The Defense Health Agency Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs has opened HT942526DMDRPCTRA, FY26 Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research Program Clinical/Translational Research Award. The award supports advanced translational research intended to accelerate promising Duchenne muscular dystrophy research toward clinical applications.
Submission timing: The required pre-application Letter of Intent was due September 4, 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Full application deadline: September 18, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Because the mandatory first-stage deadline has already passed, only applicants that timely completed the pre-application may proceed this cycle.
Funding: CDMRP expects to allot approximately $8.46 million for about six awards. Funding Level 1 caps are $910,000 total costs for a single PI and $1.0 million with the Partnering PI Option. Funding Level 2 caps are $1.75 million total costs for a single PI and $1.90 million with the Partnering PI Option. Maximum performance periods are three years for Funding Level 1 and four years for Funding Level 2. Cost sharing is not an eligibility requirement.
Eligibility: Eligible organizations include domestic and foreign, for-profit and nonprofit, public and private entities. Independent investigators affiliated with eligible organizations may serve as PI. The optional Partnering PI structure supports either an independent early-career investigator within 10 years of the first faculty appointment or equivalent, or an established interdisciplinary investigator transitioning expertise from outside muscular dystrophy into DMD research.
Research requirements: Preliminary data are required for all applications. Funding Level 1 supports smaller, less complex preclinical and/or clinical research, while Funding Level 2 supports larger, more complex projects. Pilot clinical trials and clinical-trial-readiness studies that inform development of drugs, devices, and other interventions are allowed. Applications must address at least one FY26 CTRA focus area and demonstrate the appropriate translational, clinical, regulatory, statistical, and operational readiness for the proposed work.
Atlas fit: The organization categories are broad, including for-profit organizations, but qualified independent investigators, preliminary data, DMD translational readiness, and the already-expired mandatory pre-application are controlling. This is not a new submission-ready Dr. Miltie direct pursuit for the current cycle. Preferred posture: Partner-Led / Already-Preapplied DMD Translational or Clinical Research Team. Do not initiate new applicant outreach for this cycle; route only organizations that can verify they timely completed the September 4 pre-application.