Department of Defense: Tick-Borne Disease Idea Award

Deadline: 16 November 2016

Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army — USAMRAA is currently inviting applications for its Tick-Borne Disease Idea Award (TBDRP) with an aim to prevent the occurrence, better diagnose, and resolve or minimize the impact of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.

The TBDRP’s mission is to support research to understand the pathogenesis of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses and to deliver innovative solutions to prevent, better diagnose, and treat their manifestations for the benefit of U.S. Service members, Veterans, their families, and the American public.

Focus Areas

Pathogenesis
- Host-pathogen interactions
- Human immune response
- Mechanisms of persistence of Lyme disease
- New research tools to support studies of pathogenesis
Prevention
- ○Interrupting the natural cycle of the disease
- Personal protection measures
- Targeted vaccines
- Post-exposure prophylaxis
Diagnosis
- Direct detection of tick-borne pathogens or their products in humans
- Biomarkers for diagnosis
Treatment
- Innovative approaches to treatment
- Basic studies aimed at safe and effective treatments for the cause(s) of persistent symptoms in Lyme disease
- Biomarkers of effective prognosis, therapy, and cure

Funding Information

The anticipated direct costs budgeted for the entire period of performance will not exceed $250,000.
The maximum period of performance is 2 years.

Eligibility Criteria

Although a PI may be eligible for both the Established Investigator and New Investigator categories, only one category may be chosen; the choice of application category is at the PI’s discretion. Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and other formally mentored researchers are not eligible for this award.
Established Investigator
- Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) are eligible to submit applications in this category.
New Investigator
By the application submission deadline date, the PI must have:
- The freedom to pursue independent research goals without formal mentorship.
- Been in an independent faculty position at or below the level of Assistant Professor for less than 5 years.
Cost sharing/matching is not an eligibility requirement.
Eligible investigators must apply through an organization. Organizations eligible to apply include Federal agencies, national, international, for-profit, nonprofit, public, and private organizations.