DoD Combat Readiness - Medical, Translational Research Award
Funding Agency:
- Department of Defense
The CRRP vision is to increase survivability and readiness of the Warfighter. The program seeks to develop innovative high-impact solutions to increase medical readiness; triage, diagnose and treat life-threatening injuries; reduce morbidity and mortality; and promote positive long-term outcomes for the Warfighter. While the CRRP focuses on priorities related to frontline care, the program also considers how chronic disorders typically associated with pre-deployment readiness (e.g., sleep, nutrition) may influence the delivery of care in deployed environments and
contribute to injury susceptibility and recovery. Innovations developed by CRRP-supported research may be applied proactively to enhance medical readiness ahead of deployment, in operational settings at the point of injury, during periods of prolonged care, or during transport/en route between roles of care. These solutions will not only help to minimize the morbidity and mortality of combat-related injuries sustained by the Warfighter but will often translate to civilian care.
A 2009 Department of Defense (DOD) mandate established a policy that Warfighters should be provided with lifesaving care within 60 minutes of injury, a time span that is referred to as the “golden hour.” Achieving this metric is supported through increased infrastructure enabling rapid transportation of battlefield casualties from the point of injury to forward surgical teams (Role of Care, Role 2) and combat support hospitals (Role 3), where medical assets and damage control capabilities could rapidly provide lifesaving treatment. Future combat scenarios may involve peer or near-peer adversaries in large-scale combat operations where evacuation capabilities are delayed or unavailable. Combat operations may involve maneuvers in varied environments where medical and casualty care support for the Force is dispersed and sometimes isolated under difficult conditions (e.g., dense urban, subterranean, maritime, high-altitude, dust storm, and extreme environments). Access to highly skilled providers under such conditions may be limited. The time-specific window of the golden hour may not be feasible for Warfighters in certain complex and/or austere operational environments. Therefore, it is essential to bring effective and efficient life-saving capabilities closer to the point of injury and sustain prolonged care (greater than 72 hours) where necessary. Thus, innovations in technology and knowledge are critical to ensure front line provider skills sustainment to support rapid response in future operations. Advancement of clinical decision support tools and other automated technologies may support continued Force readiness and availability in combat environments and assist Warfighters in providing additional life-saving care where clinical capabilities are limited or non-existent. Casualty care must address not only the scope of these challenges, but also the scale of casualties projected. Mass casualty events that overwhelm immediately available medical capabilities, to include personnel, supplies, and/or equipment, present a significant obstacle to providing damage control interventions closer to the point of need.
Trauma care in complex and austere environments is not unique to military contexts. Civilian emergency medical care provided in rural settings or during natural disasters, public health crises, and mass-casualty events draws on lessons learned in battlefield medicine. Solutions addressing medical challenges during combat operations have potential for integration into civilian-based practices to address health security threats and support a goal of zero preventable deaths, regardless of environment. The CRRP expects the innovative approaches and technologies developed with CRRP funding to improve survivability of injuries sustained in both combat and civilian settings.
Multiple
Appropriations for the CRRP from FY19 through FY23 totaled $50 million (M). The FY24 appropriation is $5M.
Pre-Application/Preproposal Submission Deadline: 5:00 p.m. Eastern time (ET), September 4, 2024
11:59 p.m. ET, December 5, 2024
CDMRP Help Desk
Phone: 301-682-5507 Email: help@eBRAP.org