The MSRP Idea Development Award promotes new ideas that are in the early stages of development and have the potential to yield high-impact findings and new avenues of investigation. This award mechanism supports conceptually innovative, high-risk/potentially high-reward research that could ultimately lead to critical discoveries in understanding the cause and progression of MS and/or improvements in patient care and/or quality of life. Research projects should include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis based on strong scientific rationale. The following are significant features of this award mechanism: 1. Innovation: Innovative research may introduce a new paradigm, challenge existing paradigms, look at existing problems from new perspectives, or exhibit other uniquely creative qualities. This may include high-risk/potentially high-gain approaches to MS research, provided that there is the potential for significant impact on understanding the causes and progression of MS and/or improvements in patient care and/or quality of life. Research that is merely an incremental advance (the next logical step) is not considered innovative and will not be considered for funding under this award mechanism. 2. Impact: Proposed research projects must address at least one of the FY13 MSRP Focus Areas. Applications should articulate both the short- and long-term impact of the proposed research. High-impact research will, if successful, significantly advance current understanding of the causes and progression of MS and/or improvements in patient care and/or quality of life. 3. Preliminary Data: Preliminary data, unpublished results from the laboratory of the Principal Investigator (PI) or collaborators named on this application, and/or data from the published literature that are relevant to MS and the proposed research project should be included, if available.