DoW Spinal Cord Injury, Investigator-Initiated Research Award

The fiscal year 2026 Spinal Cord Injury Research Program Investigator-Initiated Research Award, solicitation number HT942526SCIRPIIRA, is a funding opportunity from the Defense Health Agency and Department of the Army designed to support research that improves spinal cord injury patient care and quality of life. The program focuses on three priority areas: acute injury intervention, secondary health effects, and psychosocial well-being. Funding is available for basic through translational science, though studies solely identifying intervention targets are discouraged. The award process utilizes a two-tier review system consisting of a peer review for technical merit followed by a programmatic review for military health relevance. Applications follow a two-step submission process, with pre-applications due August 3, 2026, and full applications due November 12, 2026. Budget caps are set at 800,000 dollars for single principal investigator applications and 960,000 dollars for the Early-Career Partnership Option, which requires at least one investigator to have between three and seven years of post-terminal degree research experience. The maximum award period is three years, with an expected allotment of approximately 4.96 million dollars to fund about six awards. Applicants must maintain active registrations in SAM.gov, eBRAP.org, and Grants.gov. Research involving human or animal subjects requires approval from the DHA R&D Office of Research and Regulatory Compliance in addition to local institutional reviews.