W81XWH-22-DHAPP Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program

The FY23 -FY28 Broad Agency Announcement for Extramural Biomedical Research and Development - HT9425-23-S-SOC1.

The USAMRDC’s mission is to provide solutions to medical problems of importance to the American Service Member at home and abroad, as well as to the general public at large. The scope of this effort and the priorities attached to specific projects are influenced by changes in military and civilian medical science and technology (S&T), operational requirements, military threat assessments, and national defense strategies. Extramural research and development programs play a vital role in the fulfillment of the objectives established by the USAMRDC. General information on the USAMRDC can be obtained at https://mrdc.health.mil/. This BAA is intended to solicit extramural research and development ideas using the authority provided by 10 USC 4001. The BAA is issued under the provisions of the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-369), as implemented in FAR 6.102(d)(2) and 35.016 and in Department of Defense Grant and Agreement Regulations (DoDGARs) 22.315. In accordance with FAR 35.016, projects funded under this BAA must be for basic and applied research to support scientific study and experimentation directed toward advancing the state-of-the-art or increasing knowledge or understanding rather than focusing on development of a specific system or hardware solution. Research and development funded through this BAA are intended and expected to benefit and inform both military and civilian medical practice and knowledge. This BAA utilizes competitive procedures in accordance with 10 USC 3012 for the selection for award of S&T proposals/applications. For the purposes of this BAA, S&T includes activities involving basic research, applied research, advanced technology development, and, under certain conditions, may include activities involving advanced component development and prototypes. The selection process is highly competitive, and the quantity of meaningful submissions (both pre-proposals/pre-applications and full proposals/applications) received typically exceeds the number of awards that available funding can support. This BAA provides a general description of USAMRDC’s research and development programs, including Research Areas of Interest, evaluation and selection criteria, pre-proposal/ pre-application and full proposal/application preparation instructions, and general administrative information. Specific submission information and additional administrative requirements can be found in the document titled, “General Submission Instructions,” which is available on Grants.gov along with this BAA. The FY23-FY27 USAMRDC BAA is continuously open for a 5-year period, from October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Submission of a pre-proposal/pre-application is required and must be submitted through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) (https://eBRAP.org/). Pre-proposals/pre-applications may be submitted at any time throughout the 5-year period. If the USAMRDC is interested in receiving a full proposal/application, the Principal Investigator will be sent an invitation to submit via eBRAP. A full proposal/application must be submitted through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/). Invited full proposals/applications can be submitted under this FY23-FY27 BAA through September 30, 2027.

ATTENTION: This announcement will be revised regularly to incorporate country specific narratives (Attachment 1 of the announcement) with information vital to the content of application. Potential applicants interested in applying to this announcement should click 'Subscribe' to be notified of future revisions. DoD HIV/AID Prevention Program's (DHAPP) objective, through the PEPFAR program, is to save lives, prevent HIV infections, and accelerate progress toward achieving HIV/AIDS epidemic control and to support the development of interventions and programs in military health systems that address these issues. DHAPP works with militaries of foreign countries to devise plans based on the following process: Meet with key partners in country to determine provisional major program areas and other technical assistance needs. Adapt DHAPP support to a country’s need for prevention, care and/or treatment of its HIV/AIDS situation based on an assessment of the country’s epidemic, and more specifically, in that country’s military. Strengthen the military capacity for ownership and behavioral changes over the long term. Consider program design by leveraging assets with other country partners who have/had successful prevention, care, and/or treatment efforts. Focus on prevention, care and/or treatment impact aligned with national implementation plans. Implement and monitor programs to ensure accountability and sustainability. Countries and their militaries need strong evidenced based HIV programs with measurable courses of action that demonstrate the following specific attributes. Priorities for DHAPP include the following but are subject to change. Support and ownership from the military sector. Development of plans of action and support for military policies that further HIV epidemic control. Alignment with PEPFAR and national strategies and priorities. Testing and treatment expansion to meet 2020 goals of 90-90-90 and 2030 goals of 95-95-95 for people living with HIV. (The first goal is identifying 90/95 percent of all HIV-positive individuals in the population; the second goal is linking 90/95 percent of all those identified HIV positive people to consistent antiretroviral treatment; and the last goal is reaching 90/95 percent of all those on antiretroviral treatment to attain viral suppression.) Care and treatment plans should use the “Treat All” approach with differentiated models of care including tuberculosis (TB), hepatitis, cervical cancer in HIV positive women, other sexually transmitted infections (STI) other opportunistic infections, and care for those with advanced HIV disease. Reduction of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Combination prevention using biomedical, behavioral and structural support for sexual transmission of HIV and other STI. Prevention packages for specific populations including a comprehensive package for Key Populations (KP), Priority Populations, and prevention interventions for young people. Stigma and discrimination reduction associated with HIV infection. Program monitoring to collect and report on PEPFAR indicators, ensure quality of service delivery using clinical and laboratory monitoring tools and to take rapid corrective action based on results. Strengthen HIV data collection systems for improved clinical decision making and program management. Promoting sustainability through capacity building of the military partner. Transition to Local Partners: Local partners are encouraged to apply to this announcement . To sustain epidemic control, it is critical that the full range of HIV prevention and treatment services are owned and operated by local institutions, governments, and community-based and community-led organizations – regardless of current antiretroviral (ARV) coverage levels. The intent of the transitioning to local partners is to increase the delivery of direct HIV services, along with non-direct services provided at the site, and establish sufficient capacity, capability, and durability of these local partners to ensure successful, long-term, local partner engagement and impact.