DoD Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes, Clinical Research Award | W81XWH 18 OPORP CRA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 18 OPORP CRA

The DoD Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes, Clinical Research Award (FY18 OPORP CRA; Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH 18 OPORP CRA) is a Department of Defense funding opportunity administered through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) that supports clinical research aimed at improving real-world patient outcomes for people with limb loss and/or limb impairment. This mechanism was offered for the first time in FY2018 and is designed to push the field toward clear, evidence-based answers about which orthotic and prosthetic device options, and which specific device characteristics, are associated with the best outcomes for patients, especially Service members and Veterans. The underlying emphasis is practical: generate results that clinicians can use to make better device selection and care decisions, ultimately optimizing function, health, and quality of life.

A central theme of the program is outcomes-focused research that strengthens evidence-based practice. Rather than relying on tradition, anecdote, or small isolated studies, the award seeks patient-centric clinical evidence that can guide providers toward best practices in orthotic and prosthetic care. The target population is explicitly tied to military relevance, meaning the findings should matter for Service members and Veterans, but the program also expects the work to translate to broader civilian benefit. In other words, the research should be clinically meaningful and broadly applicable, while still grounded in the needs and realities of military and Veteran populations.

The award is specifically intended to evaluate existing orthotic and prosthetic devices and their features, comparing available options to understand how they affect outcomes that patients actually experience. The opportunity is not positioned as an engineering or product development award. It is not meant for inventing a new device, building a new technology platform, or improving an existing technology through redesign. Instead, the focus is on studying what is already in use or commercially available and producing rigorous comparative or evaluative clinical evidence that can inform device selection, fitting decisions, and care pathways. The end goal is clinically useful evidence that measurably enhances and optimizes patient outcomes.

The funding opportunity encourages multidisciplinary collaboration, reflecting how orthotics and prosthetics outcomes depend on more than one discipline. Teams that bring together academia, industry partners, the military Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other federal agencies are described as highly encouraged. This signals a preference for projects that can combine strong clinical research methods, access to relevant patient populations and clinical settings, practical knowledge of device options, and pathways for translating findings into practice across DoD and VA systems.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary research funding in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development area (CFDA 12.420). The funding instruments include both grants and cooperative agreements, implying that some awards may involve closer government involvement or coordination depending on project needs. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of applicant organization types can apply as long as they meet any specific eligibility clarifications in the full announcement. The opportunity was posted on June 15, 2018, with an original application deadline of October 25, 2018, and it anticipated making about four awards. The award ceiling is listed as 0 in the source data, which typically indicates that the maximum amount is not specified in that field and would need to be confirmed in the full funding announcement or associated budget guidance.

In practical terms, this program is best understood as a clinical outcomes research initiative for orthotics and prosthetics: it funds studies that compare and evaluate currently available device choices and features using patient-relevant endpoints, with a strong expectation that results will translate into better, evidence-based clinical decision-making for Service members, Veterans, and the wider population.

• The Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DoD Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes, Clinical Research Award" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.420.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 15, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 25, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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