The ERP Idea Development Award (IDA) mechanism is being offered for the first time in FY15. The intent of the ERP IDA is to solicit research to understand the magnitude and underlying mechanisms of PTE, especially in Service members and Veterans while benefitting the civilian community. To this end, the ERP has identified research Focus Areas for FY15 by which the intent of this mechanism can be facilitated (see Section I.B., FY15 ERP Focus Areas). The ERP IDA award offers two levels of funding. Level I is intended to support investigator-initiated research that may be high-risk and/or high-gain. Level II is intended to support advanced studies that may be multidisciplinary in nature, and/or have multiple collaborators. Applications to either Level I or II should provide relevant preliminary data to support the applicationâ₏™s research hypothesis (or hypotheses). It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator (PI) to select the funding level most appropriate to the proposed research. The IDA is open to Principal Investigators (PIs) at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) from any field or discipline who seek to bring their expertise to address the ERPâ₏™s mission. However, as part of the application, the PI should demonstrate that the study team has experience in both TBI and epilepsy research. Note: Clinical research focusing on pharmacological interventions is not encouraged.