Submitting Your PRMRP Proposal
The Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) is an annual award program supporting research across a range of scientific and medical disciplines with the goal of improving health and well-being of military service members, Veterans and their families. Directed by the Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, to date more than $2.7 billion in 1,600 individual awards covering 155 different topics have been funded. This year, Congress has appropriated a total of $370 million for 2021 PRMRP proposals addressing topics in therapeutics, diagnostics, digital health and medical device innovation.
Ensure your Eligibility
There are five award mechanisms for PRMRP, which include:
- Clinical Trial: This mechanism supports the rapid implementation of clinical trials, with or without planning phase, of novel interventions. Funding limit is not defined, and the maximum period of performance is 4 years.
- Discovery: This mechanism supports the exploration of a highly innovative new concept or untested theory. Funding limit is $200,000 (plus indirect costs) with a maximum period of performance of 2 years.
- Focused Program: This mechanism supports a multidisciplinary research program of at least four distinct but complementary projects addressing a common goal. Funding limit is $7.2 million plus indirect costs with a performance period limited to 4 years.
- Investigator-initiated Research: This mechanism supports research that will make an original and important contribution to the field of research or patient care in the topic area. Funding is limited to $1.6 million plus indirect costs ($2 million for those with a partnering PI) and a maximum period of 4 years.
- Technology/Therapeutic Development: This mechanism supports the translation of promising preclinical findings into clinical applications for prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment and/or quality of life. Maximum funding is $4 million with a performance period of 4 years.
Raise Your Profile
PRMRP is a highly competitive process broken into a two-part application process. The pre-application process, required for all award mechanisms except Discover, is relatively easy compared to other grant submissions, with a narrative limit of about five pages. Though this is an additional step, this may save a lot of valuable time, as the more rigorous formal application process is by invitation only. Applicants that don’t meet requirements or miss the mark in other ways won’t spend time with weighty funding submissions that don’t stand a chance of being approved.
Make Friends
PRMRP awards are open to both intramural and extramural applicants. Companies, agencies, foundations or institutions that are not part of the DOD are considered extramural submissions. Intramural, by contrast, include DOD laboratories, treatment facilities or researchers. Connecting with DOD points of contact and champions — or more formally, collaborating with a DOD researcher — can dramatically increase your chances for a stronger submission. Contact G2G for assistance finding and building the right relationships for your innovation.
Apply On Time
Preproposals are due soon. The deadline for Investigator-initiated Research and Technology/Therapeutic Development awards is April 28; Discovery award letters of intent are due April 29, and Clinical Trial award preproposals are due no later than May 13. Find application instructions on CDMRP’s website, but don’t forget to register or update the following, all of which are requirements to submit:
- eBRAP account
- DUNS number
- CAGE number
If you would like to explore more opportunities for non-dilutive government funding opportunities, or to discuss ways to make your organization’s application stand out, reach out to us for a complimentary consultation.