Since 1992 the Department of Defense (DOD), through the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command, has received congressionally earmarked appropriations for programs of biomedical research on prostate, breast, and ovarian cancer; neurofibromatosis; tuberous sclerosis; and other health problems. Appropriations for these Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs are used to support peer reviewed extramural research project, training, and infrastructure grants. Congress has become concerned about funding increases for these programs given current demands on the military budget. At the request of Congress, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) examined possibilities of augmenting program funding from alternative sources. The resulting IOM book, Strategies to Leverage Research Funding: Guiding DOD's Peer Reviewed Medical Research Programs, focuses on nonfederal and private sector contributions that could extend the appropriated funds without biasing the peer review project selection process.

This text targets effective grant proposal writing in epidemiology, preventive medicine, and biostatistics. It provides summary checklists and step-by-step guidelines for grant structure and style, critical do's and don'ts that aid in writing solid grant proposals, and broader strategies for developing a research funding portfolio. Written by an established NIH reviewer with an impressive track record of funding, the book demonstrates proven tactics with extensive examples from successfully funded proposals. It serves as a virtual cookbook of the ingredients needed to construct a winning grant proposal.

The medical research landscape in the United States is supported by a variety of organizations that spend billions of dollars in government and private funds each year to seek answers to complex medical and public health problems. The largest government funder is the National Institutes of Health (NIH), followed by the Department of Defense (DoD). Almost half of DoD's medical research funding is administered by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). The mission of CDMRP is to foster innovative approaches to medical research in response to the needs of its stakeholdersâ€"the U.S. military, their families, the American public, and Congress. CDMRP funds medical research to be performed by other government and nongovernmental organizations, but it does not conduct research itself. The major focus of CDMRP funded research is the improved prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases, injuries, or conditions that affect service members and their families, and the general public. The hallmarks of CDMRP include reviewing applications for research funding using a two-tiered review process, and involving consumers throughout the process. Evaluation of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs Review Process evaluates the CDMRP two-tiered peer review process, its coordination of research priorities with NIH and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and provides recommendations on how the process for reviewing and selecting studies can be improved.

The Department of Health and Human Services has identified Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) as the foremost public health problem in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that, as of December 31, 1994, there were 441,528 documented cases of AIDS in this country, and the number is increasing. AIDS is an illness characterized by a defect in natural immunity against disease. Many more individuals are known to be infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) but do not have symptoms or the defming characteristics of AIDS. The incubation period for AIDS may range from 1 to 10 or more years in adults and 6 months to several years in children. Infected persons appear to be capable of transmitting infection indefinitely, even if they remain asymptomatic. In order to increase the number of minority investigators conducting research on HIV infection and 1 AIDS, NIMH conducted a 3h-day technical workshop for minority investigators on July 24-27. 1990, in Fairlakes, Virginia. University-based research programs were asked to nominate investigators who were selected on the basis of a referred 1 0-page prospectus for a proposed research project. This procedure was used because NIMH wanted to be sure that the prospective investigators were established in a research environment that would pr

Since 1992 the Department of Defense (DOD), through the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command, has received congressionally earmarked appropriations for programs of biomedical research on prostate, breast, and ovarian cancer; neurofibromatosis; tuberous sclerosis; and other health problems. Appropriations for these Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs are used to support peer reviewed extramural research project, training, and infrastructure grants. Congress has become concerned about funding increases for these programs given current demands on the military budget. At the request of Congress, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) examined possibilities of augmenting program funding from alternative sources. The resulting IOM book, Strategies to Leverage Research Funding: Guiding DOD's Peer Reviewed Medical Research Programs, focuses on nonfederal and private sector contributions that could extend the appropriated funds without biasing the peer review project selection process.