Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 19 TBDRP CDA
The FY19 DoD Tick-Borne Disease Research Program (TBDRP) Career Development Award is designed to help early-career scientists build an independent research career in tick-borne diseases by pairing them with an established mentor and providing dedicated research support. The program is geared toward impactful, discovery-focused research that can be translational (meaning it may inform future clinical applications), but it does not support clinical trials under this mechanism. A central expectation is that the early-career investigator is the Principal Investigator (PI) and that the application clearly centers on the PI's own research vision and professional growth, rather than being driven by the mentor's existing program. Preliminary data are not required, but the proposal must still be convincing on scientific logic and rationale, with a well-argued plan that demonstrates the project is feasible and meaningful.
Eligibility and role expectations are structured to emphasize genuine career development. The PI must be an early-career research scientist or physician-scientist within 10 years of completing a terminal degree, with certain time excluded (notably residency and family medical leave). Reviewers are expected to look closely at the PI's accomplishments and trajectory, weighing whether the candidate is likely to make strong contributions to tick-borne disease research. Because the award is explicitly meant to accelerate an independent career, the PI's institution has to show real commitment by guaranteeing at least 75 percent protected time for tick-borne disease research during the award period, with the announcement noting that more protected time is preferable. In practice, this requirement signals that the PI should have substantial freedom from competing duties so they can publish, build collaborations, and develop an independent niche.
Mentorship is required and is treated as a major pillar of the mechanism, but the structure is meant to avoid the PI being overshadowed. The mentor must be a proven tick-borne disease researcher with an established funding and publication record and must hold at least an Associate Professor-level position (or equivalent). The mentor must also demonstrate an active commitment to developing the PI's career, not just lending their name. The PI and mentor are allowed to be at different organizations, which opens the door for cross-institutional mentorship arrangements when the best expertise is not available locally. Even with strong mentorship, the application should make it obvious that the intellectual leadership and research design originate with the PI.
A formal career development plan is mandatory and should be written by the PI with guidance from the mentor. This plan is expected to be more than a generic training statement; it should lay out a concrete strategy for acquiring skills, competencies, and experiences that will help the PI establish themselves at the forefront of tick-borne disease research. That can include technical training, methodological development, exposure to specialized resources, and milestones tied to publications, grant submissions, and progression toward independence. The announcement also points applicants toward specific best practices that strengthen rigor and impact, such as using established Lyme and other tick-borne disease biorepositories and databases when retrospectively collected human specimens or linked data are central to the study. Applicants are encouraged to build designs that maximize statistical power and reproducibility, including authenticating proposed cell lines, applying strong statistical rigor for in vitro and preclinical animal work, and validating findings in well-characterized patient cohorts with consistent documentation. The program further encourages projects that leverage large patient datasets with long-term health records and biospecimen repositories, as well as proposals that use modern genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, or mathematical modeling to extract new insights from existing resources.
Program relevance is tied to public and military health impact. The proposed research must be relevant to active duty Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the broader American public. Financially, the anticipated direct costs for the entire period of performance cannot exceed $250,000. The program planned to allocate roughly $0.8 million total to fund about two awards, making the competition likely to be selective and heavily influenced by scientific merit, program relevance, and available federal funds. Awards were expected to be made no later than September 30, 2020, and the funding was anticipated to come from FY19 appropriations that would remain available for use only through September 30, 2025, reflecting standard time limits on federal funds.
Administratively, awards under this announcement are issued as assistance agreements, meaning either a grant or a cooperative agreement. The deciding factor is how much involvement the DoD expects to have during the project. If no substantial federal involvement is anticipated, the award is typically a grant; if substantial involvement is anticipated, the award becomes a cooperative agreement, which can include active collaboration or participation by the funding agency during performance. The final award type and start date are determined during negotiations. Key listing details from the notice include the funding opportunity number W81XWH-19-TBDRP-CDA, agency oversight by the Department of Defense (Department of the Army, USAMRAA), CFDA 12.420, an unrestricted eligible applicant pool (subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement), a posting date of March 29, 2019, and an original closing date of August 22, 2019.Apply for W81XWH 19 TBDRP CDA
- 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 Tick-Borne Disease, Career Development 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 Mar 29, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 22, 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 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.
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FY19 DoD Tick-Borne Disease Research Program (TBDRP) Career Development Award (CDA) - FAQs
1) What is the purpose of the FY19 TBDRP Career Development Award?
The FY19 DoD TBDRP Career Development Award is intended to help early-career scientists build an independent research career focused on tick-borne diseases. It does this by pairing the early-career investigator with an established mentor and providing dedicated support for a research project that is discovery-focused and potentially translational (able to inform future clinical applications).
2) Who is expected to be the Principal Investigator (PI) on this award?
The early-career investigator is expected to serve as the PI. A central expectation is that the application is clearly centered on the PI's own research vision and professional growth, rather than being driven by the mentor's existing program.
3) Is this award meant to support career development or primarily fund a research project?
Both elements matter, but the mechanism is explicitly structured around career development. The research project should be meaningful and feasible, while also serving as a platform for the PI to gain skills, publish, build collaborations, and establish an independent niche in tick-borne disease research.
4) Are clinical trials allowed under this funding mechanism?
