The Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) was created in the early 90s to “foster novel approaches to biomedical research” and “fill research gaps by funding high impact, high risk and high gain projects that other agencies may not venture to fund”. It was designed as a compliment, not a competitor to the National Institutes of Health.
The CDMRP is unique because it focuses on solutions that will lead to cures or meaningful improvements in patient care; includes consumer advocates throughout the process; and funds established scientists, as well as the next generation of researchers.
The CDMRP includes over 30 different disease-specific research programs including different types of cancers, Alzheimer’s, traumatic brain jury and more. For more than 10 years, colorectal cancer has been eligible for funding through the Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP), competing against as many as 20 other cancers for funding, without a strategic plan to guide investment.
