FY2026 Reconstructive Transplant Research Program (RTRP): What Startups Need to Know
Executive Summary
The FY2026 Reconstructive Transplant Research Program (RTRP) is a Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) funding opportunity that supports research to advance the science and clinical practice of vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA). The FY2026 appropriation is $12 million, and the program is soliciting applications through two separate award mechanisms: the Concept Award (up to $200,000 over 18 months) and the Investigator-Initiated Research Award (up to $1 million over 3 years). A Letter of Intent is required for both, due October 21, 2026, with full applications due November 4, 2026.
This is non-dilutive federal grant funding. Awards are made as grants under 31 USC 6304, so there is no equity, no repayment, and no cost sharing requirement. For-profit companies, including early-stage startups, are explicitly eligible.
What Is the Reconstructive Transplant Research Program?
Congress initiated the RTRP in 2012 to support research of high potential impact and exceptional scientific merit that refines approaches for, and increases access to, reconstructive transplants and state-of-the-art immunotherapy. Appropriations from FY2012 through FY2024 totaled $153 million. The FY2026 appropriation is $12 million.
VCA refers to the transplantation of multiple tissues such as muscle, bone, nerve, and skin as a functional unit, for example a hand or a face, from a deceased donor to a recipient with a severe injury. The program's stated goal is to return injured Service Members to duty and restore their quality of life, while also improving access, safety, and outcomes for Veterans and the American public.
Administratively, the program sits inside the CDMRP, which is located within Defense Health Agency Research and Development (DHA R&D), part of the Department of Defense. Both FY2026 announcements refer to DOD using the secondary title Department of War (DOW), so applicants will see "DOW" used throughout the solicitation documents. The Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity (DHACA) is soliciting applications under the delegated authority of 10 USC 4001. The Assistance Listing Number is 12.420.
The Two FY2026 RTRP Award Mechanisms
Both mechanisms share the same focus areas, the same deadlines, and the same submission process. They differ in eligibility, budget, duration, page limits, and, most importantly, whether preliminary data is allowed.
Concept Award (HT942526RTRPCA)
Maximum funding: $200,000 in total costs for the entire period of performance, including direct and indirect costs
Maximum period of performance: 18 months
Expected awards: CDMRP expects to allot roughly $0.6 million to fund approximately 3 awards
Eligible PI: Investigators at or above the level of postdoctoral fellow
Preliminary data: Not allowed. Applications must instead demonstrate the ability to achieve interpretable results and provide a clear rationale
Project Narrative: 2-page limit
Clinical trials: Not allowed
Announcement type: Modified. Version code CD26_01d
Historical competitiveness: First offered in FY2015. Since then the program has received 196 Concept Award applications and recommended 26 for funding, a success rate of roughly 13 percent
The Concept Award exists to fund highly innovative new concepts or untested theories. It is designed for high-risk work that could reveal entirely new avenues of investigation, not the logical next step in an established research program. Innovation is the primary scored consideration, and research that represents an incremental advance on published data is explicitly not considered innovative.
Because the Concept Award is built for preliminary investigation, projects involving human subjects or human anatomical substances will not be supported unless they are exempt under 32 CFR 219.104(d) or eligible for expedited review under 32 CFR 219.110 or 21 CFR 56.110. Studies that do not qualify for exempt status or expedited review will be administratively withdrawn.
Investigator-Initiated Research Award (HT942526RTRPIIRA)
Maximum funding: $1 million in total costs for the entire period of performance, including direct and indirect costs
Maximum period of performance: 3 years
Expected awards: CDMRP expects to allot roughly $8.0 million to fund approximately 8 awards
Eligible PI: Independent investigators at all career levels
Preliminary data: Required. Preliminary and/or published data relevant to reconstructive transplantation that support the rationale for the proposed work must be included
Project Narrative: 10-page limit
Clinical trials: Not allowed, although correlative studies associated with an existing clinical trial are permitted
Announcement type: Initial. Version code CD26_01d
Historical competitiveness: First offered in FY2016. Since then the program has received 253 applications and recommended 43 for funding, a success rate of roughly 17 percent
The Investigator-Initiated Research Award supports studies with the potential to make an important contribution to reconstructive transplant research, patient care, and quality of life. Applications may focus on any phase of research from basic through translational, including preclinical studies in animal models and clinical research in human subjects or human anatomical substances. Every project must demonstrate solid scientific rationale with military-relevant utility, a rigorous study design, and a statistical plan with appropriate power analysis.
