CDMRP — Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs

The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs sit under the US Army Medical Research and Development Command and serve as a congressional medical research portfolio rather than a single disease call. In FY26 the portfolio received $1.27 billion across 34 research programs, covering cancers, neurological disease, military trauma, rare conditions, and other topic areas that Congress chose to support directly. Funding moves through annual Program Announcements, with pre-applications submitted in eBRAP and full proposals routed through Grants.gov. The umbrella portfolio does not use one uniform award cap, because each program and mechanism sets its own ceiling, but the common mechanisms include Idea Awards, Investigator-Initiated Research Awards, Clinical Trial Awards, Career Development Awards, Discovery Awards, and translational or technology development awards. Foreign entities, nonprofit research organizations, and for-profit companies are all eligible, and the application cycle includes webinars in June and July. Applicants do best when they align a clearly framed disease or trauma question to the mechanism that fits the stage of work. The program also carries process requirements that matter in review, including inclusion of women and minorities and treatment of sex as a biological variable, so strong submissions usually combine scientific fit with disciplined study design and a clear path through the annual announcement structure.