CDMRP: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Program (ALSRP)

Below is a brief summary. Please check the full solicitation before applying (link in resources section).

Executive Summary:

The CDMRP Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Program (ALSRP) released a pre-announcement on February 13, 2026 outlining anticipated FY26 funding opportunities. This pre-announcement is not a funding solicitation — rather, it gives investigators advanced insight to begin planning and developing ideas ahead of the full Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) to be posted later on Grants.gov and eBRAP. Actual deadlines (pre-application and application) will only be available in the final FOAs once they are released — this pre-announcement does not set them.

How much funding would I receive?

The pre-announcement lists maximum allowable funding by mechanism (total costs):

• Clinical Outcomes and Biomarkers Award: up to $1.0M over up to 3 years

• Pilot Clinical Trial Award: up to $2.8M over up to 3 years

• Therapeutic Development Award: up to $2.0M over up to 3 years

• Therapeutic Idea Award: up to $840,000 over up to 2 years

Final program appropriations for ALSRP in FY26 are part of the CDMRP portfolio; historically this has been in the tens of millions — for example, FY25 saw ~$40M allocated.

What could I use the funding for?

Funding supports distinct research areas that align with ALS therapeutic development and clinical impact:

A) Clinical Outcomes and Biomarkers Award

• Develop/validate clinical outcomes or biomarkers to improve ALS clinical trials.

• May include clinician-, observer-, or patient-reported measures and performance outcomes.

• Supports non-interventional biospecimen/data collection (may be parallel to ongoing trials).

B) Pilot Clinical Trial Award

• Early-stage clinical trials with therapeutic efficacy or biological outcome measures.

• Therapeutic interventions must incorporate biomarker-driven designs.

C) Therapeutic Development Award

• Preclinical validation / IND-enabling studies of ALS therapeutics with proof-of-concept data.

• Biomarker development included to support future clinical design.

D) Therapeutic Idea Award

• Novel, high-risk/high-gain hypothesis-driven research aimed at ALS therapy discovery.

• Must include biomarker rationale relevant to eventual clinical trials.

Are there any additional benefits I would receive?

The pre-announcement itself does not specify additional benefits such as training supplements, travel, or workshops. Historically, CDMRP programs may offer resources like investigator workshops and programmatic feedback, but this will be detailed in the final FOAs.

What is the timeline to apply and when would I receive funding?

• Current status: This is a pre-announcement — exact pre-application and application deadlines will be in the forthcoming FOAs on Grants.gov.

• Recommendation: Begin planning now; monitor CDMRP and Grants.gov for FOA release.

• Funding start dates and award notifications will depend on those FOA schedules.

Where does this funding come from?

The ALSRP is funded through the FY26 Defense Appropriations Act and administered by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs under the Defense Health Agency Research and Development / Medical Research and Development Command.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility across mechanisms typically includes independent investigators at all academic levels, or equivalent. Specific institutional eligibility and PI requirements will be defined in the FOAs.

What companies and projects are likely to win?

Competitive applicants are those who:

• Align closely with the intent and scope of each mechanism (clinical outcomes, biomarker rigor, early trials, or therapeutic innovation).

• Propose biomarker-driven strategies that clearly inform later-stage clinical development.

• Build strong community collaboration plans, such as including patient/care partner perspectives.

Final criteria will be in FOA evaluation sections.

Are there any restrictions I should know about?

Restrictions noted in the pre-announcement include:

• Clinical Outcomes and Biomarkers Award does not support interventional clinical trials.

• Therapeutic Idea Award proposals focusing primarily on basic pathophysiology without therapeutic development are not in scope.

• All mechanisms require preproposal submission via eBRAP; full applications are by invitation only.

How long will it take me to prepare an application?

The prep time depends on research maturity, but competitive proposals will typically require:

• Development of a biomarker plan or clinical trial design where applicable.

• Preliminary data for Therapeutic Development scale.

• Engagement of community collaborators early.

Start now — ahead of FOA release — to coordinate team, core facilities, preliminary work, and collaborations.

How can BW&CO help?

BW&CO could support you by:

• Interpreting the final FOAs when released with deadlines and criteria.

• Drafting and refining preproposals and full applications for each mechanism.

• Crafting compelling narrative aligned with CDMRP’s two-tier review process.

• Identifying required biospecimen, clinical, and biomarker components to strengthen impact.

How much would BW&CO Charge?

We have both fractional engagements ($250 an hour) and full engagements ($13,000 + 5%) available.

Additional Resources

Review the solicitation here.