FY2026 RTRP Deadlines and Timeline
Both award mechanisms follow the identical schedule. Note that the Concept Award deadlines were extended on August 11, 2026 so that both mechanisms share one receipt cycle.
Pre-Application (Letter of Intent) deadline: October 21, 2026, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Full application deadline: November 4, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
End of application verification period: November 9, 2026, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Peer review: January 2027
Programmatic review: March 2027
Funding recommendations posted to eBRAP: typically within 6 weeks after programmatic review
Awards made: no later than September 30, 2027
FY2026 funds expire for use: September 30, 2032
There are no grace periods. DHACA cannot make allowances or exceptions for submission problems encountered by the applicant, so registrations and portal access need to be resolved well ahead of October.
Who Is Eligible to Apply
Organizations: Extramural and intramural DOW organizations are eligible, including foreign and domestic organizations, for-profit and nonprofit organizations, and public or private entities. Awards are made to organizations, not to individuals.
Principal Investigators: Eligibility is set by mechanism. The Concept Award requires an investigator at or above the level of postdoctoral fellow. The Investigator-Initiated Research Award requires an independent investigator, and all career levels qualify. In both cases, eligibility applies regardless of ethnicity, nationality, or citizenship status, and PIs do not need to be affiliated with an academic organization.
Application limits: An investigator may be named as PI on no more than two Concept Award applications and no more than two Investigator-Initiated Research Award applications in FY2026. If more than two are received naming the same PI for a given mechanism, only the first two received will be accepted.
Cost sharing: Not required for either mechanism.
FY2026 RTRP Focus Areas: What the Program Is Looking For
Applications to either mechanism must address at least one focus area along with at least one of its accompanying sub-bullets. This is a compliance requirement, not a suggestion, and the focus areas are identical across both awards.
1. Improve or optimize VCA immunosuppression
Define the unique targets and mechanisms of VCA immunogenicity and its regulation
Develop novel tolerogenic agents or approaches for VCA immunosuppression
Develop less toxic or personalized regimens for maintenance immunosuppression
2. Identify or validate biomarkers, methods, or tools for monitoring VCA graft rejection and immunosuppression
Identify or validate reliable biomarkers for predicting and monitoring acute and chronic VCA rejection in the clinic, meaning in human clinical samples
Develop assays, devices, or technology for clinical graft monitoring using biomarkers, with proposed devices accounting for human use factors unique to VCA recipients
Identify or validate reliable approaches to measuring and monitoring in vivo or clinical immunosuppression levels
3. Advance VCA preservation strategies
Develop promising static preservation strategies, active perfusion modalities, or other technologies for translation to the clinic
Develop mitigation strategies for preservation-mediated injury, including immune activation or ischemia reperfusion injury
4. Develop tools for measuring VCA outcomes
Performance or function-based measures
Patient-reported measures
Neurocognitive measures
Leveraging solid organ transplant findings
The RTRP explicitly allows applicants to bring novel findings from solid organ transplant research into a VCA setting, provided the rationale and benefits are justified. The solicitation offers three acceptable framings: explain why the anticipated result might be different in VCA, why it is important to confirm the result is the same in VCA, or why repeating the study in a VCA setting could produce new mechanistic insight into the unique aspects of VCA. If your company's platform was developed for kidney, liver, or heart transplant, this is the language to build your rationale around.
Funding Allowance and Budget Rules
Total cost caps include both direct and indirect costs. If your organization has a negotiated indirect cost rate, indirect costs must be budgeted in accordance with that rate. Collaborating organizations budget their own indirect costs at their own negotiated rates. All direct and indirect costs of any subaward or contract must be included in the direct costs of the primary award.
