The FY23 ARP Idea Development Award supports the development of innovative, highrisk/high-reward research that could lead to critical discoveries or major advancements that will accelerate progress in improving outcomes for individuals with ASD. Applications are strongly encouraged to address one of the FY23 ARP Idea Development Award Areas of Interest or provide justification that the proposed research addresses a critical problem, question, or need in ASD. This award mechanism is designed to support innovative ideas with the potential to yield impactful data and new avenues of investigation.
Research funded by the FY23 ARP should be responsive to the needs of people with ASD, their families, and/or caregivers. Researchers are therefore encouraged to establish and utilize effective collaborations and partnerships with community members to maximize the translational and impact potential of the proposed research.
Partnering PI Option: The FY23 ARP supports collaborative research to bring a new perspective to ASD research and/or facilitate progress in the field by combined efforts. Therefore, the ARP Idea Development Award mechanism includes a Partnering PI Option, which is structured so that two investigators, each of whom will be designated as a PI and receive a separate award, will work synergistically on a single project. One PI will be identified as the Initiating PI and will be responsible for the majority of the administrative tasks associated with application submission. The other PI will be identified as a Partnering PI. Both PIs should collaborate to develop a synergistic project addressing one or more of the FY23 ARP Idea Development Award Areas of Interest or another critical problem, question, or need in ASD. Applications submitted by a mentor and trainee as Initiating PI and Partnering PI do not meet the intent of the Partnering PI Option. Multidisciplinary and multi-organizational projects are allowed.
Deadlines:
• Required Pre-Application Deadline: April 19, 2023
• Invitation to Submit an Application: May 2023
• Application Submission Deadline: July 20, 2023
The FY23 ARP Idea Development Award seeks applications from all areas of research. However, if the proposed research project does not address at least one of the FY23 ARP Idea Development Award Areas of Interest, justification should be provided that the proposed research addresses a critical problem, question, or need in ASD.
The ARP encourages applications that address the critical needs of the ASD community in one or more of the following areas: • Assessment of novel therapeutics using valid preclinical models • 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 healthcare provider-focused training or tools to improve healthcare delivery for autistic individuals across the life span and the continuum of care (i.e., primary care, urgent/emergent care, and disaster relief) • Environmental risk factors • Factors impacting quality of life during geographic relocation, such as military permanent change of station • Factors promoting success in key transitions to independence for individuals living with ASD • Improve diagnosis across the life span • 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 conditions co-occurring with ASD (e.g., sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal issues, inflammation, aggression, depression, anxiety, attention deficit, and seizures) • Mechanisms underlying sex differences in ASD (i.e., prevalence, biological mechanisms, phenotypic expression, core and comorbid syndrome expression and outcomes, developmental trajectories, diagnosis, and treatment response) • Tests of implementation strategies to increase use of evidence-based practices
Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) may be named by the organization as the PI on the application. An eligible PI, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, or citizenship status, must be employed by or affiliated with an eligible organization.
The anticipated direct] costs budgeted for the entire period of performance for an FY23 ARP Idea Development Award should not exceed $550,000. Refer to Section II.D.5, Funding Restrictions, for detailed funding information.
