Idea Development Award – HT942526ERPIDA
- Pre-applications due 3 August 2026
- Up to USD$1M over 3 years
- Supports novel research that has the potential to increase understanding of PTE and associated comorbidities to improve quality of life, especially for Service Members, Veterans and/or their care partners.
- Prioritizes innovative research that challenges existing research paradigms or exhibits high creativity.
- must demonstrate research team’s ability to execute the chosen model of traumatic brain injury and record subsequent seizure, if applicable to the research project.
- Preliminary data not required
- Clinical trials not allowed
- community collaboration is encouraged but not required
- must address at least one of the focus areas
- Apply here
- Document – Program Announcement – HT942526ERPIDA_GG
Leveraging Research Award – HT942526ERPLRA
- Pre-applications due 3 August 2026
- up to USD$800,000 over 3 years
- Supports basic, translational and/or clinical research that repurposes or expands existing research resources to accelerate the understanding of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) and associated comorbidities.
- must adapt a cohort, resource, research tool or intervention for which PTE was not a prior focus
- must provide a strong scientific justification for adding PTE-specific cohorts, outcomes, assessments or analyses
- must demonstrate how this new focus will significantly advance knowledge of the condition.
- preliminary data required
- community collaboration encouraged but not required
- must address at least one of the focus areas
- Apply here
- Document – Program Announcement – HT942526ERPLRA_GG
Research Partnership Award –HT942526ERPRPA
- Pre-applications due 3 August 2026
- up to USD$2M over 3 years
- Supports new or existing research partnerships focused on collaboratively addressing critical questions relevant to PTE.
- preliminary data required
- preclinical studies in animal models, observational research with human subjects, or research involving human anatomical substances or data, ancillary studies associated with an existing clinical trial are allowed
- clinical trials not allowed
- must address at least one of the focus areas
- Apply here
- Document – Program Announcement – HT942526ERPRPA_GG
Focus Areas
- Markers and Mechanisms of PTE – understanding the underlying biology of PTE, including:
- Identification of acute or chronic biomarkers that are informed by or correlated with clinical observation and predict the development of epilepsy.
- Investigation of biological mechanisms that can be targeted to prevent or interrupt epileptogenesis and seizure activity.
- Epidemiological Characterization of PTE – Population-level research to define the patterns, causes, and public health burden of PTE, including:
- Identifying predictors for the development of epilepsy to inform clinical trial design and pre-clinical research priorities.
- Assessing key patient outcomes, including the latency period before epilepsy onset, associated comorbidities, and mortality rates.
- Quantifying the impact of PTE on the quality of life for individuals, their families and/or their care partners.
- Longitudinal Studies of PTE Progression – Studies tracking the evolution of post-traumatic epilepsy over time in individuals, including:
- Assessing facilitators and barriers to long-term well-being of individuals with PTE, their families, and their care partners.
- Evaluating healthcare outcomes, quality of care, and responsiveness to different drug therapies.
- Analyzing the onset, progression, and interaction of comorbid conditions, including but not limited to psychiatric disorders, cognitive deficits, physical deficits, sleep disorders, and fatigue.
- Innovative Research Tools and Technologies – novel tools and strategies to advance PTE research and clinical care, including:
- Application of artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, clinical databases, and advanced device technologies for improved seizure detection, characterization, visualization, or diagnosis.
- New or better-characterized, etiologically relevant models for post-traumatic epilepsy.
- Tools to enable the design of future clinical trials, such as methods to identify appropriate study populations.
