DoD Reconstructive Transplant, Concept Award | W81XWH 22 RTRP CA

FAQs: DoD Reconstructive Transplant Research Program (RTRP) Concept Award (FY22)

1) What is the RTRP Concept Award (FY22)?

The DoD Reconstructive Transplant Research Program (RTRP) Concept Award (FY22) is a Department of Defense funding opportunity intended to help researchers test bold, unconventional ideas in reconstructive transplantation. It is specifically meant to support highly innovative new concepts or untested theories that could address meaningful, unresolved problems in the field.

2) What is the main goal of this funding mechanism?

The main goal is to enable high-risk, high-reward research that could open entirely new directions for reconstructive transplantation research, rather than extending, optimizing, or logically continuing an existing research line.

3) What kind of research is considered a good fit?

A good fit is research that genuinely challenges current thinking, introduces a new framework, or approaches persistent problems from a fresh angle. The program is looking for truly innovative concepts that are early-stage and may not yet have pilot results.

4) What kind of research is not a good fit?

The opportunity is not intended for incremental improvements that build directly on existing published results, or for projects that are essentially a straightforward continuation of an established research trajectory.

5) Does the program require a strong scientific rationale even if the idea is high-risk?

Yes. Even though the award supports ambitious and potentially disruptive ideas, applications must still present a solid scientific rationale and a credible plan capable of producing interpretable results. The work can be risky in terms of outcome, but it cannot be vague or speculative in its design.

6) Are preliminary data allowed in the application?

No. Preliminary data are not allowed for this award mechanism. This is consistent with the goal of supporting early-stage concepts that may not yet have pilot findings.

7) If preliminary data are not allowed, how do applicants show feasibility?

Applicants are still expected to demonstrate feasibility through a clearly argued rationale and an approach that can generate meaningful, interpretable information. In other words, feasibility is shown through sound study design and scientific reasoning rather than pilot datasets.

8) Is military relevance required?

Yes. Relevance to military needs is a core requirement. Proposed work must be responsive to real healthcare needs affecting military Service Members and/or Veterans recovering from traumatic injury.

9) Do projects need to align with specific focus areas?

Yes. Projects must align with at least one of the FY22 RTRP Concept Award Focus Areas and should connect the anticipated impact to trauma-related reconstructive challenges and the realities of military medicine and recovery.

10) Can the work also benefit non-military populations?

Yes. While military relevance is required, the opportunity notes that outcomes may also benefit family members, caregivers, clinicians, and potentially the general public.

11) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted in the provided summary, meaning it is generally open to a wide range of entity types unless the full announcement adds limits elsewhere. The program also states that investigators at or above the postdoctoral fellow level are eligible.

12) Are early-career investigators encouraged to apply?

Yes. The program explicitly encourages young and early-career investigators to apply, which aligns with the award’s intent to support strong ideas that may not yet have extensive preliminary datasets.

13) What funding instruments are used for this opportunity?

The funding instrument type includes both cooperative agreements and grants, under the science and technology / research and development category.

14) Who is the sponsoring agency and administering organization?

The opportunity is offered by the Department of Defense and is administered through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA).

15) What is the program or catalog identifier listed?

The listing identifies the program under CFDA 12.420.

16) What is the anticipated number of awards?

The posted anticipated number of awards was three.

17) What is the opportunity number and when was it posted?

The funding opportunity referenced is W81XWH-22-RTRP-CA. It was created on June 14, 2022.

18) What was the original closing date?

The original closing date shown was October 19, 2022.

19) Is the review process blinded?

Yes. The review process is described as blinded at both tiers. Reviewers will not know the identity of the Principal Investigator, collaborators, or their institutions.

20) What parts of the application need to be carefully blinded?

The application must be prepared to avoid revealing identities in specified sections, including the Project Narrative, References, the list of abbreviations/acronyms/symbols, and the Statement of Work.

21) What happens if identifying information is accidentally included in blinded sections?

Applications that disclose identifying information in components that must remain blinded can be rejected for noncompliance, so applicants are expected to follow the posted guidance closely.

22) Is there guidance on common blinding mistakes?

Yes. The opportunity references a DoD list of common blinding mistakes available through eBRAP, and applicants are expected to follow that guidance.

23) What is the award ceiling (maximum budget) for this opportunity?

The listing shows an award ceiling of 0, which typically signals that applicants should rely on the full announcement for budget limits and that a numeric cap may not be expressed in the simplified listing.