At a glance
The FY26 Arthritis Clinical Research Award funds clinical research on arthritis that studies disease factors and interventions to produce useful evidence for patient care or policy. Applicants must be eligible U.S. DoW organizations, including foreign or domestic, for-profit or nonprofit, public or private entities, and independent investigators at those organizations may serve as PI. The program has two levels: Research Level 1 for clinical research or early-phase/pilot trials and Research Level 2 for full-scale clinical trials. The award is expected to fund about three Level 1 projects and one Level 2 project, with total cost caps of $1.30 million for Level 1 and $3.25 million for Level 2, over a maximum project period of 4 years. Cost sharing is not required, and applications must focus on either prevention and early diagnosis or treatment and mitigation of disease progression/burden.
What it funds
Official description from grants.gov
Summary: The fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Arthritis Research Program (ATRP) Clinical Research Award (CRA) supports clinical research that evaluates disease-specific factors and interventions. Research is intended to generate clinically useful evidence with potential to optimize patient outcomes and inform clinical care or policy. Research addressing any and all types of arthritis is encouraged. Applications must address one of two FY26 ATRP CRA Focus Areas: Prevention and Early Diagnosis, or Treatment and Mitigation of Disease Progression/Burden. Distinctive Features: The FY26 ATRP CRA offers funding for two research levels. It is the responsibility of the applicant to select the level that aligns with the scope of the proposed research. • Research Level 1: Applications proposing clinical research or early-phase/pilot clinical trials, to include new or emerging research that is not ready for a full-scale randomized controlled clinical trial. • Research Level 2: Applications proposing a full-scale clinical trial. Applications should include a community collaborator (e.g., patient/care partner, community-based organization consultant) who will provide advice and consultation during study design and throughout study planning and implementation. The ATRP encourages a community collaborator for Research Level 1 applications and requires a community collaborator for Research Level 2 applications. Preliminary and/or published data are required.
Who can apply
- Unrestricted