clearly connect to outcomes that matter for active duty Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the broader American public.

A defining feature of this opportunity is that it is strictly an analysis award, not a data-collection award. Projects must rely on existing FITBIR data, meaning the funding cannot be used for animal studies or for prospective human subjects research that involves actively enrolling participants. Applicants can, however, enhance or contextualize their FITBIR-based analyses by bringing in additional public or private datasets, as long as the core of the work remains centered on analyzing FITBIR data and the team has a realistic plan for integrating those sources.

The funding structure reflects a mid-sized research award intended to support several projects rather than a single large initiative. The maximum total costs for the full period of performance are capped at $750,000 per award. Program leadership anticipated allocating about $3 million total from the FY19 appropriation to support roughly four awards. As with most federal competitions, actual awards depend on the availability of appropriated funds, the number of applications received, and how applications score in scientific peer review and programmatic review. Timing is also tied to the life of the FY19 funds: awards under this announcement were expected to use FY19 money that would remain available only for a limited period, with an expiration date for use of September 30, 2025. Award decisions were expected no later than September 30, 2020.

Awards are issued as assistance agreements, which means recipients are being supported to carry out a public-purpose research activity rather than being paid to deliver a product or service for direct government use. The mechanism can be either a grant or a cooperative agreement, and the distinction depends on how involved the DoD expects to be during the project. If substantial federal involvement is anticipated, such as active collaboration or participation in elements of the research, the award is more likely to be a cooperative agreement; if not, it will be a traditional grant. The final choice of mechanism, along with the project start date, is determined during award negotiations.

Because FITBIR includes human data, the announcement emphasizes compliance requirements tied to the use and analysis of human subjects data or records. Any DoD-funded work involving access to or analysis of human data must go through review by the USAMRMC Office of Research Protections, Human Research Protection Office (HRPO), before the research can begin, and this is separate from local Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee review. Even if a project uses deidentified data and may qualify as exempt, that exemption must be determined by the institution’s IRB of record and then confirmed by HRPO. Importantly, local IRB approval is not required at the time of application submission, but investigators are expected to understand their institutional process for exemption determinations. Applicants are also cautioned to plan for the regulatory timeline: HRPO review commonly takes at least 2 to 3 months, and longer if international elements are involved or if protocols are broader than the DoD-funded scope.

Data access is treated as a gatekeeping requirement rather than a future administrative step. Applicants are expected to demonstrate that they can access the needed FITBIR data at the time they apply, whether those data are shared or restricted. A key submission requirement is proof of an approved FITBIR Data Access Request, provided as a required attachment (Attachment 7). In other words, the program is not looking to fund proposals that still need to figure out whether the team can obtain the dataset; access approval is expected to be in hand when the application is submitted.

The opportunity also addresses situations where researchers want to supplement FITBIR data with Department of Defense or Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) resources, databases, or facilities. If DoD databases or resources are involved, the application must explain what access exists at submission and how access will be maintained over the project period, typically backed up by a letter of support signed by the lowest-ranking official with approval authority. For VA resources (including VA datasets, research space, or equipment), VA investigators and co-investigators must similarly present a plan for securing and maintaining access, with confirmation from VA leadership such as the Facility Director or a designated official like the ACOS for Research and Development. The announcement also flags a practical constraint: some DoD or VA resources are restricted and may only be accessible through meaningful collaboration with an eligible DoD or VA investigator who plays a substantial role. If an applicant cannot confirm access at submission, the government may withdraw or revoke funding until access and support are adequately demonstrated.

Finally, the announcement reinforces the broader CDMRP expectation that outputs from funded work should be shared. Information, data, and research resources generated under these awards are intended to be made available to the research community (including consumer advocacy stakeholders) and to the public when appropriate, aligning with the program’s emphasis on accelerating progress through transparency and reuse of research products.

Key administrative details from the listing include the funding opportunity number W81XWH-19-PHTBIRP-FITBIRA; the sponsoring agency being the Department of Defense, Department of the Army (USAMRAA); the activity category being science and technology research and development; and eligibility described as unrestricted (open to any entity type, subject to any specific clarifications in the full announcement). The opportunity was posted May 31, 2019, with an original closing date of August 1, 2019, and it anticipated approximately four awards under the stated budget framework.

• 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 Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, Federal Interagency Traumatic Brain Injury Research Analysis 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 31, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 01, 2019. (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 4 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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