The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Center for Innovation (VACI), the innovation hub within the department, recently released a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). The announcement seeks to source and fund early stage research, development, prototyping, and piloting of innovative ideas in the kidney space.
VA BAAs are competitive procedures in which proposals from outside groups are solicited and contracts are awarded for research and development.
One in 6 veterans have chronic kidney disease and more than 13,000 veterans experience kidney failure each year, according to the VA’s announcement. To address the need for innovation in kidney disease prevention, care coordination, and treatment, the BAA announced a competition cycle that seeks applications across the following primary topic areas:
Kidney Disease Prevention and Treatment
Data Science Advances to Improve Health Care of People with Kidney Disease
Rehabilitation of Patients with Kidney Failure
Education for People with or at Risk for Kidney Disease and/or their Caregivers
The VA is seeking solutions that can be developed, tested, and evaluated within a 12–24 month period that will consist of a Development Phase and a Field Test Phase.
No funding has been reserved for this BAA at this time; however, the VA intends to award multiple contracts and has established the following contract funding limits:
Development Phase—maximum funding of $250,000
Field Test/Piloting Phase—maximum funding of $500,000
Combined Development Phase and Field Test/Piloting Phase—maximum funding of $750,000
