DoW Military Burn, Patient-Centered Research Award

The Military Burn Patient-Centered Research Award is offered by the Defense Health Agency through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs as part of the Military Burn Research Program. This program was established to address the ongoing medical needs of military personnel who sustain burn injuries in combat and training environments. Since its inception in 2011, the program has received significant congressional funding to advance research that improves outcomes for burn-injured service members. The Patient-Centered Research Award specifically focuses on bridging the gap between research findings and their practical implementation in operational military settings, particularly where resources are limited and conditions are austere. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to support clinical research or clinical trials that generate actionable knowledge to improve burn care delivery in combat environments. The program emphasizes studies that can be applied at or near the point of injury and during early acute care when evacuation may be delayed. Research must involve human subjects or human subject data and cannot include preclinical or animal research. Projects are expected to address critical gaps in burn care, including triage, treatment, prevention of complications, and interventions that improve both short-term recovery and long-term health outcomes. The program also introduces a mentorship option designed to cultivate emerging researchers by pairing them with experienced investigators while conducting a primary research study. Funding for this opportunity is limited, with approximately 3.4 million dollars allocated to support about two awards. Applicants may request up to 1.6 million dollars for a standard project or up to 1.8 million dollars if including the mentorship option. The period of performance is capped at four years. Funds may be used for a wide range of direct and indirect research costs, including personnel, travel for dissemination of findings, and collaboration expenses, but cannot be used for animal research, tuition, or excessive travel beyond specified limits. Cost sharing is not required, making the opportunity more accessible to a broad range of applicants. Eligibility for this program is expansive and includes both domestic and international organizations, whether public or private, for-profit or nonprofit. Applicants must be affiliated with an eligible organization, and principal investigators must demonstrate the capacity to lead the proposed research. For those applying under the mentorship option, additional requirements apply, including the designation of mentees who are early in their research careers and a formal mentorship plan. Awards are made to organizations rather than individuals, and collaboration across institutions, including government agencies and academic partners, is encouraged. The application process consists of two stages. First, applicants must submit a pre-application through the Electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal. Selected applicants are then invited to submit a full application through either eBRAP or Grants.gov, depending on organizational type. The pre-application includes a narrative describing the research idea, strategy, impact, and relevance to military health. The full application requires extensive documentation, including a detailed project narrative, technical and lay abstracts, statement of work, regulatory strategy, and plans for data sharing, recruitment, and study management. Clinical trial proposals must include additional documentation such as intervention details and monitoring plans. Applications are evaluated through a rigorous two-tier review process. The first stage is peer review, which assesses scientific merit, feasibility, and methodological rigor. The second stage is programmatic review, which considers alignment with program priorities, overall impact, and relevance to military health needs. Key evaluation criteria include the strength of the research strategy, potential impact on burn care, feasibility of implementation in operational environments, and the quality of the research team and infrastructure. Additional considerations include ethical compliance, statistical analysis plans, and, where applicable, the strength of the mentorship component. The timeline for this opportunity begins with a pre-application deadline in early July, followed by an invitation-only full application phase with submissions due in late October. Peer review occurs in January, with programmatic review in March, and awards are expected to be finalized by September of the following year. Applicants must ensure compliance with all registration and submission requirements, including maintaining active registrations in required federal systems. The program is offered annually, reflecting ongoing federal investment in improving burn care for military personnel. For full details and application guidance, refer to the official program announcement document.

Focus on demonstrating direct impact on combat burn care in austere environments; ensure strong preliminary data and feasibility; clearly align with focus areas and military relevance