DOD Autism Research Program Synergistic Idea Award

The summary for the DOD Autism Research Program Synergistic Idea Award grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Dept of the Army USAMRAA, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

DOD Autism Research Program Synergistic Idea Award: The ARP Synergistic Idea Award mechanism is being offered for the first time in FY08. The Synergistic Idea Award supports innovative research that advances the understanding of ASD and leads to improved treatment outcomes. To facilitate innovative research, the Synergistic Idea Award requires collaboration between at least two independent investigators who address an innovative ASD research question from synergistic and complementary perspectives. The Synergistic Idea Award is designed to promote new ideas and new collaborations. Proposals are required to include preliminary data, but it does not necessarily have to come from the ASD research field. Proposals should have a high probability of revealing new avenues of investigation. The Synergistic Idea Award requires the submission of a single proposal that addresses a critical issue in ASD research. Proposals must clearly identify the synergy that will enable or greatly accelerate the evaluation of a single innovative hypothesis. The fiscal year 2008 (FY08) ARP promotes research that will (1) improve clinical outcomes of ASD, (2) lead to better understanding of ASD across the lifespan, including adulthood, of an affected individual, and (3) integrate basic science and clinical observations. To that end, the FY08 ARP encourages proposals that specifically address critical needs of the ASD community. The following areas of research are of particular interest to the FY08 ARP: 1. Co-morbidity (e.g., manifestations such as gastrointestinal disorders, sleep, seizures, tics, immune disorders) 2. Targets for Treating (e.g., clinical, molecular, cellular) 3. Biomarkers and Pathology (e.g., brain and other tissues) 4. Environment (e.g., clinical and basic toxicology, gene/environment interaction) Multi-institutional and/or multidisciplinary proposals are encouraged but not required. Collaborators not from distinct disciplines must clearly explain why the proposed research is synergistic. Synergy and impact are important aspects of the Synergistic Idea Award. Synergy: Research combinations demonstrating synergy are those that will significantly advance a project beyond what would be possible through individual efforts. Contributions to the synergy of this mechanism are expected to be balanced between the investigators unless otherwise justified. It should be clear that the investigators have an equal level of intellectual input into the proposed project. This award mechanism is designed to support completely new collaborative efforts. New collaborations are strongly encouraged but not required. If the investigators have a history of collaboration, then they must clearly demonstrate how the proposed research is a new synergistic effort. Examples of a collaboration that is not synergistic and will not be considered for funding under this award mechanism include: . Reagents supplied by one collaborator and molecular studies completed by the other collaborator. . Service function or core support providing laboratory investigations or statistical analyses. . Projects that can be accomplished in a single PIs laboratory. Impact: Research that has high potential impact and may significantly advance the understanding of autism spectrum disorders. It is the responsibility of the PI to clearly and explicitly articulate throughout the proposal the projects synergy and the potential impact on autism spectrum disorders. See the Program Announcement for the full Funding Opportunity Description.