DoD Arthritis Research, Clinical Research Award | HT942524ATRPCRA

Opportunity Information: Apply for HT942524ATRPCRA

The DoD Arthritis Research Program (ATRP) Clinical Research Award (CRA), FY24 (Funding Opportunity Number HT942524ATRPCRA), is a discretionary grant opportunity run through the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA), under CFDA 12.420. It is designed to fund human-focused clinical research that evaluates arthritis-related disease factors and interventions in ways that produce practical, clinically useful evidence. The overall aim is to improve arthritis disease management, optimize patient outcomes, and generate results that can shape clinical care decisions and, where relevant, inform policy. While the program is military-connected, it is also clear that the intended benefits should extend beyond the military community to Veterans, families, and the general public.

The scope is broad with respect to arthritis type. Proposals may address any form of arthritis, including osteoarthritis, post-traumatic arthritis, inflammatory arthritis, juvenile arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, among others. The program places particular emphasis on studies that incorporate sex as a biological variable and on arthritis types that are understudied, reflecting a push to fill gaps in evidence that may be holding back better diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management. Applicants are also encouraged to increase impact by leveraging large existing datasets or tapping into established studies and consortia, which can strengthen statistical power, speed timelines, and improve generalizability of findings.

A central expectation is that applicants clearly explain how their work will reduce disease burden and translate into real-world improvements in patient care. The announcement highlights several required or heavily weighted features. First is impact: applications need to spell out how the expected outcomes would meaningfully improve arthritis management, patient care, and quality of life, rather than simply adding incremental knowledge. Second is military relevance: applicants must connect the research to the military context, such as effects on Service Member readiness, recruitment and retention, recovery after injury, or broader implications for the Military Health System and TRICARE-supported care. Third is a post-award transition plan: the proposal should describe how findings will be moved into practice after the project ends, for example by informing guidelines, being communicated to stakeholders, or supporting the next stage of clinical development.

The CRA can support either clinical research or, optionally, a clinical trial through a dedicated Clinical Trial Option. If a project includes a clinical trial within the period of performance, or is entirely a clinical trial, applicants may select this option, which is meant to better accommodate trial-related costs. For trial applications, the proposal must describe the standard of care and justify any control groups, which signals that reviewers will closely scrutinize ethical and methodological choices like comparators, placebo use, and clinical relevance. Importantly, the program draws a clear line between clinical research and clinical trials using the federal definition in 45 CFR 46.102. In this context, clinical trials involve prospective assignment of human subjects to interventions to evaluate biomedical or behavioral outcomes (including possible placebo/control). In contrast, clinical research here generally refers to observational or non-interventional work with human subjects, specimens, or data, such as studies of disease mechanisms, diagnostic/biomarker or imaging approaches, health disparities, technology development, epidemiology, behavioral research, and outcomes or health services research that do not test an intervention’s safety or efficacy.

Preclinical and animal work are not allowed under this mechanism. The opportunity explicitly states that the CRA is intended for clinical research or clinical trials only, and directs those seeking preclinical or animal support to a different ATRP mechanism (the Focused Research Award). Alongside this clinical emphasis, the program also stresses rigor and reproducibility expectations consistent with best practices in study design and reporting, including principles like randomization, blinding where appropriate, sample-size estimation, and clear data handling procedures.

Applications must include preliminary and/or published data. This is not optional: the program expects applicants to show that the project is grounded in evidence, backed by a strong scientific rationale, and framed around a clear, testable hypothesis informed by critical analysis of the literature. In other words, this mechanism is not meant for early idea exploration without supporting evidence; it is aimed at projects that are ready to produce actionable clinical insights.

The opportunity also aligns with broader CDMRP priorities around advancing women’s health research. Applicants are encouraged to address conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, or differently than men, and to connect sex-based analyses to meaningful improvements in women’s health outcomes and knowledge. For arthritis specifically, this means proposals that examine sex-related differences in disease course, access to care, treatment response, pain experience, functional outcomes, or other clinically relevant dimensions may be particularly responsive, especially if they can plausibly influence practice.

From a funding standpoint, awards are made as grants under 31 USC 6304. The anticipated total costs for the full project period should not exceed $1.5 million for standard Clinical Research Award proposals, or $3.0 million for proposals submitted under the Clinical Trial Option. The program expects to allocate about $6.0 million total in FY24 funds to support roughly three awards in total: approximately two standard CRA awards and one CRA Clinical Trial Option award, depending on application volume, quality, peer and programmatic review outcomes, and federal fund availability. Awards supported with FY24 funds are expected to be made no later than September 30, 2025, and FY24 funds are anticipated to remain available for use until they expire on September 30, 2030.

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, which generally means the program is open to a wide range of applicant organizations, as long as they meet the opportunity requirements. The original closing date is October 30, 2024. The strongest applications will be those that (1) directly address at least one of the FY24 CRA focus areas referenced in the announcement, (2) present credible preliminary evidence and a rigorous design, (3) show clear military relevance and patient-care impact, and (4) provide a realistic plan for transitioning results into practice, guidance, or the next development step.

• The Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DoD Arthritis Research, Clinical 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 2024-08-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-10-30. (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 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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