Naval Medical Research Center: Austere Environment Consortium for Enhanced Sepsis Outcomes (ACESO) Award | N62645 PA 19 1

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the ACESO award?

The Austere Environments Consortium for Enhanced Sepsis Outcomes (ACESO) award is a Department of the Navy research funding opportunity intended to continue an established, high-performing Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) program focused on severe sepsis in austere and resource-limited environments.

What problem is this program trying to solve?

The program targets severe sepsis outcomes where medical resources, staffing, and infrastructure are constrained. It aims to improve how severe sepsis is prevented, recognized early, diagnosed accurately, and treated effectively when conventional intensive care capabilities may not be available.

Who is sponsoring this funding opportunity?

The opportunity is sponsored within the Department of Defense under the Naval Medical Logistics Command, with the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) expressing specific interest in sustaining the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) effort.

What is the role of the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) in this program?

NMRC is the focal organization for the existing consortium effort that this opportunity is designed to sustain and advance. The award is positioned as a continuation and expansion of a proven NMRC consortium program.

Is ACESO meant to fund individual research projects?

No. The opportunity is structured around maintaining and advancing a coordinated consortium model rather than supporting isolated, independent projects. The intent is program-level coordination across multiple disciplines and lines of investigation.

What does the consortium model mean in practice?

The consortium model implies coordinated research efforts with shared strategy, shared data generation, and integrated planning, so that different investigations inform one another and accelerate progress toward practical, deployable solutions for austere conditions.

What kinds of research outcomes are emphasized?

The announcement emphasizes translation into real-world improvements. The focus is not only on understanding sepsis biology, but also on producing insights, tools, and approaches that can realistically be used in the field or in low-resource clinical contexts.

What research areas and expertise are highlighted as important?

The opportunity highlights an interdisciplinary approach and calls for an established group of investigators with complementary expertise spanning infectious disease, critical care medicine, systems biology, global health, and other relevant scientific or operational areas.

What setting is considered an "austere" environment for this program?

Based on the announcement, austere environments include settings where patients may be far from advanced hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, or robust supply chains, and where staffing, infrastructure, and medical resources are limited.

How does this program define success?

Success is framed in operational terms: reduced death and complications from severe sepsis through better prevention strategies, faster recognition and diagnosis, and treatment approaches that work under austere constraints to improve survival and recovery.

What is the funding mechanism for this award?

The award uses a cooperative agreement mechanism, which typically indicates substantial involvement by the government partner during program execution compared with a traditional grant.

How many awards are expected to be made?

The opportunity anticipated making a single award, consistent with funding a large, consortium-scale program.

What is the maximum funding amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling is listed as $52,100,000, indicating support at a scale intended for a coordinated consortium effort rather than small, standalone studies.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number is 12.340.

How is this opportunity categorized?

It is classified as discretionary and falls under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning applications are open to any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility details that may be provided in the full announcement text.

What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number is N62645 PA 19 1.

When was the opportunity created and when did it close?

The opportunity was created on July 5, 2019, and the original closing date was August 5, 2019.

Is this opportunity focused on basic research, applied research, or both?

The description emphasizes research that can translate quickly into real-world improvements, including practical and deployable solutions for low-resource settings. While it acknowledges understanding sepsis biology, a defining feature is actionable, field-relevant translation.

Why is rapid translation emphasized?

The consortium is intended to generate research knowledge and data that can be converted quickly into improvements in sepsis outcomes, particularly where conventional intensive care resources are unavailable and practical tools and approaches are needed.