An applicant may request the full maximum funding amount even if the proposed period of performance is shorter than the maximum allowed. Budget appropriateness is assessed during peer review.
Travel that must be budgeted: Costs for the PI to present project information or disseminate results at one DOW-sponsored meeting, such as the Military Health System Research Symposium, during the period of performance. For planning purposes, assume the meeting will be held in the Central Florida area. For the Investigator-Initiated Research Award, assume this occurs in Year 2. This is in addition to allowable annual scientific meeting travel.
Travel that may be budgeted: Travel in support of multi-institutional collaborations, and costs for one investigator to attend one scientific or technical meeting per year in addition to the required DOW-sponsored meeting.
Costs that must not be requested: Travel beyond the limits above, and any clinical trial costs.
Separately, an organization may, at its own risk and without prior government approval, incur obligations and expenditures to cover costs up to 90 days before the start date of the initial budget period of a new award.
How to Submit: A Two-Step Process
Submission requires both a pre-application and a full application, and they go through different portals depending on your organization type.
Step 1: Pre-Application (Letter of Intent) through eBRAP
All pre-application components must be submitted by the PI through eBRAP. The Letter of Intent has a one-page limit and must provide a brief description of the research to be conducted along with the FY2026 RTRP Focus Area under which the application will be submitted.
eBRAP assigns each pre-application a unique log number. That log number is required for full application submission and must be entered in Block 4a, Federal Identifier, of the SF424 Research and Related form. The log number, application title, and all information for the PI, Business Officials, performing organization, and contracting organization must remain consistent across both submissions.
Two things worth understanding about the LOI: pre-applications are used for program planning purposes only, such as reviewer recruitment, and will not be screened. CDMRP will not issue an invitation to submit a full application. Applicants are encouraged to develop the pre-application and full application concurrently and submit the full application after the LOI has been successfully submitted. However, failure to submit the LOI results in automatic rejection of the full application.
Step 2: Full Application
Extramural organizations, including startups and companies: must submit through Grants.gov Workspace
Intramural DOW organizations only: may submit through eBRAP
An application from an extramural organization received through eBRAP may be administratively withdrawn, so the portal choice matters.
Step 3: Verify in eBRAP
Regardless of portal, the submitted application is transmitted to and processed in eBRAP, which can take up to 48 hours. The PI and organizational representatives then receive an email instructing them to log in, review, modify, and verify the submission. The Project Narrative and Research and Related Budget Form cannot be changed after the application deadline. Other components, including subaward budgets and justifications, may be changed until the verification period ends on November 9, 2026. Nothing can be modified after that.
Required registrations
Active SAM.gov, eBRAP.org, and Grants.gov registrations are required. Registration for each can take several weeks or longer. The applicant organization must be registered in SAM with an Active status and a Unique Entity Identifier before submitting through Grants.gov, and must maintain active SAM registration for as long as it has an active federal award or an application under consideration.
Application Components by Mechanism
Every attachment must be uploaded as an individual file using the exact filename specified, following the formatting guidelines in the General Application Instructions, version CD26_01.
