DoD Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Idea Development Award
The IDA 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 TSC research and/or improvements in patient care. Research projects should include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis based on strong scientific rationale. The following are important aspects of the Idea Development Award: 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 that may include high-risk/potentially high-gain approaches to TSC research. Research that is merely an incremental advance (the next logical step) is not considered innovative. 2. Impact: Applications should articulate both the short- and long-term impact of the proposed research. High-impact research will, if successful, significantly advance TSC research and/or patient care. 3. Preliminary Data: Unpublished results from the laboratory of the Principal Investigator (PI) or collaborators named on this application, and/or data from the published literature that are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 TSC and the proposed research project, should be included. All projects should adhere to a core set of standards for rigorous study design and reporting to maximize the reproducibility and translational potential of preclinical research. The standards are described in Landis, S.C., et al. A call for transparent reporting to optimize the predictive value of preclinical research, Nature 2012, 490:187-191 (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/ v490/n7419/full/nature11556.html). While these standards are written for preclinical studies, the basic principles of randomization, blinding, sample-size estimation, and data handling derive from well-established best practices in clinical studies. Projects that include research on animal models are required to submit Attachment X, Animal Research Plan, as part of the application package to describe how these standards will be addressed. Applicants should consult the ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments) guidelines to ensure relevant aspects of rigorous animal research are adequately planned for and, ultimately, reported. The ARRIVE guidelines can be found at http://www.elsevier.com/__data/promis_misc/ 622936arrive_guidelines.pdf.
Office: U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity
Phone: 301-682-5507
