Frequently Asked Questions

Prior to Application Submission

Must I be a U.S. citizen to apply for a grant?
I already have a grant through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. Can I apply again this year?
I submitted a grant last year and it was not funded. Can I clarify the noted deficiencies and resubmit the application this year?
Can I submit a application to more than one program of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs?
Can I submit multiple applications to the same program? Can I submit the same application to different mechanisms within the same program?
Can I speak with someone about my application prior to submission?
I forgot to submit a Pre-Application on the CDMRP eReceipt Website. Can I still submit a application to Grants.gov?
If I am unavoidably delayed in submitting my application, will you grant me an extension?
How do I direct my application to a particular peer review panel?
Do high indirect costs impact my receiving an award?
Will I receive notification that my application has been received?
How soon will I know if my application will be funded?
Can I submit the same application to the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs and to another organization, such as the National Institutes of Health?

After a Recommendation for Funding

Must I be a U.S. citizen to apply for a grant?
No. Awards are made to both foreign and U.S. institutions.
I already have a grant through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. Can I apply again this year?
Yes. There are no restrictions unless specifically noted in the Program Announcement in the "Who May Apply" section of the Foreword. Please note, however, that the program does not include competitive renewals of research projects and seeks to fund new and innovative ideas.
I submitted a grant last year and it was not funded. Can I clarify the noted deficiencies and resubmit the application this year?
Yes. Before you do, carefully review the current Program Announcement, since submission requirements and award mechanisms may change from year to year. Also note that there is no guarantee you will be funded this year, even though you have addressed the points of concern noted in your previous peer review Summary Statement.
Can I submit a application to more than one program of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs?
Yes, but each application must meet the requirements specified in the Program Announcement for that particular program and award mechanism.
Can I submit multiple applications to the same program? Can I submit the same application to different mechanisms within the same program?
It depends upon how the Program Announcement is written. Multiple submissions to the same program are usually acceptable if each application addresses a different research question. In general, you cannot submit the same application to different mechanisms within the same program; and if you do, both may be administratively disapproved.
Can I speak with someone about my application prior to submission?
Inquiries on application preparation, application format, or required documentation may be addressed by phone, fax, or e-mail as detailed in the Foreword of each Program Announcement. Guidance on matters related to scientific issues will not be provided.
I forgot to submit a Pre-Application on the CDMRP eReceipt Website. Can I still submit a application to Grants.gov?
Pre-applications are required for all CDMRP award mechanisms. The pre-application process must be completed through the CDMRP eReceipt System by the pre-application deadline specified for the award mechanism. Applications submitted through grants.gov will be deemed non-compliant if the pre-application is not completed by the deadline.
If I am unavoidably delayed in submitting my application, will you grant me an extension?
No extensions will be granted. Explicit circumstances for an exemption are discussed in the "Receipt Deadline" section in the Foreword of each Program Announcement. One of the most common reasons that applications are not forwarded for review is late submission.
How do I direct my application to a particular peer review panel?
Great care is taken to ensure that applications forwarded to scientific review are assigned to panels with appropriate and relevant scientific expertise. The information that you provide on the peer review referral page is used to assist us in making appropriate and accurate assignments.
Do high indirect costs impact my receiving an award?
No. While direct rates are evaluated in the application selection process, indirect rates are not. Indirect rates negotiated by other Federal agencies, such as the Department of Health and Human Services or the Defense Contract Audit Agency, as applicable, are accepted.
Will I receive notification that my application has been received?
If your application submission was completed and approved by a contract representative, an email notification will be sent to you acknowledging receipt of your application.
How soon will I know if my application will be funded?
It varies with each program. Typically, you will hear whether you have or have not received an award about 6 months after the application receipt deadline. Not all investigators will be notified at the same time.
Can I submit the same application to the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs and to another organization, such as the National Institutes of Health?
Yes, you may submit the same application to another organization, but support from more than one source for the same research is not allowed. If you are accepted by both, you can withdraw your application from one organization or have both organizations partially fund unique aspects of the research. Your Contract Specialist and Science Officer can work with you and your institution in these special cases.

