Background
The Military Infectious Diseases Research Program successfully supplements its research efforts through extramural mechanisms such as Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, the Small Business Innovation Research Program, Congressional Special Interest appropriated funding and Interagency Agreements.

The MIDRP tracks non-MIDRP funds received within the Military Research and Materiel Command (MRMC) for the purpose of infectious diseases research to insure that the Commanding General is fully cognizant of all infectious diseases research efforts being conducted within the MRMC laboratories.

Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA)
Collaborative research efforts with business partners, universities and non-governmental organizations are documented in written agreements called CRADAs. Each agreement includes a statement of work detailing the activities both parties will perform, any clarification on intellectual property and a budget and payment schedule. The MIDRP currently collaborates with biopharmaceutical industry partners such as SmithKline Beecham, VaccGen International, and Acambis. University partners include the Universities of Oxford, Massachusetts at Worchester, North Dakota and California at Berkeley. Non-governmental organizations collaborating with MIDRP include the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and TRUE Research Foundation and the Infectious Disease Research Institute.

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
This Congressionally established program taps into the innovation and creativity of the small business community to help meet military science and technology objectives. Army and Navy scientists develop SBIR solicitation topics that address current and anticipated warfighting technology needs. Small businesses participate by submitting proposals for Phase I feasibility demonstrations, followed by Phase II research and development, of their innovative solutions to these topics. To name a few of the small businesses actively participating in MIDRP product development are InBios International, GenVec, Sun BioMedical Technologies, Advanced Sensor Technologies, and Access Bio, Inc.

Congressional Special Interest (CSI)
MRMC manages Congressional special interest biomedical research programs at the direction of the U.S. Congress. The intended recipient can be the intramural military research program, a university or company, or a research area of interest to the Congress. The MIDRP works with the intended recipient to ensure the funds yield high quality infectious disease-oriented science pertinent to military force issues. Fiscal Year 2005 recipients include New York University, the University of Tennessee, Ligocyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in Montana, and Sanaria Corporation in Maryland.

Interagency Agreement (IAA)
Agreements between Federal agencies are documented by IAAs. These agreements elucidate collaborative efforts involving either a transfer of funds or no interagency funding transfers. MIDRP collaborates via an IAA with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in repellent research, and receives IAA funding for HIV and dengue virus research from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).