CDMRP: FY26 Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research Program (TBIPHRP)
Below is a brief summary. Please check the full solicitation before applying (link in resources section).
Executive Summary:
The FY26 Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research Program (TBIPHRP), managed by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) under the Defense Health Agency Research and Development – Medical Research and Development Command, will support innovative, high-impact research with clinical relevance focused on improving the prevention, assessment, and treatment of psychological health conditions and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
The program has released a pre-announcement to allow investigators time to begin preparing research concepts. Funding opportunity announcements will be released later on Grants.gov, and those announcements will include the official submission deadlines.
Application deadlines are not specified in the pre-announcement.
Researchers developing clinical trials, translational research, or health services research related to psychological health and TBI in military populations should begin preparing now so they can move quickly once the official solicitations are released.
How much funding would I receive?
Funding depends on the award mechanism and research level selected.
Clinical Trial Award
Research Level 1
Maximum funding: $2.1 million total costs
Period of performance: up to 4 years
Research Level 2
Maximum funding: $4.1 million total costs
Period of performance: up to 4 years
Health Services Research Award
Maximum funding: $4.0 million total costs
Period of performance: up to 4 years
Translational Research Award
Research Level 1
Maximum funding: $1.0 million total costs
Period of performance: up to 4 years
Research Level 2
Maximum funding: $2.0 million total costs
Period of performance: up to 4 years
Total costs include both direct and indirect costs.
The pre-announcement does not specify the number of awards expected.
What could I use the funding for?
Projects must address psychological health conditions and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI) and fall within one of the program’s focus areas.
1. Understand
Research addressing knowledge gaps in epidemiology and etiology, including:
Risk, protective, and biological factors affecting vulnerability, response, and long-term outcomes
Sex as a biological variable
Psychological health factors related to sexual harassment or assault perpetration, victimization, and barriers to reporting
2. Prevent and Assess
Research focused on prevention, screening, diagnosis, or prognosis, including:
Identification and validation of biomarkers or objective assessment methods
Tools supporting return-to-activity or return-to-duty decisions
Prevention approaches for psychological health conditions and/or TBI
Cross-cutting prevention strategies addressing outcomes such as:
Suicide
Interpersonal violence
Sexual assault
Psychological health conditions
TBI
Solutions supporting military and family readiness and resilience
3. Treat
Research on novel or repurposed interventions, including:
Treatments and rehabilitation approaches that promote sustained functional recovery
Interventions across acute, post-acute, or chronic phases
Postvention strategies following events such as suicide or sexual assault
Health services research improving access to care, adoption of evidence-based practices, or treatment engagement
Are there any additional benefits I would receive?
Being part of a CDMRP-managed research portfolio with a history of high-impact biomedical awards.
Two-tier review that evaluates both scientific quality and programmatic relevance (once FOA is published).
What is the timeline to apply and when would I receive funding?
This announcement is a pre-announcement only intended to give researchers time to prepare proposals.
Key points:
Funding opportunity announcements will be released on Grants.gov.
Those announcements will include pre-application and application deadlines.
Application deadlines are not specified in the pre-announcement.
Submission process:
Pre-applications must be submitted through eBRAP (Electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal).
Some mechanisms require preproposals or Letters of Intent before full applications.
Full application submission may be by invitation only depending on the mechanism.
The pre-announcement does not specify when awards will be made.
Where does this funding come from?
Funding is provided under the Fiscal Year 2026 Defense Appropriations Act and administered by the Defense Health Agency Research and Development – Medical Research and Development Command (DHA R&D-MRDC) through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility varies slightly by mechanism but generally includes:
Independent investigators at any career level
Additional details:
Postdoctoral fellows are not considered independent investigators
Some mechanisms include an Early-Career Investigator Partnering Option that allows two principal investigators, where:
One PI must be within 10 years of completing their terminal degree at the application submission deadline
If funded, each PI receives an individual award within their recipient organization(s)
The solicitation does not specify eligible organization types in the pre-announcement.
What companies and projects are likely to win?
Projects likely to be competitive will:
Address psychological health conditions and/or traumatic brain injury
Demonstrate high clinical relevance to military populations
Provide innovative, high-impact research approaches
Advance solutions for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or health system implementation
Lead to health care products, technologies, or clinical practice guidelines
Specific program priorities include:
Biomarkers and objective diagnostic methods
Cross-cutting prevention approaches addressing multiple adverse outcomes
Interventions that support sustained functional recovery
Research improving access to care or adoption of evidence-based practices
Are there any restrictions I should know about?
Restrictions vary by award mechanism.
Key limitations include:
Clinical Trial Award
Must support clinical trials
Preproposal required
Full application submission by invitation only
Health Services Research Award
Clinical research and clinical trials allowed
Trials for new treatments are prohibited
Requires Letter of Intent prior to full application
Translational Research Award
Supports high-risk, high-reward translational research
Basic research prohibited
Clinical trials prohibited
Requires preproposal submission
Full application submission by invitation only
All submissions must comply with the final funding opportunity announcements released on Grants.gov.
How long will it take me to prepare an application?
Preparation time will depend on the mechanism and project complexity.
Applicants should expect to prepare:
A preproposal or Letter of Intent
A full application if invited
The pre-announcement does not specify application preparation timelines.
How can BW&CO help?
BW&CO supports teams applying to CDMRP and Department of Defense research programs by:
Determining program fit and mechanism selection
Structuring projects to align with TBIPHRP focus areas and evaluation criteria
Developing a competitive preproposal or Letter of Intent
Preparing the full application package if invited
Managing compliance with eBRAP and Grants.gov submission requirements
Because full applications may be invitation-only, strong early positioning during the preproposal stage is critical.
How much would BW&CO Charge?
We have both fractional engagements ($250 an hour) and full engagements ($13,000 + 5%) available.