US CDMRP – Lupus Research Program

Idea Award  – HT942526LRPIA

• Letters of Intent due 29 July 2026
• Up to USD$300,000 over 2 years
• Supports innovative, high-risk/high-reward research that could ultimately lead to a critical discovery or major advancement.
• Emphasizes innovation.
• Clinical trials not allowed
• Preliminary data allowed, but not required
• Applications should describe future directions of the work.
• Must address one of the Focus Areas numbers 1 to 5
• Apply here
• Document – Program Announcement – HT942526LRPIA_GG

Impact Award – HT942526LRPIPA

• Letters of Intent due 29 July 2026
• Up to USD$1M over 4 years
• Supports high-risk/high-reward research that has the potential to make a major impact in lupus research.
• Emphasizes impact.
• Clinical trials not allowed
• Preliminary data encouraged, but not required
• Must address one of the Focus Areas
• Apply here
• Document – Program Announcement – HT942526LRPIPA_GG

Transformative Vision Development Award – HT942526LRPTVDA

• Letters of Intent due 29 July 2026
• Up to USD$250,000 over 2 years
• Supports planning and development activities and pilot studies that will generate preliminary data and demonstrate feasibility for achieving the aims of a future interventional study.
• Emphasizes research strategy to gain preliminary data and demonstrate feasibility for a future TVA project.
• Phase 0/I clinical trials allowed
• Phase II/III clinical trials not allowed
• Animal studies not allowed
• Preliminary data allowed, but not required
• Must include at least one lupus consumer advocate as a research team member
• Must address one of the Focus Areas number 6 or 7
• Apply here
• Document – Program Announcement – HT942526LRPTVDA_GG

Transformative Vision Award – HT942526LRPTVA

• Letters of Intent due 29 July 2026
• Up to USD$2M over 4 years
• supports interventional research at the individual and/or health care system level which will result in near-term impact on the health-related quality of life
• Emphasizes near-term impact on quality of life.
• Clinical trials allowed
• Animal studies not allowed
• Preliminary data required
• Must include at least one lupus consumer advocate as a research team member
• Must address one of the Focus Areas number 6 or 7
• Apply here
• Document – Program Announcement – HT942526LRPTVA_GG

Focus Areas

1. Understanding how lupus disease heterogeneity impacts risk of disease, disease presentation, clinical course and outcomes using a diverse range of research disciplines, including, but not limited to, biopsychosocial studies, personalized medicine, variation in treatment studies, health economics, socioeconomic studies, environmental studies and epidemiological studies. This focus area applies to the Idea Award and Impact Award only.
2. Understanding the biological mechanisms of lupus disease, including, but not limited to, studies of informative or rare patients. This focus area applies to the Idea Award and Impact Award only.
3. Determining the pathobiology of end organ injury related to lupus disease in target human tissues. This focus area applies to the Idea Award and Impact Award only.
4. Improving quality of life for individuals living with lupus, including, but not limited to, addressing social determinants of health, nutrition, alternative therapies, access to health care resources, outcomes research, patient-reported outcomes, symptom and disease control, comparative effectiveness research, and issues and challenges that, when addressed, make day-to-day living with lupus easier and life more fulfilling. This focus area applies to the Idea Award and Impact Award only.
5. Understanding the underlying genetic and epigenetic components and gene-environment interactions of lupus and how they may relate to clinical disease characteristics, variations, disparities and differences in response to therapies using functional genomic studies. This focus area applies to the Idea Award and Impact Award only.
6. Innovative health care delivery models improving outcomes for lupus. This focus area applies to the Impact Award, Transformative Vision Development Award and Transformative Vision Award only.
7. Design and implement an intervention at either the individual and/or health care system level to improve the quality of life for individuals living with lupus. Example interventions include but are not limited to access to health care resources, outcomes research, symptom and disease control, comparative effectiveness research, and issues and challenges that, when addressed, make day-to-day living with lupus easier and life more fulfilling. This focus area applies to the Impact Award, Transformative Vision Development Award and Transformative Vision Award only.