DOD’s Medical Practice Initiative (MPI) with a major interest in Team Communications Training Research has issued a funding notice for FY 14. The MPI is focused on research related to medicine but ultimately on developing medical training methods, technologies, systems, and competency assessment tools.
The primary purpose for the funding would be to develop ways to better communicate skills and team performance in medical settings with the goal to reduce medical errors and improve medical care.
Various teams perform tasks and skills ranging from disasters/emergency response, surgical traumas, caring for acutely ill patients, and office-based care. Also, teams may include family members providing home care.
The research is expected to benefit both military and civilian medical practices. The announcement is soliciting research into methods and technology that will support future development of a prototype medical communications skills and/or a medical team performance team training simulation system.
The proposal must include information on the technology platform that best supports future simulation. The technology platform may be a web browser-based environment, a custom PC executable, a tablet application, or use other approach.
The Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) will be the execution agent for the announcement. The TATRC Medical Simulation Science Domain Contracting Officer’s Representative or Grants Officer’s Representative will provide oversight and serve as a military subject matter expert. USAMRAA will be the awarding agency.
Principal investigators must be independent investigators qualified to carry out the proposed research. Organizations eligible to apply include national, international, for-profit, public, and private organizations.
The anticipated funding for FY 14 (MPI-TCT BAA) a Cooperative Agreement Grant, is approximately $3.5 million for two anticipated awards. Closing date for applications is April 15, 2014. Funding is determined by the availability of Federal funds for this program and future funding may be offered starting in FY 16 to expand research and development within MPI.
Go to www.grants.gov/custom/viewOppDetails.jsp?oppID=249255 for more information on funding announcement number (W81XWH-14-JPC1-MPI-TCT).