After a Recommendation for Funding

The Next Step

What do I still need to do to receive the money to fund my research?
The specific terms of the award need to be agreed upon by both the Sponsored Programs Office at your institution and the contracting office that supports the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), which is the US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). USAMRAA will not issue an award until applicable regulations governing areas such as animal use, human subjects, safety, and environmental requirements have been appropriately addressed. Once the award has been made, costs can be incurred only for work as allowed under the award.

Resources

What resources are available to help me proceed after I receive my recommendation for funding letter?
Website: The URL http://cdmrp.army.mil contains versions of program announcements, a database of previously funded research (see Search Awards), upcoming funding opportunities, and other information about CDMRP and its programs.
Science Officer: The Science Officer, a member of the CDMRP staff, is also known as the Grants Officer's Representative (GOR). The CDMRP is the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) office responsible for managing several congressionally directed programs (e.g., Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, and Neurofibromatosis Research Programs). The URL for the CDMRP website is http://cdmrp.army.mil. The CDMRP Science Officer/GOR is a doctorate level scientist or clinician in the Grants Management Division with whom investigators will discuss scientific aspects of their award, particularly with respect to milestones and changes in the scientific design. He or she will assist you to ensure that your needs and the needs/requirements of USAMRMC are met. The Science Officer/GOR assists and advises the USAMRAA Contracting Office, and serves as a liaison between investigators and representatives at USAMRAA, Regulatory Compliance and Quality (RCQ), and other offices at USAMRMC. In addition, he or she serves as an ombudsman who can provide you with or direct you to sources for answers to your questions. To contact your Science Officer/GOR, call 301-619-7071.
US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity: This office, which is also known as USAMRAA or RAA, is the CDMRP's counterpart to your institution's Sponsored Programs Office. The URL for the USAMRAA website is http://www.usamraa.army.mil. Individuals in this office review your grant application for budgetary issues and work with your institution's representatives to develop a mutually agreeable award. You will be involved with two individuals in this office, a Grants Officer and a Contract Specialist. A USAMRAA Grants Officer has the authority to sign the award document that obligates the federal government to pay your institution to perform the work described in your application. A Contract Specialist assists the Grants Officer. The Contract Specialist assigned to your application will review budgetary issues and communicate with your Sponsored Programs Office. These individuals can be thought of as "Business Specialists" because they manage the business aspects of the award for the government.
Regulatory Compliance and Quality: The office of RCQ assures that animal use, human subjects, safety, and environmental requirements are met. Different branches within this office handle animal use, human subjects, safety, and environmental requirements. The main telephone number for this office is 301-619-6245. The relevant appendices for each requirement are located under the eReceipt TAB "Regulatory and Other Documents". If you have questions after reviewing the applicable appendices, you may call the appropriate branch for assistance: for animal use inquiries, 301-619-2283; for human subjects and anatomical substances inquiries, 301-619-7550; for safety inquiries, 301-619-6035; and for environmental inquiries, 301-619-2004.
Note: When calling any of the above offices, please identify yourself as a CDMRP award recipient or impending recipient and indicate the program (e.g., Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Neurofibromatosis, or other) and the fiscal year (FY) of the award (e.g., FY03, FY02). In addition, please have your application log number (e.g., PC03xxxx) or award number (DAMD17-x-xx-xxxx) available to facilitate retrieval of information from the information management system. If your application involves the use of human subjects or human anatomical substances and you have submitted your human subjects appendix, the Human Subjects Research Review Board (HSRRB) Log Number (A-xxxxx), if known, is valuable as well. The more information you provide, the quicker you can be connected to the appropriate individual.
What is the difference between a Grants Officer, Contract Specialist, Grants Officer's Representative, and Science Officer?
The Grants Officer and Contract Specialist work for USAMRAA. The Grants Officer's Representative is another name for Science Officer. Science Officers work for the CDMRP. Specific information on these individual roles is covered in the previous question.
Why do I need to work with three offices (CDMRP, USAMRAA, and RCQ)?
No single office can specialize in all the requirements of application submission, contracting laws, and regulatory requirements. Just as your institution has separate laboratories, offices of sponsored research, and Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), we have separate offices located in separate buildings.

