DoW Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Program, Clinical Outcomes and Biomarkers Award
Can you apply?
This grant is for researchers and institutions supporting development and validation of clinical biomarkers and outcomes measures for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Eligible applicants typically include academic institutions, research centers, hospitals, and nonprofit research organizations with capacity to conduct clinical research or outcomes validation studies. Projects may focus on specific therapies, therapeutic classes, or ALS subtypes (including genetic mutations). Community collaboration with the ALS lived experience community is required as part of the application.
Applicants must demonstrate scientific merit and feasibility for biomarker identification, development, or validation work. Digital health measures such as wearables, smartphone sensors, video/voice recordings, and imaging are eligible project components. Cost sharing is not required.
Program description
Summary: The fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Program (ALSRP) Clinical Outcomes and Biomarkers Award (COBA) supports the development and/or validation of clinical outcomes and biomarkers to enrich clinical trials in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Projects can be relevant to a specific therapy, a class of therapeutics, or to a specific ALS subtype (such as a particular genetic mutation) and do not have to broadly apply to all patients.
Distinctive Features: To meet the intent of the funding opportunity, applications may address clinical biomarkers and/or clinical outcomes. This may include the identification, development, and/or validation of promising biomarkers for ALS, which may include, but are not limited to susceptibility/risk, diagnostic, monitoring/disease progression, prognostic, predictive, response, or safety biomarkers. Clinical Outcomes projects may focus on the identification, development, and/or validation of clinician-, observer-, or patient-reported, and/or performance outcome measures for ALS. Projects may include the optimization of current outcome measures already in use.
Applications may utilize digital health measures, including wearable devices, smart-phone sensors, video or voice recordings, imaging studies, or other devices which record disease-relevant physiological data and/or outcomes.
Community Collaboration is an important element of the FY26 ALSRP COBA. Applicants will be expected to articulate how the proposed research question or study design was informed by the
ALS lived experience community.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (Federal Application for Grants)
- Project Narrative/Research Plan
- Budget and Budget Justification
- Biographical Sketches (key personnel)
- Resources/Environment documentation
- Letters of Support (including community collaboration documentation)
Program contact
- 👤 Jamie Shortall Grant Officer
- 📧 help@eBRAP.org
- 📞 301-619-2393
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 12.420 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$2,265,729,366
-
$800,631,761
-
$74,531,880
-
$67,205,571
-
$53,718,832
-
$34,191,124
-
$24,907,742
-
$21,394,379
-
$19,100,256
-
$19,002,641
Top States by Funding
- MD 10 awards $3,150.1M
- NC 11 awards $132.3M
- FL 8 awards $99.8M
- CA 11 awards $99.3M
- MA 7 awards $75.2M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 12.420). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $1,483,968,520 | |
| 2025 | $1,201,153,417 |
FAQ
What types of biomarkers can this grant support?
The grant supports susceptibility/risk, diagnostic, monitoring/disease progression, prognostic, predictive, response, and safety biomarkers. Projects may also focus on clinical outcomes through validated measures.
Is cost sharing required?
No, cost sharing is not required for this grant.
What role must the ALS community play in my application?
You must explain how the ALS lived experience community informed your research question or study design. Community collaboration is a required element of the grant.
Can I use digital health tools in my project?
Yes, wearable devices, smartphone sensors, video/voice recordings, imaging studies, and other physiological monitoring devices are eligible project components.
Does my project need to apply broadly to all ALS patients?
No, projects can be relevant to specific therapies, therapeutic classes, or ALS subtypes such as particular genetic mutations.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Start by documenting how your research question and design were informed by conversations or collaboration with the ALS patient and community. This is a required emphasis in strong applications.
- Use the $7 million funding pool as a planning guide, but note that individual award amounts are not specified. Design your budget and scope accordingly to be competitive.
- If using digital health measures (wearables, sensors, video analysis), clearly explain how these tools advance your biomarker or outcomes validation compared to standard methods.
- Focus your research on a defined therapy, therapeutic class, or ALS subtype rather than attempting to address all ALS populations. Specificity strengthens both scientific rigor and feasibility.
- Plan to address validation rigor early. Applicants often underestimate the effort needed to properly validate new biomarkers or outcomes measures for clinical use.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Failing to demonstrate meaningful collaboration with the ALS lived experience community. Proposing biomarkers or outcomes measures without clear validation strategy or clinical relevance. Attempting to broadly apply findings to all ALS patients instead of targeting specific subtypes or therapies.
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