DoD Multiple Sclerosis Investigator-Initiated Research Award

The Multiple Sclerosis Research Program Investigator-Initiated Research Award is offered through the Defense Health Agency as part of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. The funding opportunity supports highly rigorous and high-impact research projects intended to advance the understanding, prevention, treatment, and eventual cure of multiple sclerosis. The program emphasizes projects that can contribute directly to improvements in patient care, quality of life, or scientific understanding relevant to Service Members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and the broader public. Congress initiated the Multiple Sclerosis Research Program in 2009, and the fiscal year 2026 appropriation for the program is $15 million. This specific funding mechanism supports both established investigators and early-career faculty through separate Established Investigator and New Investigator options. The award supports research across multiple phases of scientific investigation but explicitly excludes clinical trials. Applications must address at least one designated focus area. These focus areas include central nervous system repair and regenerative potential in multiple sclerosis; correlates of disease activity and progression using pre-existing specimens or datasets; biology and measurement of multiple sclerosis symptoms such as fatigue, pain, cognitive dysfunction, and mobility impairment; and mechanisms contributing to disease etiology, onset, progression, and worsening. The program strongly encourages innovative mechanistic studies, biomarker validation, translational research, and observational investigations using rigorous scientific methodology. Applications are required to include preliminary and or published data relevant to multiple sclerosis and the proposed research question. Studies involving the collection of new specimens or datasets are prohibited for the correlates of disease activity focus area, and all applications proposing animal models must justify the relevance of the selected model to human multiple sclerosis. Approximately six awards are expected to be funded under this opportunity, with total program funding estimated at approximately $6 million. Each award may request up to $1 million in total costs over a maximum three-year performance period. Indirect costs may be included according to negotiated institutional rates, and all direct and indirect costs associated with subawards or contracts must be included within the overall budget cap. The funding mechanism allows costs related to collaboration travel and one scientific or technical meeting annually for dissemination of project results. However, costs for additional conference travel beyond the stated allowance are prohibited. Cost sharing or matching funds are not required. Awards are expected to be made no later than September 30, 2027, using fiscal year 2026 appropriated funds. Eligible applicants include domestic and foreign organizations, nonprofit and for-profit entities, public and private institutions, and intramural or extramural Department of War organizations. Principal Investigators applying under the Established Investigator option must be independent investigators at any career stage. Applicants under the New Investigator option must be within five years of beginning an independent faculty appointment and must not have received more than $300,000 in total direct costs as principal investigator on previous or concurrent non-mentored multiple sclerosis grants. Investigators may submit only one application under this funding opportunity. The program strongly encourages multidisciplinary collaborations involving academia, industry, the Department of War, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other federal agencies. The application process requires both a pre-application and a full application. A one-page Letter of Intent must first be submitted through the Electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal. Full applications are then submitted either through Grants.gov for extramural organizations or eBRAP for intramural Department of War organizations. Required application materials include a Project Narrative, Technical Abstract, Lay Abstract, Statement of Work, Impact Statement, Supporting Documentation, budget forms, and biosketches. Depending on project scope, applicants may also need to submit an Animal Research Plan, eligibility verification for the New Investigator track, or confirmation letters demonstrating access to pre-existing specimens and datasets. Reviewers will evaluate applications based on research strategy, feasibility, impact, personnel qualifications, statistical rigor, reproducibility measures, inclusion plans, and the appropriateness of data sharing and dissemination strategies. The funding opportunity includes a structured review process involving peer review and programmatic review. Peer review evaluates scientific and technical merit, while programmatic review considers alignment with program priorities and overall portfolio balance. Applications are reviewed separately for Established Investigator and New Investigator tracks. The Letter of Intent deadline is July 30, 2026, and full applications are due August 13, 2026. Application verification concludes August 20, 2026, with peer review anticipated in December 2026 and programmatic review scheduled for February 2027. Applicants typically receive funding recommendation notifications within approximately six weeks after programmatic review. Technical assistance is available through the eBRAP Help Desk at help@eBRAP.org and 301-682-5507, while Grants.gov technical support is available at support@grants.gov and 800-518-4726. The opportunity is expected to recur annually as part of the ongoing Multiple Sclerosis Research Program funding portfolio.

Ensure the proposal directly addresses at least one designated focus area and includes strong preliminary or published MS data. Emphasize rigorous and reproducible methodology including statistical power analysis, randomization, blinding, and controls. Clearly justify animal models and access to existing cohorts or datasets where applicable. Strong collaboration with experienced MS investigators is encouraged for New Investigator applications.