DoD Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes Research Program, Clinical Research Award | W81XWH 19 OPORP CRA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 19 OPORP CRA

The DoD Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes Research Program (OPORP) Clinical Research Award (CRA) is a Department of Defense funding opportunity aimed at improving real-world care for people with limb loss or limb impairment, with a clear emphasis on Service members and Veterans. The central goal is to fund clinical research that compares and evaluates existing orthotic and prosthetic device options using patient-centric outcomes, meaning outcomes that matter directly to users in daily life. Rather than asking researchers to invent a new component or engineer a next-generation device, this program is designed to answer practical clinical questions such as which currently available devices work best, for whom, and under what conditions.

A defining feature of this award is its focus on outcomes-based best practices. The program is essentially challenging the field to produce stronger evidence that can guide evidence-based practice in orthotics and prosthetics. That includes identifying which device types, configurations, and device characteristics are linked to better patient outcomes. In this context, "best" is not limited to laboratory performance; it is tied to patient-relevant measures that can influence clinical decision-making and optimize care, such as function, mobility, comfort, quality of life, participation in work and community activities, satisfaction, and other clinically meaningful endpoints appropriate to the limb loss or limb impairment population.

The scope is intentionally translational in the sense that it targets clinical relevance and near-term applicability. Studies should be structured to inform clinicians, health systems, and policymakers about how to choose among options that are already on the market and in use. This makes the opportunity especially suited for comparative effectiveness research, pragmatic clinical studies, and outcomes analyses that can clarify which device features or prescribing approaches lead to better results in specific subgroups. The program explicitly steers applicants away from proposals centered on technology development or incremental engineering improvements, keeping the spotlight on clinical evaluation and decision-making evidence.

Collaboration is strongly encouraged, especially multidisciplinary partnerships that bring together academia, industry, military medical organizations, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other federal agencies. The intent is to leverage complementary strengths such as clinical populations and care settings, device and manufacturing expertise, rehabilitation research methods, and implementation pathways within military and Veteran health systems. Proposals that reflect these kinds of cross-sector collaborations are aligned with the program's stated preference for team-based approaches that can accelerate the use of findings in practice.

The FY19 OPORP CRA offers two funding levels, and applicants must choose only one level per application. Funding Level 1 is geared toward pilot studies that can still make meaningful progress toward clinical translation; preliminary data are permitted but not required, making it a fit for well-justified early-stage clinical outcome studies with a strong design and a clear path to impact. Funding Level 2 is intended for studies that already have preliminary data and are positioned to make significant advancements toward clinical translation, reflecting a higher expectation of readiness and evidentiary foundation.

Administratively, the opportunity was issued by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, through USAMRAA, under Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-19-OPORP-CRA, with assistance mechanisms listed as cooperative agreements and grants and an R and D-focused activity category. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of organization types may apply, subject to any additional clarifications in the full announcement. The program anticipated making about six awards, and while an award ceiling is listed as 0 in the provided source data, that typically indicates that specific budget limits are defined elsewhere in the full solicitation or vary by proposal category and negotiated scope. The key requirement across all applications is relevance: the proposed work must be directly applicable to active duty Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the broader American public, ensuring that funded outcomes research translates into practical benefits for these populations.

• 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 Research Program, 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 19, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 07, 2019. (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 6 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 19 OPORP CRA

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