DoW Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health, Health Services Research Award

The FY26 Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research Program (TBIPHRP) Health Services Research Award (HSRA) is a funding opportunity by the Defense Health Agency, aiming to support high-impact research that translates interventions, clinical practices, and policies into real-world applications for targeted populations. This program, with an anticipated total funding of $8.0M for approximately two awards of up to $4.0M each over four years, focuses on health services research approaches including comparative effectiveness, implementation science, and validation of data science insights. It explicitly requires clinical research or trials involving human subjects, prohibits basic, preclinical, and animal research, and mandates preliminary data. A key feature is the Early-Career Investigator Partnering Option, allowing two Principal Investigators (PIs), one of whom must be an early-career investigator. The application process is two-step, requiring a pre-application (Letter of Intent) by September 24, 2026, and a full application by October 15, 2026. Eligibility extends to extramural and intramural U.S. Department of War organizations, with PIs needing to be independent investigators. Applications must address specific focus areas related to preventing, assessing, and treating psychological health conditions and/or Traumatic Brain Injury. Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approaches are required for studies prospectively enrolling human subjects, and strict data sharing requirements apply for research involving 50 or more subjects. Classified research is prohibited.