DoD Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes, Clinical Trial Award | W81XWH 20 OPORP CTA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 20 OPORP CTA

The DoD Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes, Clinical Trial Award (FY20 OPORP CTA) is a Department of Defense research funding opportunity designed to move orthotics and prosthetics research into real-world clinical testing, with the goal of producing evidence that can directly improve care. The program is focused on clinical trials that could meaningfully improve the health, function, and overall well-being of Service members, Veterans, and other people living with limb loss or limb impairment. Rather than supporting early-stage concept development alone, this mechanism is aimed at implementing trials that test orthoses and/or prostheses in people and generate results that clinicians, health systems, and decision-makers can use.

A defining feature of this award is its emphasis on patient-centric outcomes. Projects are expected to evaluate orthotic and prosthetic devices using outcomes that matter to patients and everyday clinical decision-making, such as functional mobility, comfort, usability, pain, quality of life, participation in daily activities, satisfaction, and other clinically meaningful measures. The underlying intent is to produce clinically useful evidence that helps optimize device selection, fitting, training, and broader rehabilitation strategies, ultimately improving patient outcomes in practical, measurable ways.

The opportunity supports a wide range of trial sizes and maturity levels. Applicants may propose smaller proof-of-concept studies that demonstrate feasibility or generate data to shape the design of a larger definitive trial, as well as larger-scale trials conducted in relevant patient populations. The program also signals strong interest in alternative, real-world-oriented research designs, including pragmatic trials and practice-based evidence studies. These designs are meant to reflect how care is actually delivered in clinical settings, making the findings more readily translatable to routine practice and more informative for clinical guidelines or policy decisions. In other words, the DoD is not only looking for tightly controlled experiments, but also for evidence that can support adoption and implementation of effective devices and approaches in everyday healthcare environments.

Administratively, this opportunity was offered by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). The funding opportunity number is W81XWH-20-OPORP-CTA, listed under CFDA 12.420, and categorized as discretionary funding under science and technology and other research and development. Funding instruments available include grants and cooperative agreements, meaning some awards may involve a more collaborative relationship with the government than a standard grant, depending on the specific terms.

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, indicating that a broad range of organizations could apply, subject to any additional eligibility language in the full announcement. The posting listed an expected number of awards of four. The original opportunity timeline shows a creation date of March 30, 2020, with an original closing date of July 29, 2020. The posted award ceiling is shown as 0, which typically indicates that the ceiling was not specified in that data field and would need to be confirmed in the full funding announcement or accompanying program guidance.

Overall, the OPORP Clinical Trial Award is geared toward generating high-value clinical evidence on orthotic and prosthetic interventions, prioritizing outcomes that reflect patient experience and real clinical impact, and encouraging study designs that help translate successful technologies and practices into standard care for individuals affected by limb loss or impairment.

• 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, Clinical Trial 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 Mar 30, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 29, 2020. (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 4 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 20 OPORP CTA

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