Solve is dedicated to opening new funding avenues for research and care for those with ME/CFS, Long Covid, and infection-associated chronic conditions and illnesses (IACCIs). Each year, we specifically advocate for ME/CFS to be included in the Department of Defense (DoD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). This year, this innovative, competitive program provides research funding to 42 congressionally selected diseases – including ME/CFS. Thanks to Solve’s ongoing advocacy efforts, ME/CFS has been included in the CDMRP program since 2019.
We’re excited to share that our efforts with Congress have yielded yet another win! This week the DOD allocated $500 million for women’s health research through the CDMRP.
The DoD also announced a series of new actions and commitments to advance women’s health research, including:
- Adopting a new research policy to ensure that women’s health is considered during every step of the research process that will apply to relevant research funded through the CDMRP beginning on October 1, 2024;
- Standardizing CDMRP and Military Health System Research funding opportunity announcements to encourage applicants to consider research on health areas and conditions that affect women; and
- Committing DoD’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program to increase its investments in supporting innovators and early-stage small businesses engaged in research and development on women’s health.
At the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting, U.S. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden noted, “The Department of Defense has now committed half a billion dollars to women’s health, to women in the service, which then transcends to all women. This money is going to study arthritis and chronic fatigue and cardiovascular health — it’s a big deal, and it’s about time.”
This year, as part of our Fiscal Year 2025 Defense Appropriations asks, Solve requested that legislators include language to ensure the continued inclusion of ME/CFS in the list of Congressionally Directed Topic Areas in the Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) as part of the CDMRP Program.
Solve President and CEO Emily Taylor, who has led Solve’s Advocacy Week efforts in D.C. since 2016, noted, “We are thrilled to see our persistent advocacy efforts bear fruit with the Department of Defense’s historic $500 million commitment to advancing women’s health research, which specifically includes ME/CFS under its ‘chronic fatigue’ designation. Each year, we advocate for the inclusion of ME/CFS and Long COVID in the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), knowing how vital this funding is for driving forward research and treatment options. This announcement is not just a win for our community but a powerful step towards ensuring that infection-associated chronic conditions like ME/CFS receive the attention they deserve. This new funding will open the door to groundbreaking research and much-needed innovation for the millions of people suffering from these conditions. It is a proud moment for Solve M.E., as it highlights the real-world impact of our annual appropriations efforts and commitment to creating meaningful change in the lives of patients.”
Learn more about the DOD’s $500 million commitment to women’s health, specifically including chronic fatigue, here.
