DoD Peer Reviewed Alzheimer’s, Leveraging Approaches for Innovation in Care and Support Award | W81XWH 20 PRARP LEAPINCASA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 20 PRARP LEAPINCASA

The DoD Peer Reviewed Alzheimer's, Leveraging Approaches for Innovation in Care and Support Award (FY20 PRARP LEAP-InCASA) is a Department of Defense funding opportunity designed to push forward creative, patient-centered research that directly improves day-to-day life for people affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI) and/or Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). The program is anchored in the Peer Reviewed Alzheimer's Research Program (PRARP) mission and is focused on practical impact: better care, better support systems, and better quality of life for individuals living with these conditions as well as for their families and caregivers. Rather than incremental work, the call emphasizes research that challenges existing assumptions or approaches in the field and brings genuinely innovative ideas into care and support.

The research scope is centered on common symptoms and real-world functional challenges associated with TBI and/or AD/ADRD. Proposed projects can target symptom reduction across areas like cognition, behavior, mood, and functional abilities. The opportunity also highlights work that builds resiliency factors, helps people maintain or increase independence, and strengthens supports for families and care providers. In other words, this is not primarily a basic science mechanism; it is geared toward tangible improvements in care strategies, supportive interventions, and systems that reduce burden and improve outcomes in everyday settings.

A defining feature of LEAP-InCASA is its required multi-institutional structure. Applications must be submitted as a harmonized research initiative with one Coordinating Center plus at least two Partnering Sites, totaling a minimum of three distinct institutions in a single application package. The Coordinating Center is expected to provide overarching infrastructure, integration, and support to keep the collaboration aligned and functioning as a unified effort. At the same time, each Partnering Site must contribute its own distinct research initiative, meaning each site is not simply executing tasks but is leading a unique component that fits into the shared, coordinated project plan. Even with multiple initiatives under one umbrella, the entire program must be organized around a single symptomatology category, ensuring the collaboration is coherent and tightly focused rather than scattered across unrelated symptom areas.

The opportunity also places weight on team expertise and relevance. Applications are expected to demonstrate that the study team has appropriate experience in TBI and/or AD/ADRD research, matching the focus of the proposed work. This aligns with the intent to fund efforts that can be executed credibly and translated into meaningful improvements for affected communities. Reflecting the program's patient-centered orientation, animal research is explicitly prohibited, reinforcing that proposed studies should be grounded in human-focused care, support, and quality-of-life outcomes.

From an administrative standpoint, the funding is offered by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army (USAMRAA) under Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH 20 PRARP LEAPINCASA. The opportunity is listed as discretionary and supports awards through cooperative agreements and/or grants under the science and technology/research and development category (CFDA 12.420). Eligibility is broadly described as unrestricted, meaning it is generally open to many entity types unless further limited by additional eligibility language in the full announcement. The posting indicates an expected number of awards of one, suggesting a highly competitive process aimed at supporting a single large, integrated consortium effort rather than multiple smaller projects. The original timeline shows a creation date of May 19, 2020 and an original closing date of July 21, 2020. The listed award ceiling is shown as 0 in the provided data, which typically implies the ceiling was not captured in this summary field or is specified elsewhere in the full solicitation documents.

• 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 Peer Reviewed Alzheimer’s, Leveraging Approaches for Innovation in Care and Support 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 19, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 21, 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 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 W81XWH 20 PRARP LEAPINCASA

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