DoD Vision Translational Research Award | HT9425 23 VRP TRA

Opportunity Information: Apply for HT9425 23 VRP TRA

The DoD Vision Translational Research Award (VRP TRA; Funding Opportunity Number HT9425 23 VRP TRA) is a FY23 Department of Defense funding opportunity managed through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) that focuses on translational vision research. The central goal is to move promising scientific discoveries toward real-world clinical applications that improve the prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, and/or treatment of eye injury or visual dysfunction linked to military exposure. In practice, this program is aimed at bridging the gap between early research findings and the kinds of interventions that can be responsibly tested in later-stage clinical trials, with a strong emphasis on clear development planning and readiness for the next clinical step.

A competitive application is expected to lay out a credible, step-by-step pathway for turning a promising discovery into something that can be used in clinical care, such as a drug candidate, a medical device, or even clinical practice guidelines. The award is specifically oriented toward projects that are approaching clinical trial readiness rather than basic science exploration. If the project involves developing a new drug or device, the program expects the team to include at least one collaborator who understands the regulatory approval process, reflecting how important regulatory strategy is to successful translation. The announcement defines a “regulatory agency” primarily as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), though it also allows for relevant international regulatory agencies when appropriate.

A key milestone expectation, when applicable, is that an Investigational New Drug (IND) application or an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) application (or an international equivalent) will be submitted to a regulatory agency during the project period or by the end of the period of performance. This signals that the DoD is looking for projects that are not just generating more data, but are also advancing through the formal steps required to bring an intervention into human testing under regulatory oversight. In other words, the program is pushing applicants to think beyond experiments and toward the practical deliverables needed to launch definitive clinical trials later.

The opportunity encourages applicants to use established translational infrastructure to speed progress and reduce avoidable inefficiencies. In particular, it points applicants toward the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and its preclinical innovation programs and resources (referenced at https://ncats.nih.gov/preclinical). It also references the National Cancer Institute’s Translational Research Working Group (TRWG) framework, which describes translational research as a set of development pathways leading to clinical goals. Applicants are essentially being advised to design their work in a way that aligns with recognized translational “best practices,” including milestone-driven development, fit-for-purpose studies, and decision points that support progression toward clinical testing.

In terms of allowable research activities, the VRP TRA permits studies involving animals, human subjects, and human anatomical substances, which gives investigators flexibility to build a translational package across preclinical and early clinical work. Importantly, the award allows inclusion of a pilot clinical trial (PCT) component, but it does not support a full-scale clinical trial. The distinction matters: a pilot clinical trial under this program is meant to support limited clinical testing that helps determine feasibility, sharpen the rationale for a larger trial, and refine the design of subsequent definitive trials, rather than conclusively determining safety or efficacy. Applications that propose a pilot clinical trial are required to also include non-PCT translational components, such as preclinical studies or other non-pilot clinical studies, and they face additional submission requirements and review criteria compared to projects without a PCT.

Administratively, this opportunity is listed under CFDA number 12.420 and is categorized as Science and Technology and other Research and Development. The funding mechanisms include cooperative agreements and grants, and eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to many types of applicant organizations as long as any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement are met. The opportunity was created on May 11, 2023, with an original closing date of November 8, 2023. The listing indicates an expectation of one award, and the “award ceiling” is shown as 0 in the source data, which typically means the ceiling was not specified in that particular summary record and would need to be confirmed in the full funding announcement documentation.

Overall, the VRP TRA is best understood as a milestone- and application-driven translational program for vision-related conditions relevant to military exposures, designed to accelerate the movement of credible candidates into the regulatory and clinical pipeline. It rewards applicants who can demonstrate not only scientific promise, but also a practical development plan, the right team expertise (including regulatory know-how when needed), and a realistic strategy to reach IND/IDE submission readiness and set up subsequent definitive clinical testing.

• 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 Vision Translational 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 May 11, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 08, 2023. (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 1 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 HT9425 23 VRP TRA

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