US CDMRP – Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research Program

Translational Research Award – HT942526TBIPHRPTRA 

• Pre-proposals due 13 July 2026
• up to USD$1M over 4 years (Research Level 1) or up to USD$2M over 4 years (Research Level 2)
• Supports high-risk, high-reward research that accelerates the conversion of scientific findings into impactful clinical applications.
• Prioritizes innovative approaches over purely iterative or incremental research.
• Research outcomes must clearly lead to the development of transformative health care products, technologies, or clinical practice guidelines
• Research Level 1 – supports smaller, less-complex preclinical and/or clinical research
• Research Level 2 – supports larger, more complex preclinical and/or clinical research
• Early-Career Investigator Partnering Option available
• basic research not allowed
• clinical trials not allowed
• must address at least one focus area sub-area
• Apply here
• Document – Program Announcement – HT942526TBIPHRPTRA-GG

Health Services Research Award  – HT942526TBIPHRPHSRA

• Letters of Intent due 24 September 2026
• Up to USD$4M over 4 years
• Bridges the gap between research, practice and policy by building a knowledgebase on how to deploy interventions and clinical practices/guidelines and policies to targeted populations at the appropriate time at the point of need.
• Early-Career Investigator Partnering Option available
• preliminary data required
• must include clinical research or clinical trials.  Prospective or retrospective clinical research or clinical trials involving human subjects, human subject data/records and human anatomical substances are allowed
• basic, preclinical and animal research not allowed
• must address at least one focus area sub-area
• Apply here
• Document – Program Announcement – HT942526TBIPHRPHSRA-GG

Clinical Trial Award – HT942526TBIPHRPCTA

• Pre-proposals due 13 July 2026
• Supports the rapid implementation of clinical trials with the potential to have a significant impact on psychological health conditions and/or TBI through clinical applications, including health care products, technologies, and/or practice guidelines.
• Research Level 1
  • up to USD$2.1M over 4 years
  • proof-of-principle pilot trials, correlative studies and other innovative exploratory clinical trials
• Research Level 2
  • up to USD$4.1M over 4 years
  • Phase 1 or more advanced clinical trials for promising interventions
• Early-Career Investigator Partnering Option available
• must address at least one focus area sub-area
• must include community-based participatory research approaches
• preliminary data required
• Apply here
• Document – Program Announcement – HT942526TBIPHRPCTA-GG

Focus Areas

1. Understand: Research will address knowledge gaps in the epidemiology and etiology of psychological health conditions and/or TBI.
   1. Understanding of risk, protective and biological factors, including sex as a biological variable, contributing to an individual’s vulnerability to, response to and long-term outcomes of psychological health conditions and/or TBI.
   2. Understanding psychological health factors or outcomes associated with sexual harassment and assault perpetration, victimization and barriers to reporting and response. Studies that ensure participant anonymity strongly encouraged.
2. Prevent and Assess: Research will address the prevention, screening, diagnosis or prognosis of psychological health conditions and/or TBI.
   1. Identification and validation of biomarkers or other objective methods for assessment, diagnosis, prognosis or real-time monitoring of psychological health conditions and/or TBI, including subclinical presentations, and associated sequelae of these conditions.
      • Development of decision-making frameworks or tools that incorporate objective assessments and may consider long-term outcomes to inform return-to-activity/duty decisions are within scope.
   2. Development and evaluation of approaches or tools to prevent or reduce risk of psychological health conditions and/or TBI.
   3. Development and evaluation of crosscutting prevention approaches to address multiple adverse outcomes such as suicide, interpersonal violence including intimate partner and family violence, sexual assault, psychological health issues and/or TBI.
      • Crosscutting prevention approaches refer to strategies that enhance protective factors and reduce risk factors at multiple socio-ecological levels, e.g., individual, relationship and community.
   4. Development and evaluation of solutions to support military and family readiness and increase psychological resilience in individuals to the potential negative impacts of specific military and life stressors.
      • Military readiness refers to the ability of military forces to fight and meet the demands of national military strategy; family readiness is the state of preparedness to effectively navigate the challenges of daily living experienced in the unique context of military service.
3. Treat: Research will address novel and repurposed interventions to improve the outcomes of psychological health conditions and/or TBI. Efforts that address treatment, rehabilitation and health services research are within scope.
   1. Interventions that promote sustained functional recovery, including interventions administered acutely, during the post-acute phase or chronic phase of injury.
   2. Development of postvention strategies to support individuals in workplace or community environments following a sexual assault, suicide event or other trauma.
      • Postvention refers to response activities that should be undertaken in the immediate aftermath of a suicide that has impacted the unit. Postvention has two purposes: to help suicide attempt survivors cope with their grief, and to prevent additional suicide.
   3. Health services research to improve the adoption of evidence-based practices, access to care, or reduce barriers to care. Individual and systemic factors that influence access to or barriers to care as well as other factors that influence treatment engagement, follow-up care and improvement of long-term outcomes are applicable.