The Department of Defense (DoD), through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), is offering the FY25 Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Program (ALSRP) Therapeutic Idea Award (TIA). Managed by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC), this funding opportunity seeks to promote innovative, high-risk, high-reward ideas focused on therapeutic discovery for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The program is grounded in a congressional mandate that began in 2007 and has allocated over $269.4 million in ALS research funding through fiscal year 2024, with a $40 million appropriation for FY25.
The primary objective of the TIA is to support hypothesis-driven studies that explore new therapeutic strategies or agents targeting ALS, especially those that can generate meaningful preclinical data for future therapeutic development. Projects that solely address ALS pathophysiology without advancing a therapeutic direction are considered outside the scope. The award encourages proposals that may lack preliminary data but present a compelling and innovative approach. Importantly, biomarker development is a mandatory component of the application and must be tied directly to the proposed therapeutic approach, helping to guide future clinical applications.
The grant allows up to $840,000 in total costs per award over a maximum performance period of two years. Up to twelve awards are anticipated. Direct costs may include travel related to collaborations and scientific dissemination. No matching funds are required. Applications must clearly adhere to rigorous scientific design standards, particularly if animal models are used, and must demonstrate translational potential for ALS therapy.
Eligible applicants include both extramural and intramural organizations, whether for-profit or non-profit, public or private, U.S.-based or foreign. Principal Investigators (PIs) at any career stage are eligible, provided they are recognized as independent scientists by their institutions. The application process includes two mandatory stages: a pre-application submitted via eBRAP by June 6, 2025, followed by a full application (by invitation only) due August 27, 2025. Peer and programmatic reviews will occur in October and December 2025 respectively.
Applications must include a comprehensive package of documents such as technical and lay abstracts, a detailed project narrative, impact statement, biomarker rationale, data sharing plan, and potentially an animal research plan. Evaluation criteria will focus on innovation, impact, feasibility, scientific rationale, biomarker integration, and data sharing plans. Contact information for assistance includes the eBRAP Help Desk (help@eBRAP.org, 301-682-5507) and Grants.gov (support@grants.gov, 800-518-4726).
