CDMRP: Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP)
Below is a brief summary. Please check the full solicitation before applying (link in resources section).
Executive Summary:
The FY26 Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) is a pre-announcement from the Department of Defense indicating substantial upcoming funding across a wide range of medical research topics relevant to military health. This is an early signal to begin preparing—applications are not yet open, and deadlines are not specified in this pre-announcement. Once released on Grants.gov, these opportunities will move quickly and require pre-applications or letters of intent.
This program supports everything from early-stage discovery through large-scale clinical trials, with awards ranging from $385,000 up to $20M+ depending on mechanism. Founders and research teams should begin aligning projects now to be competitive when announcements drop.
How much funding would I receive?
Funding varies significantly by award mechanism:
Clinical Trial Award
Planning Phase: up to $800,000
Level 1: up to $6M
Level 2: up to $10M
Level 3: up to $20M
Discovery Award
Up to $385,000
Impact Award
Single PI: up to $2.8M
Partnering PI: up to $3.6M
Lifestyle and Applied Health Research Award
Up to $4.2M
Platform Clinical Translation Award
Up to $15M (with only $8M guaranteed from FY26 funds)
Research Advancement Award
Up to $1.4M
Technology/Therapeutic Development Award
Up to $5.6M
All amounts are total costs (direct + indirect).
What could I use the funding for?
Funding supports a broad spectrum of medical research aligned to congressionally mandated topic areas, including (not exhaustive):
PTSD, traumatic brain injury, suicide prevention
Burn pit exposure, respiratory health
Rare diseases (e.g., Rett Syndrome, Fragile X, mitochondrial disease)
Chronic conditions (e.g., diabetes-related areas not explicitly listed, IBD, fibromyalgia-related analogs where applicable)
Women’s health (e.g., endometriosis, maternal mental health)
Neurological and musculoskeletal conditions
Use cases depend on the mechanism:
Discovery Award: High-risk, early-stage concepts (no preliminary data)
Impact Award: Hypothesis-driven work with preliminary data
Clinical Trial Award: Phase 0–3 trials
Technology/Therapeutic Development: Translating preclinical work into products
Platform Clinical Translation: Multi-indication platforms
Lifestyle and Applied Health: Quality of life, behavioral, and applied interventions
Projects must align to at least one specified topic area.
Are there any additional benefits I would receive?
Validation from the Department of Defense and CDMRP
Access to non-dilutive capital at scale (up to $20M)
Opportunity to support military-relevant health outcomes
Structured pathways for clinical translation and regulatory readiness (e.g., IND/IDE planning support under Clinical Trial Award)
Additional benefits are not further specified in the pre-announcement.
What is the timeline to apply and when would I receive funding?
This is a pre-announcement only
Funding opportunity announcements will be released on Grants.gov
Pre-application and full application deadlines are not specified in this pre-announcement
Submission will require:
Pre-application (e.g., preproposal or letter of intent depending on mechanism)
Full application (often by invitation only)
Periods of performance:
Range from 2 years to 4 years depending on mechanism
Planning phases up to 18 months
Exact award start timelines are not specified.
Where does this funding come from?
FY26 Defense Appropriations Act
Administered by:
Defense Health Agency (DHA) Research and Development
Medical Research and Development Command (MRDC)
Managed through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP)
Who is eligible to apply?
Independent investigators at all career levels
Applies across all award mechanisms
No additional institutional, geographic, or organizational eligibility restrictions are specified in this pre-announcement.
What companies and projects are likely to win?
Based strictly on the solicitation:
Projects that:
Align directly with congressionally mandated topic areas
Demonstrate clear relevance to military health
Show high impact and scientific merit
Competitive profiles by mechanism:
Discovery: Bold, untested ideas without preliminary data
Impact: Strong preliminary data + near-term impact potential
Clinical Trial: Well-developed interventions ready for human testing
Technology/Therapeutic Development: Clear product-oriented outcomes
Platform Clinical Translation: Solutions addressing multiple topic areas
Teams:
May include clinician researchers or industry partners (required in some partnering options)
Further selection criteria are not specified in this pre-announcement.
Are there any restrictions I should know about?
Key restrictions vary by mechanism:
Clinical Trial Award
Cannot support preclinical research
Requires regulatory approvals (e.g., IND/IDE) where applicable
Discovery Award
Cannot include preliminary data
Cannot support clinical trials
Impact Award
Cannot support clinical trials
Lifestyle and Applied Health Research Award
Cannot support animal studies
Technology/Therapeutic Development Award
Cannot support clinical trials
Research Advancement Award
Cannot support clinical trials
All applications:
Must align to specified topic areas
Require pre-application submission (preproposal or LOI depending on mechanism)
How long will it take me to prepare an application?
Not explicitly specified, but based on required steps:
Pre-application required (LOI or preproposal)
Full applications often by invitation only
Clinical trial applications may require:
Regulatory documentation (e.g., IND/IDE)
Exact preparation timelines are not specified in the pre-announcement.
How can BW&CO help?
BW&CO can support:
Opportunity qualification against PRMRP mechanisms
Topic area alignment and positioning
Preproposal / LOI development
Full application strategy and narrative development
Clinical and product translation positioning
Partnering strategy (e.g., clinician or industry PI alignment)
How much would BW&CO Charge?
We have both fractional engagements ($250 an hour) and full engagements ($13,000 + 5%) available.