DoW Vision, Mentored Clinical Research Award

The Defense Health Agency Vision Research Program Mentored Clinical Research Award is a federal funding opportunity administered through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs under the Defense Health Agency Research and Development office. The program announcement, identified as HT942526VRPMCRA, supports patient-oriented clinical research focused on vision injury and visual dysfunction associated with military exposure. The Vision Research Program was established by Congress in 2009 to advance understanding, prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, and treatment of visual system trauma resulting from combat-related exposure, traumatic brain injury, and related operational conditions. Since its inception, the program has received more than $204 million in appropriations, with an additional $10 million allocated in fiscal year 2026. The overall goal of the program is to improve visual trauma care for Service Members, Veterans, their Families, and the broader public through clinically relevant research. The Mentored Clinical Research Award specifically supports highly motivated military or civilian clinicians in training who are conducting supervised clinical research projects under the mentorship of an established clinician or Ph.D. clinical scientist serving as Principal Investigator. The funding mechanism is designed to encourage the development of future clinician-researchers in vision injury science. Projects may involve either standalone studies with high relevance to vision injury care or the development of preliminary clinical research data that could support larger future studies. The award mechanism only supports clinical research activities and explicitly prohibits preclinical research and clinical trials. Applications must align with at least one designated focus area, including understanding and treating eye injury or visual dysfunction related to military exposure, diagnosing and treating eye injuries in austere or prolonged care settings, or restoring visual function after military-related vision loss or severe impairment. The funding opportunity provides approximately $75,000 in total costs per award with an anticipated total program allocation of approximately $150,000 supporting roughly two awards. The maximum period of performance is 18 months. Direct costs may support activities such as travel for collaborative research activities, salary support for research support personnel, one scientific meeting for the Mentee to present findings, and participant compensation or reimbursement for research-related expenses. However, the award prohibits salary support for either the Mentor or Mentee, equipment purchases exceeding $10,000, excessive conference travel, and costs typically associated with routine clinical care. Cost sharing is not required. Awards are expected to be made by September 30, 2027 using fiscal year 2026 appropriated funds. Eligibility is broad and includes both domestic and foreign organizations, nonprofit and for-profit entities, public and private institutions, and intramural or extramural Department of War organizations. Principal Investigators must be established clinicians or Ph.D. clinical scientists affiliated with eligible organizations. Applications must also identify one clinician in training designated as the Mentee, such as a fellow, resident, junior clinician, or clinician enrolled in a Ph.D. program. Only one Mentee may be formally designated per application, and the Mentee must have sufficient time remaining in their training program to complete the proposed work. The program strongly encourages multidisciplinary collaborations among academia, industry, military organizations, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other federal agencies. Applications involving military or VA populations must demonstrate current and sustained access to the proposed patient populations, resources, or databases. The submission process involves a mandatory two-step application structure. Applicants must first submit a pre-application Letter of Intent through the Electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal, known as eBRAP. Following successful pre-application submission, organizations submit the full application either through Grants.gov for extramural applicants or through eBRAP for intramural Department of War organizations. Required application components include a Project Narrative, Supporting Documentation, Technical Abstract, Lay Abstract, Statement of Work, Impact Statement, Human Subjects and Safety Procedures, Researcher Development Plan, and Relevance to Military Health Statement. Additional materials include biographical sketches, budget forms, current and pending support information, and institutional documentation such as letters of support and commitment. Applications involving human subjects must provide documentation of Institutional Review Board or Ethics Committee approval, exemption, or submitted application materials, with final approval documentation required no later than January 1, 2027. Applications undergo a two-tier review process consisting of peer review and programmatic review. Peer review evaluates scientific and technical merit using scored criteria that include Research Idea and Rationale, Research Strategy and Feasibility, Impact, and Personnel qualifications. Reviewers also consider unscored criteria such as budget appropriateness, research sharing plans, institutional environment, and overall application presentation. Programmatic review then evaluates applications according to portfolio relevance, military health impact, alignment with Vision Research Program priorities, and contribution to the overall research mission. High-scoring applications are not automatically funded because final recommendations depend on scientific quality, portfolio balance, military relevance, and available appropriations. The fiscal year 2026 application timeline includes a pre-application Letter of Intent deadline of August 25, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time and a full application deadline of September 10, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The application verification period closes on September 17, 2026. Peer review is scheduled for November 2026, followed by programmatic review in January 2027. Organizations must maintain active registrations with SAM.gov, eBRAP, and Grants.gov before submission. Technical support is available through the eBRAP Help Desk at help@eBRAP.org or 301-682-5507 and the Grants.gov Support Center at support@grants.gov or 800-518-4726. The program announcement instructs applicants to read the associated General Application Instructions carefully before beginning the submission process because administrative errors, missing components, or noncompliance with eligibility and submission requirements may result in rejection or withdrawal of the application.

Align the proposal with at least one FY26 Vision Research Program focus area and clearly demonstrate military relevance. Emphasize rigorous clinical study design, feasibility within the 18 month period, and reproducibility standards. Strong mentorship plans and evidence of Mentee commitment are specifically evaluated. Clearly justify human subject population selection and demonstrate access to military or VA populations if applicable.