DoD Military Burn, Clinical Translation Research Award | W81XWH 20 MBRP CTRA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 20 MBRP CTRA

The DoD Military Burn, Clinical Translation Research Award (CTRA), offered through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) under the Military Burn Research Program (MBRP), is designed to move promising burn-care advances into real-world patient treatment. The core goal is clinical translation: taking well-supported findings from laboratory work, preclinical development, or earlier clinical research and applying them in studies that directly involve burn-injured patients. Projects are expected to be positioned to make a meaningful difference in therapy and clinical practice, rather than staying at a purely exploratory or mechanistic stage.

A key requirement is that the work must be relevant to active duty Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the broader American public. The program is explicitly focused on human clinical research, and applicants must include preliminary data that support the rationale and feasibility of the proposed study. The intent is to fund studies that are ready to move, meaning the application should show that the approach is grounded in evidence, that the research question is compelling for burn care, and that the team can realistically execute the study.

The permitted study designs are clinical in nature and can include early proof-of-concept trials, observational studies, research involving human anatomical substances, and projects that incorporate some retrospective data analysis. While clinical trials are allowed, the program discourages large randomized clinical trials, signaling a preference for smaller, targeted, and well-justified studies that can quickly inform the next step in development or adoption. The opportunity uses the standard regulatory definition of a clinical trial: a study in which one or more human subjects are prospectively assigned to an intervention (including placebo or controls) to evaluate effects on biomedical or behavioral health-related outcomes. Applicants are directed to a Human Subject Resource Document hosted on eBRAP for additional guidance.

Because this mechanism is restricted to clinical research involving human subjects, animal research is not allowed under this funding opportunity. Compliance expectations for human subjects protections and transparency are also emphasized. For any funded trial, investigators must publicly post the Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved informed consent form used to enroll participants on a Federal public website, consistent with requirements in 32 CFR 219. In addition, any funded study that includes a clinical trial must be registered on ClinicalTrials.gov prior to starting the study.

The award is issued as an assistance agreement, meaning the government is supporting a public purpose rather than purchasing a service for direct government use. Depending on the expected level of DoD involvement during the project, the award may be structured as either a grant (when no substantial involvement is anticipated) or a cooperative agreement (when substantial DoD involvement is anticipated, such as collaboration or participation in the work). The final award type and start date are determined during negotiations, and if a cooperative agreement is used, the nature of DoD involvement will be spelled out in the award terms.

From a funding and scale standpoint, the anticipated total cost cap for an FY20 CTRA award is up to $1.5 million for the entire period of performance. Program leadership expected to allocate about $7.0 million total to fund roughly four to five awards, subject to federal fund availability and the volume, quality, and programmatic fit of submitted applications. Awards were expected to be made by September 30, 2021, and awards funded with FY20 appropriations were anticipated to remain available for use only through a limited window, with FY20 funds expiring for use on September 30, 2026.

The solicitation also highlights practical expectations that often determine whether a clinical project is feasible. Proposed studies should be built on a strong scientific rationale supported by careful literature analysis and logical reasoning. The study is expected to start relatively quickly after award: within 12 months of the award date for most studies, or within 18 months for FDA-regulated studies. Applications should clearly demonstrate access to an appropriate patient population, since enrollment feasibility is central to producing meaningful results. Investigators are also expected to provide a clear statistical analysis plan, include appropriate statistical expertise on the team, and present a power analysis and sample size justification tied to the study objectives.

Finally, the opportunity places emphasis on what happens after the study ends. Applicants are required to include a Transition Plan explaining how the intervention, product, or clinical approach will move forward into the next clinical phase and/or toward delivery to the market if the project is successful. In practice, this means reviewers are looking not only for a sound clinical study, but also for a credible pathway to implementation, follow-on funding, regulatory steps (if applicable), adoption in care settings, or commercialization where relevant.

Key administrative details from the source notice include: Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-20-MBRP-CTRA; agency Department of Defense, Department of the Army (USAMRAA); activity category Science and Technology and other Research and Development; CFDA 12.420; eligibility described as unrestricted (open to entity types unless otherwise clarified in the full announcement); initial posting March 16, 2020; original closing date August 20, 2020; and an expected number of awards around five.

• 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 Military Burn, Clinical Translation 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 Mar 16, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 20, 2020. (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 20 MBRP CTRA

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