DoD Multiple Sclerosis, Clinical Trial Award | W81XWH 20 MSRP CTA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 20 MSRP CTA

The Department of Defense Multiple Sclerosis Research Program (MSRP) Clinical Trial Award is a competitive funding opportunity aimed at getting well-designed multiple sclerosis (MS) clinical trials up and running quickly, with an emphasis on studies that could meaningfully change how MS is treated or managed in the near to mid-term. The core purpose is practical impact: the program is looking for trials that can generate actionable clinical evidence rather than purely exploratory or preclinical work. The sponsoring agency is the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, administered through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA), and it falls under the broader category of science and technology research and development (CFDA 12.420).

Projects supported under this award can cover a wide range of clinical trial concepts as long as they are tied to MS treatment or management and are ready for rapid implementation. The solicitation explicitly allows trials evaluating new products as well as promising pharmacologic agents, including drugs and biologics. It also supports trials involving medical devices, clinical guidance approaches, and non-drug interventions such as structured programs, protocols, or care models. Importantly, the scope includes health behavioral modifications (for example, behavioral interventions that could improve outcomes, adherence, function, symptoms, or quality of life) and newer or emerging approaches and technologies. In other words, the program is not restricted to a single modality; it is oriented toward whatever intervention type can credibly be tested in a clinical trial setting and has potential to improve patient outcomes.

In terms of trial stage, the award is designed to accommodate a spectrum from early, smaller studies to moderately larger efficacy-oriented trials. On the early end, it can support proof-of-concept work such as pilot studies, first-in-human efforts, or Phase 0 trials. These are positioned as feasibility generators: studies intended to show whether an approach is workable in patients, to refine endpoints and procedures, or to produce data that strengthens the design of a subsequent trial. On the later end of the allowed range, the opportunity includes Phase I and Phase II trials, which generally move beyond feasibility into safety, dosing, and early efficacy testing in relevant patient populations. The emphasis in the description suggests the program values trials that can answer clear clinical questions and produce results that inform next-step decision-making, whether that next step is a larger pivotal study, a refinement of clinical practice, or the adoption of a new tool or approach.

The funding mechanisms listed for this opportunity include grants and cooperative agreements. Practically, that means awards may be structured either as more traditional research grants or as cooperative agreements where there can be a higher level of involvement by the funding agency in coordinating or overseeing aspects of the project. The opportunity is labeled discretionary, and eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is open to a wide range of applicant organization types, subject to any additional eligibility language that may appear in the full solicitation. The anticipated number of awards is small (expected awards: 2), which usually indicates a highly selective competition and a preference for proposals that are particularly mature, compelling, and ready to execute.

Key administrative details included in the notice are that the opportunity was created on April 24, 2020, with an original closing date of October 1, 2020. The award ceiling is listed as 0 in the summary data, which typically means the ceiling was not captured in this particular extract or was to be defined in the full announcement or program guidance rather than represented as a fixed number in the summary record. The funding opportunity number is W81XWH 20 MSRP CTA, which identifies the specific solicitation and is used for tracking and application referencing.

Overall, this award is best characterized as an implementation-focused MS clinical trial funding line: it targets interventions with credible rationale and readiness for patient testing, supports both early feasibility studies and Phase I/II trials, and prioritizes work that could lead to significant improvements in MS treatment or management.

• The Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DoD Multiple Sclerosis, Clinical Trial 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 Apr 24, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 01, 2020. (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 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for W81XWH 20 MSRP CTA

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