DoW Tick-Borne Disease Idea Development Award
Supports conceptually innovative tick-borne disease research to advance understanding, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or patient outcomes for Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases, with a separate career-development option for eligible early-career investigators.
⚑ DoD/CDMRP program with a separate Career Development Option and separate review panel · Applications must be conceptually innovative and not merely incremental · Lower cost limit applies to the Career Development Option than to standard IDA
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| IPPRA | 58 good | peripheral portfolio topic: public_health; social/behavioral work is minor; funds basic research; biomedical core — IPPRA health lane is communication/crisis/policy (capped); clinical-trial/biomedical core — IPPRA angle is policy/community (capped) |
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 55 good | technical depth: minor; funds basic research |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 15 none | deep-tech content; no commercialization signal |
Description
Summary: The intent of the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Tick-Borne Disease Research Program (TBDRP) Idea Development Award (IDA) is to support conceptually innovative research that could lead to impactful discoveries or significant advancements that will accelerate progress toward reducing the burden of Lyme disease and/or other tick-borne diseases and conditions, and improving patient care and/or the quality of life. Applications should propose research that is conceptually innovative, introduces a new concept or question, challenges existing paradigms, approaches issues from a new perspective, or exhibits other uniquely creative qualities; and should not merely be a next logical step or an incremental advance on published data or ongoing research.
Distinctive Features: A Career Development Option is available to eligible early-career investigators who propose to conduct impactful mechanism-relevant research under the mentorship of an experienced tick-borne disease researcher(s). Applications submitted under the IDA – Career Development Option (IDA-CDO) will be reviewed using separate, career development-specific evaluation criteria by a separate, dedicated peer review panel; and are subject to a lower cost limit than those submitted under the standard IDA.
https://cdmrp.health.mil/pubs/press/2026/tbdrppreann
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: Ebony S Simmons Grantor <help@eBRAP.org>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · Department of Defense (BAA-style) conventions SEE A DOD EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — Department of Defense (BAA-style)'s document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.