Concept Award attachments
Attachment 1: Project Narrative, 2-page limit, ProjectNarrative.pdf. Structured as Innovation, Hypothesis and Rationale, Aims and Objectives, Research Strategy, and Relevance
Attachment 2: Supporting Documentation, Support.pdf. Includes References Cited, list of abbreviations, facilities and equipment, publications and patents, letters of support, Sex as a Biological Variable Strategy, Intellectual and Material Property Plan with optional Commercialization Strategy, and Research Sharing Plan
Attachment 3: Statement of Work, 3-page limit, SOW.pdf
Attachment 4: Innovation Statement, 1-page limit, Innovation.pdf
Attachment 5: Post-Award Transition Plan, 1-page limit, Transition.pdf
Attachment 6: Representations, Grants.gov submissions only, RequiredReps.pdf
Attachment 7: Suggested Intragovernmental or Intramural Budget Form if applicable, IGBudget.pdf
Investigator-Initiated Research Award attachments
Attachment 1: Project Narrative, 10-page limit, ProjectNarrative.pdf. Structured as Background, Rationale and Readiness, Hypothesis and Objective, Specific Aims, and Study Design and Feasibility
Attachment 2: Supporting Documentation, Support.pdf. Same components as above, plus the Inclusion Enrollment Report if clinical research is proposed and, new for FY2026, a letter signed by the animal vendor or provider describing cost and timeline of availability for any proposed animal model
Attachment 3: Technical Abstract, 1-page limit, TechAbs.pdf
Attachment 4: Lay Abstract, 1-page limit, LayAbs.pdf
Attachment 5: Statement of Work, 3-page limit, SOW.pdf
Attachment 6: Impact Statement, 1-page limit, Impact.pdf
Attachment 7: Military Relevance Statement, 1-page limit, MilRel.pdf
Attachment 8: Animal Research Plan, 5-page limit, AnimalResPlan.pdf, required only for applications proposing animal studies
Attachment 9: Post-Award Transition Plan, 1-page limit, Transition.pdf
Attachment 10: Representations, Grants.gov submissions only, RequiredReps.pdf
Attachment 11: Suggested Intragovernmental or Intramural Budget Form if applicable, IGBudget.pdf
Both mechanisms also require the Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile with Biographical Sketches and Current and Pending Support, the Research and Related Budget, Project and Performance Site Locations, and subaward budget attachments where applicable.
How Applications Are Reviewed
All applications go through a two-tier review conducted by scientists, clinicians, and consumers. Peer review assesses technical merit against established criteria, with each application judged on its own merit. Programmatic review then compares high-merit applications for programmatic relevance. The highest-scoring applications from peer review are not automatically recommended for funding.
Concept Award review criteria, in decreasing order of importance
These criteria contribute to the overall evaluation but are not individually scored: Innovation, Relevance, Research Strategy and Feasibility, Personnel, Transition Plan, Research Sharing Plan, Budget, Environment, and Application Presentation.
Investigator-Initiated Research Award review criteria, in decreasing order of importance
Scored criteria: Study Design and Feasibility, Statistical Plan, Impact, Personnel, Transition Plan, and Research Sharing Plan. Unscored criteria that still contribute to the overall evaluation: Budget, Environment, and Application Presentation.
Programmatic review criteria for both mechanisms
Ratings and evaluations of peer reviewers
Adherence to the intent of the funding opportunity
Program portfolio composition
Programmatic relevance to military health and at least one FY2026 focus area
Relative innovation for the Concept Award, or relative impact for the Investigator-Initiated Research Award
Compliance Traps That Sink Applications
CDMRP applies administrative actions mechanically. These are the failure modes to design around.
Automatic rejection: a missing Project Narrative, a missing Budget, or a Letter of Intent that was never submitted.
Automatic modification: pages exceeding stated limits are removed before review, and documents that were not requested are removed. Reviewers see what is left.
Possible administrative withdrawal:
Including any URL outside the References Cited and Publications or Patents sections
Proposing a clinical trial
Submitting essentially the same research project to different funding opportunities within the same program and fiscal year
Including classified research data, or proposing research that may produce classified outcomes or outcomes deemed sensitive to national security
A PI who does not meet the eligibility criteria
Involving a member of the FY2026 RTRP Programmatic Panel in concept design, application development, budget preparation, or supporting documentation. Panel members may only provide letters confirming PI eligibility and access to space, equipment, or resources as part of their regular institutional role
Naming personnel from the CDMRP peer review or programmatic review contractors where conflicts cannot be mitigated
Contacting persons involved in review or approval to obtain protected evaluation information or influence the process
An extramural application received through eBRAP instead of Grants.gov
Failing to conform to the program announcement description
For the Concept Award only, human subjects or specimen work that does not qualify for exempt status or expedited review
Additional restrictions: Under Section 732 of the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act, CDMRP does not support painful research in USDA pain category D or E involving domestic cats or dogs, except studies relating to military or service animals. Under National Security Presidential Memorandum-33, all applicant organizations must disclose foreign affiliations of every named key person. Failure to disclose leads to withdrawal of funding recommendations.
