DoD Autism Clinical Trial Award | W81XWH 18 ARP CTA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 18 ARP CTA

The DoD Autism Clinical Trial Award (funding opportunity number W81XWH 18 ARP CTA) is a Department of Defense Autism Research Program (ARP) grant mechanism managed by the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). It is designed to fund clinical research that can realistically lead to major advances in how autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is treated or managed. A defining feature of this opportunity is that the proposed work must be a clinical trial; the funds are not intended for preclinical or basic laboratory studies. In other words, the award is aimed at studies that directly test interventions in people, with outcomes that could change clinical practice, service delivery, or real-world health and functioning for individuals with ASD.

The FY18 call welcomes applications across the full range of clinical research topics, but it places particular emphasis on projects that respond to pressing needs identified by the ASD community. Priority areas include behavioral, cognitive, and other non-pharmacological therapies; pharmacological, genetic, and other biologically based treatments; and efforts focused on dissemination and implementation, meaning the real-world adoption, scaling, and sustained use of interventions that are already clinically validated. The program also encourages trials targeting common co-occurring conditions that can significantly affect quality of life for people with ASD, such as sleep problems, gastrointestinal issues, inflammation, aggression, depression, anxiety, attention deficits, and seizures. Additional encouraged topics include interventions that help individuals with ASD succeed during major life transitions into adulthood (for example, supports related to education, employment, independent living, and community participation), as well as healthcare provider-focused training programs or clinical tools intended to improve healthcare delivery across the lifespan and across settings like primary care, urgent or emergency care, and disaster-response contexts.

Beyond treatment, the opportunity explicitly highlights the need to improve ASD diagnosis across the lifespan, reflecting gaps in identification and evaluation for adolescents, adults, and underserved groups. It also calls for attention to cultural and socioeconomic factors that influence whether treatments work equally well for different populations and whether people can access and benefit from services. Overall, the intent is to fund pragmatic, clinically meaningful trials that not only test efficacy or effectiveness, but also address barriers to care, inequities in delivery, and the practical steps needed to move evidence-based interventions into everyday use.

Administratively, this is a discretionary federal funding opportunity that can be issued as a grant or a cooperative agreement (the latter typically implying more substantial agency involvement during the project). The activity category is research and development under CFDA 12.420. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning the opportunity is open to a broad range of applicant organizations, subject to any additional eligibility details in the full announcement. The posting indicates an expected two awards. The opportunity was created on May 21, 2018, with an original closing date of October 4, 2018. The award ceiling is shown as 0 in the summary data, which commonly indicates that the maximum budget is not specified in that particular field and must be confirmed in the full funding announcement or related program guidance.

• 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 Autism Clinical Trial 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 21, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 04, 2018. (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.

Apply for W81XWH 18 ARP CTA

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