No. While the program supports impactful, discovery-focused research that can be translational, it does not support clinical trials under this mechanism.
5) Are preliminary data required to apply?
No. Preliminary data are not required. However, the proposal must still be scientifically convincing, with strong logic and rationale, and a well-argued plan demonstrating feasibility and meaningful impact.
6) What qualifies someone as an "early-career" PI for this award?
The PI must be an early-career research scientist or physician-scientist within 10 years of completing a terminal degree. Certain time can be excluded when calculating the 10-year window, notably residency and family medical leave.
7) What will reviewers look for in the PI's background?
Reviewers are expected to examine the PI's accomplishments and trajectory closely, focusing on whether the candidate is likely to make strong contributions to tick-borne disease research and whether the award will accelerate the PI toward an independent research career.
8) What is the protected time requirement, and who must guarantee it?
The PI's institution must demonstrate commitment by guaranteeing at least 75 percent protected time for tick-borne disease research during the award period. The notice indicates that more protected time is preferable, reinforcing that the PI should have substantial freedom from competing duties.
9) Why does the funding opportunity emphasize protected time so strongly?
Because this is a career development mechanism designed to accelerate independence. Protected time signals that the PI will have the capacity to focus on research activities central to building an independent program, such as publishing, developing collaborations, and carving out a distinct research niche.
10) Is mentorship required?
Yes. Mentorship is required and treated as a major pillar of the mechanism, but the structure is intended to avoid the PI being overshadowed by the mentor.
11) What are the mentor qualification requirements?
The mentor must be a proven tick-borne disease researcher with an established record of funding and publications and must hold at least an Associate Professor-level position (or equivalent). The mentor must also demonstrate an active commitment to developing the PI's career, not merely serving as a nominal mentor.
12) Can the PI and mentor be at different organizations?
Yes. The PI and mentor are allowed to be at different organizations. This enables cross-institutional mentorship arrangements when the best expertise is not available locally.
13) How should the application show that the PI (not the mentor) is leading the work?
The application should make it obvious that the intellectual leadership and research design originate with the PI and that the proposal reflects the PI's research vision and development plan, rather than being an extension of the mentor's existing program.
14) Is a formal career development plan required?
Yes. A formal career development plan is mandatory. It should be written by the PI with guidance from the mentor and should go beyond a generic training statement.
15) What should the career development plan include?
The plan should outline a concrete strategy for acquiring skills, competencies, and experiences needed for the PI to establish themselves at the forefront of tick-borne disease research. It can include technical training, methodological development, exposure to specialized resources, and milestones tied to publications, grant submissions, and progression toward independence.
16) What best practices does the program highlight for rigor and impact?
The announcement encourages approaches that strengthen rigor and reproducibility, including: using established Lyme and other tick-borne disease biorepositories and databases when retrospectively collected human specimens or linked data are central; maximizing statistical power; authenticating proposed cell lines; applying strong statistical rigor for in vitro and preclinical animal work; and validating findings in well-characterized patient cohorts with consistent documentation.
17) Does the program encourage using existing datasets and repositories?
Yes. The program encourages projects that leverage large patient datasets with long-term health records and biospecimen repositories, and the use of established biorepositories and databases when appropriate.
18) What types of advanced methods are encouraged?
The program encourages proposals that use modern genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, and/or mathematical modeling to extract new insights from existing resources.
19) What populations must the research be relevant to?
The proposed research must be relevant to active duty Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the broader American public. Program relevance to public and military health impact is emphasized.
20) What is the maximum budget allowed?
The anticipated direct costs for the entire period of performance cannot exceed $250,000.
21) How many awards were expected to be funded, and how competitive is it likely to be?
The program planned to allocate roughly $0.8 million total to fund about two awards. With a small number of awards, the competition is likely to be selective and heavily influenced by scientific merit, program relevance, and available federal funds.
22) When were awards expected to be made?
Awards were expected to be made no later than September 30, 2020.
23) What is the funding source and how long would funds remain available?
Funding was anticipated to come from FY19 appropriations, and those funds were expected to remain available for use only through September 30, 2025, reflecting standard time limits on federal funds.
24) What kind of award instrument will be used (grant vs cooperative agreement)?
Awards are issued as assistance agreements, meaning either a grant or a cooperative agreement. The choice depends on how much involvement the DoD expects to have during the project.
25) What determines whether the award is a grant or a cooperative agreement?
If no substantial federal involvement is anticipated, the award is typically a grant. If substantial involvement is anticipated, the award becomes a cooperative agreement, which can include active collaboration or participation by the funding agency during performance.
26) When are the final award type and start date decided?
The final award type and start date are determined during negotiations.
27) What is the funding opportunity number and sponsoring office?
The funding opportunity number is W81XWH-19-TBDRP-CDA. Agency oversight is by the Department of Defense (Department of the Army, USAMRAA).
28) What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The notice lists CFDA 12.420.
29) Who is eligible to apply?
The notice describes an unrestricted eligible applicant pool, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement. The PI-specific eligibility requirements still apply, including early-career status and the protected time commitment.
30) What were the key dates for posting and closing?
The posting date listed is March 29, 2019, and the original closing date listed is August 22, 2019.
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