Post-Award Requirements
Annual technical progress reports and quad charts, plus a final technical progress report and quad chart, prepared in accordance with the Research Performance Progress Report format
A data management plan compliant with DoD Instruction 3200.12 will be requested if recommended for funding
For the Concept Award, a Technical Abstract will be requested prior to award
Annual In-Progress Review meetings held virtually, where award recipients may be invited to present progress to the Programmatic Panel
For the Investigator-Initiated Research Award, an Award Expiration Transition Plan submitted with the final progress report, and PHS Inclusion Enrollment reporting if clinical research is proposed
Research involving animals, human data, human specimens, human subjects, or human cadavers must be approved by the DHA R&D Office of Research and Regulatory Compliance in addition to local IACUC, IRB, or Ethics Committee review
PI changes on a Concept Award are not allowed except under extenuating circumstances evaluated case by case. On the Investigator-Initiated Research Award, PI and organization changes are generally allowed case by case provided the intent of the mechanism is met
Organizational transfer of an award is not allowed in the last year of the original period of performance or any extension
New awards will not be issued to an organization with delinquent technical reporting on existing DHA or U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command awards
Which Award Should a Startup Pursue?
Choose the Concept Award if your idea is novel but unproven, you have no preliminary data to show, and you need a small, fast award to generate the first interpretable results. At $200,000 over 18 months it functions as a de-risking step, and preliminary data is not merely unnecessary, it is prohibited. Innovation carries the most weight in review, so a genuinely new mechanism, target, or measurement approach matters more than a polished development plan. Early-career investigators are encouraged to apply.
Choose the Investigator-Initiated Research Award if you already have preliminary or published data supporting your rationale, your study design is mature enough to withstand scrutiny on controls, power analysis, blinding, and randomization, and you can articulate short-term and long-term impact. At $1 million over 3 years with roughly 8 awards expected, this is the mechanism that funds a real program of work. If you are developing a device, the application should explain how the design would support a regulatory filing with FDA or an international equivalent.
A note on pursuing both: the mechanisms have separate PI application limits, so a single investigator can be named on up to two applications in each. What is prohibited is submitting essentially the same research project to different funding opportunities within the same program and fiscal year. Two distinct projects, one high-risk and one data-backed, is a viable strategy. The same project dressed up twice will be withdrawn.
For both mechanisms, note that a Commercialization Strategy is an allowable component of the Intellectual and Material Property Plan, covering intellectual property, market size, financial analysis, strengths and weaknesses, barriers to market, competitors, and management team. Companies should use it. Multidisciplinary collaborations among academia, industry, DOW, and the Department of Veterans Affairs are highly encouraged, and collaboration with military researchers and clinicians is encouraged though not required.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the FY2026 RTRP deadlines?
The Letter of Intent is due October 21, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and the full application is due November 4, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The application verification period in eBRAP ends November 9, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Both award mechanisms share these dates.
Is a Letter of Intent required?
Yes. A Letter of Intent is required for both the Concept Award and the Investigator-Initiated Research Award, and an application whose LOI was never submitted is administratively rejected. The LOI is limited to one page, is submitted by the PI through eBRAP, and must state the focus area being addressed. It is used for program planning only and is not screened, and no invitation to submit a full application will be issued.
Can a startup or for-profit company apply to the RTRP?
Yes. For-profit and nonprofit organizations, public and private entities, and foreign and domestic organizations are all eligible to apply to both FY2026 RTRP mechanisms. Awards are made to organizations rather than individuals, and the PI does not need to be affiliated with an academic institution.
How much funding can I request?
The Concept Award allows up to $200,000 in total costs over a maximum 18-month period of performance. The Investigator-Initiated Research Award allows up to $1 million in total costs over a maximum 3-year period of performance. Total costs include both direct and indirect costs, and all subaward direct and indirect costs must be carried in the direct costs of the primary award.
Do I need preliminary data?
