DoD Spinal Cord Injury, Translational Research Award | W81XWH 19 SCIRP TRA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 19 SCIRP TRA

The Department of Defense Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP) Translational Research Award (TRA) is a discretionary funding opportunity administered by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, through USAMRAA. Its central purpose is to fund translational spinal cord injury (SCI) research that can push promising scientific and clinical observations toward real-world clinical use. In practical terms, the program is looking for projects that do more than generate basic knowledge; it wants studies designed to speed up the development, validation, and eventual clinical introduction of therapies, medical devices, or healthcare practices that could improve outcomes for people living with SCI.

The opportunity frames translational research as work that bridges and actively connects basic science and clinical application. It highlights that strong translational proposals can originate from many starting points, including laboratory discoveries, population-based or epidemiologic findings, and clinicians observations drawn from patient care and anecdotal evidence. A key emphasis is that applicants should not treat translation as a simple one-way pipeline from bench to bedside. Instead, the DoD encourages a two-way, iterative approach where insights from clinical experience inform laboratory work, and laboratory findings loop back to shape clinical studies, product development decisions, and practical care strategies. This back-and-forth flow is presented as an important feature of competitive research plans under this mechanism.

In terms of the types of projects that fit, the announcement provides illustrative examples rather than an exhaustive list. It explicitly mentions demonstration studies of pharmaceuticals and medical devices in preclinical systems, as well as clinical research on therapeutics, devices, or practice approaches that leverage human tissues or other human-based resources. The underlying theme across these examples is readiness and trajectory: the work should be positioned to move an observation closer to a clinical application, whether that means generating the preclinical evidence needed to justify human testing, refining a device or therapeutic strategy with clinically relevant models, or performing clinical investigations that can directly inform patient care, product development, or practice guidelines.

The announcement also points applicants to established translational development frameworks, specifically referencing a report of the National Cancer Institute Translational Research Working Group (linked in the notice). Applicants are strongly encouraged to use these developmental pathways when designing their studies and writing their applications. The intent is to ensure projects are mapped to a coherent translation plan with clear steps, decision points, and evidence milestones that support progression toward clinical utility.

Administratively, the opportunity number is W81XWH 19 SCIRP TRA, and it supports awards via grant and cooperative agreement mechanisms. It is categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development, with CFDA number 12.420. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is open to any type of entity unless further limits are described elsewhere in the full announcement. The posting indicates an expected three awards. The listing shows an award ceiling of 0, which typically signals that the maximum amount is not specified in that field and would need to be confirmed in the full funding announcement or program guidance. The opportunity was created on April 15, 2019, with an original closing date of August 27, 2019.

• 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 Spinal Cord Injury, 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 Apr 15, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 27, 2019. (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 (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for W81XWH 19 SCIRP TRA

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