Career Transition

Summary: The fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research Program (DMDRP) Idea Development Award (IDA) promotes new ideas that are still in the early stages of development and have the potential to yield impactful data and new avenues of investigation. This award supports impactful, high-risk/high-reward research that could lead to critical discoveries or major advancements that will accelerate progress in improving outcomes for individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in the near term. Applications should include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis based on strong scientific rationale. The DMDRP strongly encourages research projects investigating therapies designed to demonstrate efficacy cross the life span, including infants, toddlers and nonambulatory individuals.Distinctive Features: The FY26 DMDRP IDA mechanism offers three eligibility career categories:• The Established Investigator category is for independent investigators at all academic levels, or equivalent• The New Investigator – Early-Stage category is for independent investigators early in their careers (i.e., within 10 years of their first faculty appointment or equivalent). Applicants in this category will be reviewed separately from Established Investigators.• The New Investigator – Transitioning category is for independent investigators at all academic levels, or equivalent, in an area other than muscular dystrophy who are seeking to transition to a career in DMD, thereby bringing their expertise to the field. Applicants in this category will be reviewed separately from Established Investigators.Preliminary data relevant to DMD that supports the feasibility of the research hypotheses and research approaches are required for all applications. Clinical trials or clinical trial aims are not allowed. Funding Opportunity Number: HT942526DMDRPIDA. Assistance Listing: 12.420. Funding Instrument: G. Category: ST. Award Amount: $2.5M total program funding.

Summary: The fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research Program (DMDRP) Clinical/Translational Research Award (CTRA) supports advanced translational research to accelerate promising ideas in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) research toward clinical applications. Research must address at least one of the FY26 CTRA Focus Areas. Research projects investigating therapies that will be efficacious across the life span are strongly encouraged.Distinctive Features: The FY26 CTRA offers two funding levels:• Funding Level 1 to support smaller, less complex preclinical and/or clinical research.• Funding Level 2 to support larger, more complex preclinical and/or clinical research.The FY26 CTRA also offers a Partnering PI Option (PPIO) to support meaningful and productive partnerships between two investigators collaborating on the proposed research project. The PPIO has two eligibility categories:• Early-Career Partnering PI category for an independent, early-career investigator within 10 years of their first faculty appointment (or equivalent) by the time of application submission.• Established Interdisciplinary Partnering PI for independent investigators at all academic levels, or equivalent, in an area other than muscular dystrophy, seeking to transition to a career in DMD, thereby bringing their expertise to the field.Preliminary data are required for all applications. Pilot clinical trials and clinical trial readiness studies to better inform development of drugs, devices, and other interventions are allowed. Funding Opportunity Number: HT942526DMDRPCTRA. Assistance Listing: 12.420. Funding Instrument: G. Category: ST. Award Amount: $8.5M total program funding.

Summary: The fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research Program (DMDRP) Clinical/Translational Research Award (CTRA) supports advanced translational research to accelerate promising ideas in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) research toward clinical applications. Research must address at least one of the FY26 CTRA Focus Areas. Research projects investigating therapies that will be efficacious across the life span are strongly encouraged.Distinctive Features: The FY26 CTRA offers two funding levels:• Funding Level 1 to support smaller, less complex preclinical and/or clinical research.• Funding Level 2 to support larger, more complex preclinical and/or clinical research.The FY26 CTRA also offers a Partnering PI Option (PPIO) to support meaningful and productive partnerships between two investigators collaborating on the proposed research project. The PPIO has two eligibility categories:• Early-Career Partnering PI category for an independent, early-career investigator within 10 years of their first faculty appointment (or equivalent) by the time of application submission.• Established Interdisciplinary Partnering PI for independent investigators at all academic levels, or equivalent, in an area other than muscular dystrophy, seeking to transition to a career in DMD, thereby bringing their expertise to the field.Preliminary data are required for all applications. Pilot clinical trials and clinical trial readiness studies to better inform development of drugs, devices, and other interventions are allowed. Funding Opportunity Number: HT942526DMDRPCTRA. Assistance Listing: 12.420. Funding Instrument: G. Category: ST. Award Amount: $8.5M total program funding.