Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERC) Program: RERC on Rehabilitation Technologies for Children with Orthopedic Disabilities

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERC) Program on Rehabilitation Technologies for Children with Orthopedic Disabilities is administered by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) through the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). This program aims to improve the effectiveness of rehabilitation services under the Rehabilitation Act by supporting engineering research and the development of assistive and rehabilitation technologies. The focus is on advancing technological solutions to enhance accessibility, usability, and performance of rehabilitation and assistive technologies for children with orthopedic disabilities.

This funding opportunity seeks proposals for innovative research and development that maximize the independence, functional abilities, and overall quality of life of children with orthopedic disabilities. The priority areas for research include rehabilitation technologies such as virtual reality-based training, robotic-assisted therapy, exoskeletons, functional electrical stimulation, artificial intelligence-driven rehabilitation tools, and environmental control systems tailored for pediatric users. The selected RERC must work to increase scientific understanding, promote service delivery improvements, and support the commercialization of these technologies.

The program will fund one award with an estimated budget of $975,000 per year for a five-year period, contingent on congressional appropriations. Eligible applicants include states, public and private agencies, organizations, institutions of higher education, and tribal organizations. Foreign entities are not eligible. Cost-sharing or matching is not required, but voluntary contributions of non-federal resources must be accounted for if included in the project budget.

Applicants are required to submit a letter of intent by February 18, 2025, and full applications must be submitted by April 18, 2025. An informational conference call will be held on February 10, 2025. Applications must adhere to specified formatting and content requirements, including a project narrative, work plan, budget justification, and data management plan. Proposals will be evaluated based on their research design, relevance to disability rehabilitation, potential for impact, and feasibility.

The grant program mandates that awardees engage stakeholders, including children with disabilities and their caregivers, in all phases of research and development. The funded project must also address diversity considerations, ensuring adequate representation of racial and ethnic minority populations. The RERC must conduct high-quality research, produce scientifically validated rehabilitation technologies, and disseminate findings through state-of-the-science conferences and collaboration with industry, healthcare providers, and disability organizations.

For application submission and inquiries, the primary contacts are Thomas Corfman (Thomas.Corfman@acl.hhs.gov) and Megan Alvarado (Megan.Alvarado@acl.hhs.gov). The anticipated start date for the project is September 1, 2025. Applicants must submit their proposals electronically via Grants.gov and ensure compliance with federal regulations, including those related to human subjects research, indirect cost rates, and financial reporting.

Applicants are requested, but not required, to submit a letter of intent to apply for this funding
opportunity to assist ACL in planning for the application independent review process. The
purpose of the letter of intent is to allow our staff to estimate the number of independent
reviewers needed and to avoid potential conflicts of interest in the review.