Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) are a unique partnership between Congress, the military, and the public, focusing on a variety of health subjects of interest. Funding for CDMRP is added to the Department of Defense (DoD) budget by Congress. From Fiscal Year (FY) 1992 through FY2012, the CDMRP was responsible for more than $7 billion for targeted research programs.
As war changes, so does the medical needs of the personnel supporting the war. Continued medical research is needed to support the health needs of service members and Veterans of past, current and future wars and conflicts.
One program to spotlight is the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP). Between FY1999 and FY2013, Congress appropriated over $644 million dollars for the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program. For FY2016, the Program received funding of $278.7 million, an increase of over 31 million dollars (representing over 30% of the FY16 total CDMRP budget). Focused on the health and well being of military service members and Veterans, previous successes include the areas of reconstructive surgery, use of antibiotics, intensive care, burn care, and kidney dialysis.
Within the overall Research Program, Congress approves specific topics for research on a yearly basis. Burn pit exposure was a Congressionally approved topic for medical research in 2015. As recently reported by military.com, burn pit exposure failed to make the 2016 list of peer-reviewed medical research programs.
The following is the list of currently funded Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. FY2016 changes include new research programs, increased funding for five programs, and reduced funding for one program. Specific research topics are expected to be made available to the public in the first quarter of 2016.
- Alcohol and Substance Abuse Research Program – $4.0 million
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Program – $7.5 million
- Autism Research Program – $7.5 million (increase of $1.5 million)
- Bone Marrow Failure Research Program – $3.0 million (decrease of $200,000)
- Breast Cancer Research Program – $120.0 million
- Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research Program – $3.2 million
- Epilepsy Research Program – $7.5 million
- Gulf War Illness Research Program – $20.0 million
- Joint Warfighter Medical Research Program – $50.0 million
- Lung Cancer Research Program – $12.0 million (increase of $1.5 million)
- Military Burn Research Program – $8.0 million (The majority of combat burns result from explosive device detonation)
- Multiple Sclerosis Research Program – $6.0 million (increase of $1 million)
- Neurofibromatosis Research Program – $15.0 million
- Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Parkinson’s Research Program – $16.0 million
- Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes – $10.0 million
- Ovarian Cancer Research Program – $20.0 million
- Peer Reviewed Alzheimer’s Research Program – $15.0 million (increase of $3 million)
- Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program – $50.0 million
- Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program – $278.7 million (increase of $31.2 million)
- Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program – $30.0 million
- Prostate Cancer Research Program – $80.0 million
- Reconstructive Transplant Research Program – $12.0 million (NEW for 2016)
- Spinal Cord Injury Research Program – $30.0 million
- Tick-Borne Disease Research Program – $5.0 million (NEW for 2016)
- Trauma Clinical Research Program – $10 million (NEW for 2016)
- Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program – $6.0 million
- Vision Research Program – $10.0 million
Funding is provided through the FY2016 DoD Appropriations Act. More information on each Research Program, along with their respective annual reports can be found at http://cdmrp.army.mil