The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announced that it is accepting grant applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2016 Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes Research Program (OPORP) Orthotics Outcomes Research Award (OORA). The DoD expects to award seven grants with an estimated total funding of $4.6 million. The funding opportunity number is W81XWH-16-OPORP-PORA (CFDA 12.420). The application submission deadline is November 16.
The Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes Research Programmatic Panel identified the following five focus areas for FY 2016. To meet the intent of the award mechanism, applications must specifically address one or more of these focus areas and must demonstrate direct relevance to servicemen and servicewomen and veterans with traumatic limb injury:
- Lack of short- and long-term evidence for existing support and reintegration strategies following neuromusculoskeletal injury, and a need for new evidence-based support and reintegration strategies
- Limited current technologies, including prosthetics and orthotics, for the rehabilitation or replacement of function that optimize patient interaction, usability, and durability
- Limited ability to predict, prevent, and mitigate development of secondary health deficits following neuromusculoskeletal injury
- Limited understanding of the management of patient rehabilitation strategies throughout the rehabilitation process following neuromusculoskeletal injury
- Lack of validated metrics that effectively assess initial presentation, rehabilitation, and reintegration following neuromusculoskeletal injury
In addition to the required focus areas above, it is highly encouraged that applications address one or more of the following areas of encouragement:
- Longitudinal studies that include short- and long-term outcomes
- Compare the effectiveness of different patient care approaches (i.e., orthotic devices and associated treatments and rehabilitation strategies) to enhance patient-centered clinical decision making
- Provide information on quality of life, reintegration, and/or return to duty/return to work as it pertains to those patients who use an orthotic device due to limb impairment
- Compare the effectiveness of orthotic devices, associated treatments, and rehabilitation issues unique to underserved populations (i.e., women, minorities, etc.)
For more information, visit the Grants.gov website and enter the funding opportunity number.
