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Updated January 12, 2023
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs Funding
for FY2023
Members of Congress are frequently lobbied to add funding
Figure 1. Total Defense Health Program (DHP)
to annual defense appropriation legislation for certain
RDT&E Appropriation, FY2023
medical research programs on a wide variety of diseases
and topics. In addressing annual appropriations bills, many
Members frequently seek information on enacted levels for
such funding under the Congressionally Directed Medical
Research Programs (CDMRP).
CDMRP Administration and Funding
The CDMRP is a Department of Defense (DOD) program
that receives congressional appropriations explicitly for
biomedical research in specific, congressionally identified
health matters. As such, it is not part of the President’s
budget request for the DOD. The U.S. Army Medical
Research and Development Command (USAMRDC), with
oversight from the Defense Health Agency, administers the
CDMRP and is responsible for awarding and managing
competitive grants.
Congress usually inserts CDMRP funding as Undistributed
Source: Explanatory Statement accompanying P.L. 117-328,
Medical Research in the Defense Health Program’s
Congressional Record, December 20, 2022, pp. S8257-S8258.
Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E)
account in the annual DOD appropriation. Congressional
Figure 2 lists the FY2023 CDMRP funding amounts for
documents accompanying the annual defense appropriation
specific medical research areas.
act (i.e., conference reports or explanatory statements)
identify the specific research areas for a given fiscal year.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328)
inserted $1.561 billion into the RDT&E account for
CDMRP. This amount comprises 51% of the overall
Defense Health Program’s RDT&E appropriation, as
reflected in Figure 1. Biomedical research conducted by
the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or other
military research agencies is not included in this account.
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Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs Funding for FY2023
Figure 2. CDMRP Funding, FY2023
funded in previous years. For example, funding for tick-
(in millions of dol ars)
borne disease research was provided in FY2016-FY2020,
but no associated funds were provided in FY2015.
Program Title
FY2023
Program Announcements and Awards
Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders
4
USAMRDC issues periodic program announcements to
Alzheimer’s Disease
15
alert researchers of CDMRP grant opportunities. The
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
40
program announcements include detailed descriptions of
Autism
15
funding mechanisms, evaluation criteria, submission
Bone Marrow Failure Disease
7.5
requirements, and deadlines. Program announcements are
Breast Cancer
150
listed on the Grants.gov website, or the CDMRP website
Chronic Pain Management
15
(http://cdmrp.army.mil).The CDMRP website also includes
information on awarded grants and other resources such as
Combat Readiness Medical
5
related publications, brochures about individual research
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
10
programs, and annual reports.
Epilepsy
12
Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program
Global HIV/AIDS Prevention
12
The program with the highest annual funding level under
Hearing Restoration
5
the CDMRP is generally the Peer Reviewed Medical
HIV/AIDS Research Program Increase
20
Research Program (PRMRP). For FY2023, $370 million
Joint Warfighter Medical
25
was appropriated for the PRMRP.
Kidney Cancer
50
PRMRP funding supports grants for medical research on a
Lung Cancer
25
number of conditions or treatment modalities that are of
Lupus
10
“clear scientific merit and direct relevance to military
Melanoma
40
health.” Congress specifies an annual list of eligible
Military Burn
10
conditions or treatments that typically includes a few
Multiple Sclerosis
20
changes from year to year as medical research priorities
shift.
Neurofibromatosis
25
Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes
15
For example, research on burn pit exposure was eligible for
Ovarian Cancer
45
funding in FY2017-FY2021, but was not eligible for
funding in FY2016. Nevertheless, an investigator interested
Pancreatic Cancer
15
in burn pit exposure-related research could have submitted
Parkinson’s Disease
16
FY2016 grant applications for related eligible topics such as
Peer-Reviewed Cancer
130
respiratory health, constrictive bronchiolitis, and pulmonary
Peer-Reviewed Medical
370
fibrosis.
Peer-Reviewed Orthopedic
30
Table 1 lists all 50 conditions or treatments eligible for
Prostate Cancer
110
FY2023 PRMRP funding.
Rare Cancers
17.5
Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program
Reconstructive Transplant
12
Similar to PRMRP, Peer Reviewed Cancer Research
Spinal Cord Injury
40
Program (PRCRP) funding supports grants for medical
Tick-Borne Disease
7
research on various cancers and related treatments. For
Toxic Exposures
30
FY2023, $130 million was appropriated for the PRCRP,
Trauma Clinical
5
separate from other CDMRP funding for breast, kidney,
Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health
175
lung, melanoma, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, and rare
cancers.
Tuberous Sclerosis
8
Vision
20
Table 2 lists all 20 cancers and treatments eligible for
TOTAL
1,561
FY2023 PRCRP funding.
Source: Explanatory Statement accompanying P.L. 117-328,
Congressional Record, December 20, 2022, pp. S8257-S8258.
Table 1. PRMRP-Eligible Conditions, FY2023
CDMRP Funding Requests
Advanced Proteomics
Lymphedema
Members may request funding for medical research during
Arthritis
Malaria
the annual defense appropriations process. The
appropriations committees typically send Members a
Celiac Disease
Maternal Mental Health
memorandum with instructions for submitting requests.
Dystonia
Mitochondrial Disease
Both House and Senate committee reports may specify
Eating Disorders
Chronic Fatigue Disease
funding associated with certain research. A conference
Eczema
Myotonic Dystrophy
committee typically resolves any differences between the
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
Nephrotic Syndrome
committee reports.
Emerging Viral Diseases
Neuroactive Steroids
The medical research programs funded under the CDMRP
Endometriosis
Non-opioid Pain Management
are not static. Funding may be provided for conditions not
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Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs Funding for FY2023
Epidermolysis Bul osa
Orthopedics
Blood Cancers
Metastatic Cancers
Familial Hypercholesterolemia
Pancreatitis
Brain Cancer
Myeloma
Fibrous Dysplasia
Peripheral Neuropathy
Focal Segmental
Polycystic Kidney Disease
Colorectal Cancer
Neuroblastoma
Glomerulosclerosis
Food Al ergies
Pressure Ulcers
Endometrial Cancer
Pediatric Brain Tumors
Fragile X
Pulmonary Fibrosis
Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young
Frontotemporal Degeneration
Respiratory Health
Esophageal Cancer
Adult Cancers
Guil ain-Barre Syndrome
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Germ Cel Cancers
Sarcoma
Hemorrhage Control
Scleroderma
Hepatitis B
Sickle Cell Disease
Head and Neck Cancer
Stomach Cancer
Hereditary Ataxia
Sleep Disorders
Liver Cancer
Thyroid Cancer
Hydrocephalus
Suicide Prevention
Lymphoma
Von Hippel-Lindau Disease
Hypercholesterolemia
Trauma
Source: Explanatory Statement accompanying P.L. 117-328,
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Tuberculosis
Congressional Record, December 20, 2022, p. S8258.
Interstitial Cystitis
Vascular Malformations
Lymphatic Disease
Von Hippel-Lindau Disease
Bryce H. P. Mendez, Analyst in Defense Health Care
Source: Explanatory Statement accompanying P.L. 117-328,
Policy
Congressional Record, December 20, 2022, p. S8258.
Table 2. PRCRP-Eligible Cancer Topics, FY2023
IF10349
Bladder Cancer
Mesothelioma
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