Director, USAMRAA, 820 Chandler St, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5014

A -- DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NEUROFIBROMATOSIS RESEARCH PROGRAM FISCAL YEAR 2000 PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT SOL CBD-NFRP-0411 DUE 090600 POC Craig D. Lebo, Contracting Officer, 301-619-2036 The Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 Defense Appropriations Act provides funds to continue the Department of Defense Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP) administered by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). Approximately $12.4 million will be available to fund neurofibromatosis research. The central theme of the NFRP is to support peer-reviewed innovative research working toward the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of neurofibromatosis, as well as enhancing the quality of life for persons with the disease. The USAMRMC is challenging the scientific community to design innovative research that will foster new directions for, address neglected issues in, and bring new investigators into the field of neurofibromatosis research. The programmatic strategy for the FY 00 NFRP is to fund proposals in four research award mechanisms: Idea, New Investigator, Investigator-Initiated Research, and Clinical Trial Awards. Detailed descriptions of each award mechanism, evaluation criteria, and proposal submission requirements can be found in the FY 00 NFRP Program Announcement. This document may be downloaded from the CDMRP web site at http://cdmrp.army.mil/?/announce/. The intent of both Idea and New Investigator Awards is to stimulate and reward creative research efforts that may be viewed as speculative but have the potential for high payoff. The CDMRP is particularly interested in preparing new scientists for careers in neurofibromatosis research and presenting an opportunity to move established investigators into the neurofibromatosis field. The intent of the Investigator-Initiated Research Award is to sponsor basic research relevant to neurofibromatosis. Postdoctoral Traineeships also may be nested within Investigator-Initiated Research Awards. The intent of the Clinical Trial Award is to sponsor clinical pharmacologic or gene therapy studies that look at safety (Phase 1) or investigate the efficacies of current applications (Phase 2) or any novel therapeutic approach for neurofibromatosis type 1 or type 2. The receipt deadline for proposals in all award categories described in the FY 00 NFRP announcement is 6 September 2000 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. For more information about the NFRP and other CDMRP-sponsored programs and events, please visit the CDMRP web site at http://cdmrp.army.mil/. Posted 04/11/00 (W-SN443500). (0102)

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