DoW Peer Reviewed Medical, Discovery Award

The Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program Discovery Award is administered by the Defense Health Agency through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. This funding mechanism is part of a long-standing federal effort initiated by Congress in 1999 to support innovative medical research with direct relevance to military health. The program operates under the Department of Defense research enterprise and emphasizes advancing scientific knowledge that benefits Service Members, Veterans, and their Families, while also contributing to broader civilian health outcomes. The Discovery Award specifically targets early-stage, high-risk research ideas that have the potential to generate transformative insights. The primary purpose of this award is to support novel, untested, and high-risk high-reward research projects that address critical problems in medical science or patient care. The program explicitly requires that proposed research be innovative and not incremental, with a strong emphasis on generating new paradigms, technologies, or applications. Importantly, applicants are prohibited from including preliminary data, reinforcing the program’s focus on exploratory concepts rather than validation of existing work. Projects must align with one congressionally directed topic area and one associated strategic goal within the program’s portfolio structure, which spans multiple health domains such as infectious diseases, neuroscience, cardiovascular health, and rare conditions. Funding is provided as grants with a maximum total cost of 385000 dollars per award and a period of performance of up to two years. The program anticipates funding approximately 29 awards from a total allocation of about 11165000 dollars. Funds may be used for a range of research-related expenses including personnel, supplies, and limited travel for collaboration or dissemination of results. However, certain costs such as tuition and excessive travel are not allowable. Cost sharing is not required for this opportunity. Awards are expected to generate preliminary data that can support future research proposals or product development pathways. Eligibility is broad and inclusive, allowing applications from domestic and international organizations across public, private, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors. Both intramural and extramural organizations affiliated with the Department of Defense or external institutions may apply. Principal Investigators at all career levels are eligible, though each investigator may only serve as PI on one application within the fiscal year. Applications must be submitted by organizations rather than individuals, and applicants must maintain active registrations in required federal systems including SAM.gov, eBRAP, and Grants.gov. The application process consists of two required steps: a pre-application and a full application. The pre-application includes a one-page Letter of Intent submitted through eBRAP, outlining the proposed research and identifying the relevant topic area and strategic goal. The full application includes multiple required components such as a project narrative, technical and lay abstracts, statement of work, innovation and impact statements, and supporting documentation. Submission portals differ depending on applicant type, with extramural applicants using Grants.gov and intramural applicants using eBRAP. Strict formatting and content requirements apply, and failure to comply may result in administrative rejection. Applications undergo a two-tier review process. The first tier is peer review, where proposals are evaluated based on innovation, impact, and research strategy and feasibility. Innovation is the most heavily weighted criterion, reflecting the program’s emphasis on groundbreaking research. The second tier is programmatic review, which considers alignment with program priorities, portfolio balance, and military relevance. Only applications that meet both scientific merit and programmatic relevance are recommended for funding. Final funding decisions are subject to federal approval and availability of funds. Key deadlines include a pre-application submission deadline of July 16, 2026, and a full application deadline of July 30, 2026. Peer review is expected to occur in September and October 2026, followed by programmatic review in December 2026 and January 2027. Awards are anticipated to be made no later than September 30, 2027. The funding opportunity is part of an annual cycle, and future iterations are expected in subsequent fiscal years. Applicants are encouraged to begin preparations early due to the complexity of submission requirements and registration processes.

Focus on highly innovative, high risk concepts without preliminary data; clearly align with a single topic area and strategic goal; emphasize military relevance and potential impact