DoD Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes, Clinical Research Award | W81XWH 22 OPORP CRA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 22 OPORP CRA

The DoD Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes, Clinical Research Award (FY22 OPORP CRA) is a Department of Defense funding opportunity designed to support clinical research that evaluates orthoses and prostheses using patient-centered outcomes that matter to real-world users. The program is especially focused on people with limb loss or limb impairment, including Service Members and other military beneficiaries, Veterans, and related patient populations. The core idea is to produce practical, clinically useful evidence that can help improve patient outcomes and guide decisions in clinics and, when relevant, influence broader policy or standards of care.

A major emphasis of this award is on outcomes that reflect the patient experience and functional impact, rather than purely technical or laboratory-based performance. Projects funded under this mechanism are expected to generate evidence that is meaningful for clinicians, health systems, and patients who rely on orthotic and prosthetic devices in daily life. In addition to direct device evaluation, the program is also interested in multidisciplinary work that addresses strategies to reduce or prevent secondary injuries that can occur alongside limb loss or limb impairment (for example, overuse injuries, compensatory movement problems, or other downstream musculoskeletal issues). If a study includes rehabilitation strategies, the proposal must clearly explain how the rehabilitation approach is expected to improve orthotic or prosthetic device outcomes compared to the current standard of care, rather than presenting rehabilitation as a separate or loosely connected intervention.

The FY22 OPORP CRA offers two distinct funding levels, and applicants must choose only one level per application. Funding Level 1 is intended for pilot or early-stage clinical studies. These are typically explanatory in nature and involve limited human exposure, such as smaller sample sizes or more preliminary clinical investigations. Level 1 is meant to help teams test feasibility, refine methods, and generate early evidence with a clear pathway toward clinical translation. Preliminary data are encouraged for Level 1, but they are not required, which makes this track more accessible for newer lines of inquiry or early clinical validation efforts.

Funding Level 2 is aimed at larger, more definitive clinical research projects. These studies are expected to enroll robust, statistically meaningful numbers of participants and to be designed in a way that can produce high-quality evidence suitable for informing evidence-based practice. The program explicitly welcomes pragmatic studies and comparative effectiveness research, reflecting an interest in real-world performance and head-to-head comparisons that can directly shape clinical decision-making. Because Level 2 projects are intended to be more mature and potentially practice-changing, preliminary data relevant to the proposed clinical study are required for this funding level.

From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH 22 OPORP CRA) is offered by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, through USAMRAA. The award instruments include grants and cooperative agreements, and the activity category is science and technology and other research and development (CFDA 12.420). Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning the opportunity is broadly open to different types of organizations, subject to any additional eligibility notes that may appear in the full announcement. The opportunity was posted March 22, 2022, with an original closing date of June 1, 2022, and the program anticipated making about five awards. The listing shows an award ceiling of 0, which usually indicates that specific limits are defined elsewhere in the full funding announcement (for example, in the section describing funding restrictions by level).

• 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 Mar 22, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 01, 2022. (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 5 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.

Apply for W81XWH 22 OPORP CRA

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