Meeting Regulatory Requirements

How do I meet regulatory requirements?
The first step is to review your institute's guidelines and regulations for animal, human subject/anatomical substances, safety and environmental requirements. The next step is to review the guidelines provided by the CDMRP in the General Application Instructions (https://cdmrp.org/files/forms/generic/cdmrp_instruct.pdf) and the Human Subject Resource Document found on the eReceipt site (scroll down on the page: https://cdmrp.org/Program_Announcements_and_Forms/). In addition, please review the guidelines as established by the USAMRMC Office of Research Protections (ORP) (https://mrmc.amedd.army.mil/index.cfm?pageid=research_protections.overview). Animal and human subjects' requirements apply to those applications making use of such resources. Human cell lines that are commercially available are considered exempt. Human cell lines from other sources are considered anatomical substances and may be under regulations.
My study will involve patient recruitment. How do I proceed?
You will need to prepare a human subjects protocol (separate from the application) and informed consent that are specific to the project that is being funded by CDMRP. Please be aware the Army has human subjects' requirements in addition to those in the Common Federal Rule. The protocol and consent form will need review and approval by your local IRB, and then review by the Human Research Protections Office (HRPO). If your study is being conducted at multiple sites, each local site IRB must approve the consent and protocol and each site's documents must be reviewed and approved by the HRPO. HRPO approval is required prior to implementation of the protocol. For each investigation involving human subjects, the Director of ORP will designate as the responsible office, either the ORP Clinical Investigations Regulatory Office (CIRO): https://mrmc.amedd.army.mil/index.cfm?pageid=Research_Protections.ciro or ORP HRPO https://mrmc.amedd.army.mil/index.cfm?pageid=Research_Protections.hrpo. This process can be quite time consuming, and the earlier that it is started, the sooner approval will be received. Investigators are encouraged to carefully read the "Guidelines for Investigators" found at https://mrmc.amedd.army.mil/index.cfm?pageid=research_protections.hrpo.
I am using established human cell lines and/or anatomical substances in my project. How do I know what regulatory requirements must be met?
Human cell lines that are commercially available are considered exempt. Human cell lines from other sources are considered anatomical substances and may be under regulations. Appendix 5 "Regulatory Requirements", available in the CDMRP General Application Instructions (GAI) (https://cdmrp.org/files/forms/generic/cdmrp_instruct.pdf) and on the ORP website (https://mrmc.amedd.army.mil/index.cfm?pageid=research_protections.overview) explains the requirements and documents that must be completed for all research projects that involve human subjects and/or anatomical substances. Questions regarding the completion of these documents should be directed to the ORP HRPO at 301.619. 2165.
For Environmental Compliance, do I need to submit a Certificate of Environmental Compliance for each institute performing work under my application?
Yes. The Certificate of Environmental Compliance (CEC) is required for each institution performing work under the application and should be executed by the institution's official responsible for environmental compliance. The USAMRMC examines all medical research and development projects for their potential environmental impacts. In most cases, awardees are conducting research in established laboratories that are in compliance with environmental laws and regulation. The CEC Form can be found on the CDMRP eReceipt site at: https://cdmrp.org/Program_Announcements_and_Forms/.
What Safety Regulations do I need to meet?
Information about all of the required safety approvals and requirements can be found at: https://mrmc.amedd.army.mil/assets/docs/sse/safetyappendix20091117.pdf. To determine if an institution has an approved Facility Safety Plan go to: https://mrmc.amedd.army.mil/assets/docs/SSE/Facility_Safety_Plan_Approved_Institutions.pdf. If the institution is on the list, then only the PI Investigator Assurance needs to be submitted. If either the organization's name, research site, or subcontractor's name does NOT appear on the Institutional Facility Safety Plan listing or if the approval of the institution's Facility Safety Plan has expired, the Facility Safety Manager/Director must provide the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command's (USAMRMC's) Safety Office with a Facility Safety Plan. The plan must be prepared in accordance with the instructions provided at https://mrmc.amedd.army.mil/index.cfm?pageid=researcher_resources.safety.