It depends entirely on the mechanism. The Concept Award prohibits preliminary data, requiring instead a clear rationale and a demonstrated ability to achieve interpretable results. The Investigator-Initiated Research Award requires preliminary and/or published data that are relevant to reconstructive transplantation and support the rationale for the proposed work.
Are clinical trials allowed?
No. Neither FY2026 RTRP mechanism permits clinical trials, and proposing one may result in administrative withdrawal. Clinical trial costs must not be requested in the budget. The Investigator-Initiated Research Award does allow correlative studies associated with an existing clinical trial.
Is cost sharing required?
No. Cost sharing is not an eligibility requirement for either FY2026 RTRP award mechanism.
How many RTRP applications can one investigator submit?
An investigator may be named as PI on up to two Concept Award applications and up to two Investigator-Initiated Research Award applications in FY2026. If more than two are received for a given mechanism naming the same PI, only the first two received are accepted and the rest are administratively withdrawn. Submitting essentially the same project to more than one funding opportunity within the program in the same fiscal year is prohibited.
Can foreign organizations apply?
Yes. Foreign and domestic organizations are both eligible, and PI eligibility applies regardless of ethnicity, nationality, or citizenship status. All applicant organizations must disclose the foreign affiliations of every named key person under National Security Presidential Memorandum-33, and failure to disclose leads to withdrawal of any funding recommendation.
How competitive is the FY2026 RTRP?
CDMRP expects to fund approximately 3 Concept Awards from roughly $0.6 million and approximately 8 Investigator-Initiated Research Awards from roughly $8.0 million. Historically the Concept Award has received 196 applications and recommended 26 for funding, about 13 percent, while the Investigator-Initiated Research Award has received 253 applications and recommended 43 for funding, about 17 percent.
Where do I submit the LOI versus the full application?
The Letter of Intent is always submitted through eBRAP by the PI. Full applications from extramural organizations, including companies, must be submitted through Grants.gov Workspace. Only intramural DOW organizations may submit full applications through eBRAP, and an extramural application received through eBRAP may be administratively withdrawn.
Can I bring solid organ transplant research into an RTRP application?
Yes. The RTRP explicitly allows leveraging novel findings from solid organ transplant research for testing in a VCA setting, provided the rationale and benefits are explained and justified. Acceptable justifications include explaining why the result might differ in VCA, why confirming the same result in VCA matters, or why repeating the study in VCA could yield new mechanistic insight.
What happens if my application exceeds a page limit?
Pages exceeding the specified limits are removed before reviewers see any documents, and documents that were not requested are also removed. Including URLs anywhere other than the References Cited and Publications or Patents sections may result in administrative withdrawal.
When will FY2026 RTRP awards be made?
Peer review occurs in January 2027 and programmatic review in March 2027, with funding recommendations typically posted to eBRAP within 6 weeks after programmatic review. Awards supported with FY2026 funds will be made no later than September 30, 2027, and those funds expire for use on September 30, 2032.
What if my project involves animal studies?
Applications to the Investigator-Initiated Research Award proposing animal studies must include an Animal Research Plan of up to five pages addressing model justification, availability and access, procedures, controls, randomization and blinding, sample size with power calculations, and data handling. New for FY2026, the Supporting Documentation must also include a letter from the animal vendor or provider stating the cost and timeline for availability. CDMRP does not support painful research in USDA pain category D or E involving domestic cats or dogs, except for studies relating to military or service animals.
Next Steps
The FY2026 RTRP rewards applications that are technically strong and administratively flawless, and the compliance requirements alone remove a meaningful share of the competition before review begins. With the Letter of Intent due October 21, 2026 and the full application due November 4, 2026, the practical constraint is time: SAM.gov, eBRAP, and Grants.gov registrations can take weeks, and the Project Narrative and budget lock at the deadline.
BW&CO helps deep-tech, biotech, medtech, and dual-use companies pursue non-dilutive federal funding, with more than $350 million in funding secured for clients. Innovation Funding Simplified. If you are evaluating whether the Concept Award or the Investigator-Initiated Research Award fits your program, or you want a compliance review before you submit, reach out to start the conversation.
