FY24 Autism Research Program Career Development Award

Overview

The ARP’s vision is to improve the lives of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) now and in the future, and its mission is to promote innovative research that advances the understanding of ASD and leads to improved outcomes. The proposed research must be relevant to active-duty Service Members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the American public.

FY24 ARP Career Development Award Areas of Interest:

• Assessment of novel therapeutics using valid preclinical models

• (New for FY24) Community-supported and participatory research interventions

• Create tools and strategies to increase the speed with which evidence-based practices are deployed in community-based settings 

• Cultural, socioeconomic, and gender factors in diagnosis, treatment efficacy, delivery, and access to services 

• Development of health care provider-focused training or tools to improve health care delivery for individuals with ASD across the life span and the continuum of care (i.e., primary care, urgent/emergent care, and disaster relief) 

• Environmental risk factors 

• (New for FY24) Factors impacting the quality of life for current and former military families.

• Factors promoting success in key transitions to independence for individuals living with ASD  3 DOD FY24 Autism Career Development Award

• (New for FY24) Gender identity and sexual health, including puberty and sexual education for autistic individuals

• Improve diagnosis and access to services across the lifespan

• Interventions to support ASD adults, including transition to adulthood, mid-life, and late-life needs

• Long-term treatment outcomes from previous clinical trials for ASD core symptoms or to alleviate co-occurring conditions 

• Mechanisms of heterogeneous clinical expression of ASD 

• Mechanisms underlying sex differences (i.e., prevalence, biological mechanisms, phenotypic expression, core and comorbid syndrome expression and outcomes, developmental trajectories, diagnosis, and treatment response) 

• Mechanisms underlying conditions co-occurring with ASD (e.g., pain, sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal issues, inflammation, aggression, depression, anxiety, attention deficit, and seizures) 

• Mental health issues (such as grief, masking, suicide risk, trauma, etc.) or disorders in autistic individuals

• Tests of implementation strategies to increase use of evidence-based practices 

• (New for FY24) Uncovering new advances using a strength-based model

• Understanding heterogeneity in treatment response, including identification of psychosocial or biological factors that (1) impact treatment outcomes or (2) can be used to prospectively identify treatments that are most likely to benefit particular subgroups of individuals

• Understanding key factors to support ASD adults, including transition to adulthood

• Understanding physical health and related issues in aging autistic adults, including cardiovascular issues, joint pain, asthma, obesity, etc. The FY24 ARP Career Development Award seeks applications from all areas of research.  However, if the proposed research project does not address at least one of the FY24 ARP Career Development Award Areas of Interest, justification should be provided that the proposed research addresses a critical problem, question, or need in ASD.

Project Objectives:

FY24 Career Development Award applications that name a Principal Investigator (PI) with limited background in ASD research, the ARP strongly encourages the inclusion of collaboration with investigators who are experienced in ASD research and/or possess other relevant expertise in order to strengthen the application

The Principal Investigator named by the organization as the PI on the application may select one of the following eligibility categories. These eligibility criteria pertain as of the application submission deadline:

1. An independent investigator at or below the level of Assistant Professor or equivalent; or 
2. An established independent investigator in an area other than ASD at or above the level of Assistant Professor seeking to transition to a career in ASD thereby bringing their expertise to the field.

SUBMISSION AND REVIEW DATES AND TIMES
Submission is a two-step process requiring both a pre-application and a full application. Depending on the type of submission (i.e., extramural vs. intramural), certain aspects of the submission process will differ.

• Pre-Application (Preproposal) Submission Deadline: May 16, 2024
• Invitation to Submit an Application:  June 26, 2024
• Application Submission Deadline:  August 15, 2024 

Preproposal Narrative: two-page limit 

Award Information

The FY24 appropriation is $15M.
The CDMRP expects to allot approximately $2.64M to fund approximately three Career Development Award applications.