Receipt of Funds

If I am awarded a grant, how soon will I receive money? Will I receive all the money at one time?
The amount of time from receipt of your notification letter until your final award agreement is signed depends on how expeditiously you furnish the required human subjects, animal use and other requested documents as outlined in the notification letter you received. Funds are "set aside" (obligated) in entirety at the time of assistance agreement award. Payments may be made either by Advance Payments (quarterly disbursement) or Cost Reimbursement. The terms of awards are negotiated with the USAMRAA Contract Specialist, with the payment schedule incorporated into the assistance agreement award. The terms of awards may vary between institutes.
Can I start my studies as soon as I receive the award agreement?
You may begin research-related tasks as long as human subjects, human anatomical substances and/or animals are not used. If your research either uses or subcontracts for the use of human subjects, human anatomical substances, or animals, you must have express written approval for these studies from the applicable USAMRMC RCQ office prior to spending funds on human subjects, human anatomical substances, or animal costs.
How long would I have to spend the money from an award?
Money must be spent within the period of performance of the award agreement. However, the recipient may make a one-time "no-cost" extension to the expiration date of the assistance award for a period of up to 12 months. The recipient's business office (Sponsored Programs Office) shall notify the Science Officer and Contract Specialist, in writing (e-mail is acceptable), at least 10 days prior to the expiration date of the award.

Project Execution

I am confident that my research will progress smoothly, but what should I do if I need more time or want to make some changes?
The CDMRP's goal is to facilitate the best extramural research possible. We realize that at times unexpected situations occur either scientifically, technically, or with equipment and personnel. We also know that serendipitous, but very important findings, may develop leading to changes in research focus. Should these issues arise, discuss them with your Sponsored Programs Office and then contact your assigned Science Officer as well as your USAMRAA Contract Specialist.
What would I do if early data lead my research in a different direction from that which I outlined in my application?
Discuss it with your CDMRP Science Officer or USAMRAA Contract Specialist and negotiate a new Statement of Work (SOW). The assistance agreement will be modified to incorporate the new SOW. Please be advised that you may have to submit new or revised animal use, anatomical substances or human use documents to RCQ and obtain new approvals.
Is this award renewable?
No, because of our organizational and budgetary structure, we are not able to renew awards beyond the original award period. Awards typically run for a 2- to 4-year period. The award period may be extended without additional funds in order to complete a project.
Are there annual reporting requirements?
Yes, progress reports that present a detailed summary of scientific issues and accomplishments are due annually after receipt of funds. Specific requirements will be outlined in your assistance agreement. Annual/final reports are administered through the office of Resource Management Information (RMI) at USAMRMC. RMI sends a reminder of report requirements and deadlines approximately 45 days prior to the due date. If your application involves human subjects, there are separate continuing review/final study report requirements in addition to the annual/final progress reports. Additional information regarding this specific requirement can be obtained from your assigned Human Subjects Protection Scientist at RCQ. If your application involves animal subjects, you will be required to complete an annual "Animal Use Report." Specific requirements will be outlined in your assistance agreement. Additional information regarding this requirement can be obtained by calling 301-619-3776.
Will I receive feedback on my reports?
Yes, always from the CDMRP Science Officer.
Can I publicize my award?
Yes, this is encouraged. Please wait until the award agreement is in place, however, because on occasion, the scope of work changes, personnel at research institutions change, or Principal Investigators decline some or all of an award. Be sure to mention in your press release or announcement that the Department of Defense (DOD) is funding the work and name the appropriate research program.
Must I acknowledge the DOD?
Acknowledge the DOD program in manuscripts, book chapters, abstracts, posters, and oral presentations when the work is supported in part or in whole, by the DOD programs using statements such as "This research was supported by the Department of Defense [program name (e.g., Prostate Cancer Research Program)] under award number (DAMD17-X-XXXX). Views and opinions of, and endorsements by the author(s) do not reflect those of the US Army or the Department of Defense."
Can I transfer my grant to another institution?
Grants are made to institutions and NOT to investigators. Transfers are considered on a case-by-case basis depending on the program, type of award mechanism, length of award, time remaining on award and other factors. Please contact your CDMRP Science Officer or USAMRAA Contract Specialist for further directions.