DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS

NEWS RELEASE

Released: February 4, 2008

Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program (OCRP)
Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2008 (FY08)

The FY08 Defense Appropriations Act provides $10 million to the Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program to eliminate ovarian cancer by stimulating and supporting high impact research as well as unique partnerships and collaborations in ovarian cancer. This program is administered by the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command through the Office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

FY08 OCRP Program Announcements for proposals in the following mechanisms are anticipated to be posted and available on Grants.gov in February 2008.

Award Mechanism

Eligibility

Key Mechanism Elements

Funding

Idea Development Award

Must be an independent investigator

  • Fund high impact, innovative research that will drive the field forward
  • Proposals in all areas of research are accepted
  • Proposals in the following three areas are encouraged:
    • Identification and characterization of early changes associated with ovarian cancer
    • Identification and characterization of ovarian cancer stem cells
    • Contribution of the stroma to the tumor microenvironment in ovarian cancer
  • Preliminary data relevant to the proposed project, but not necessarily in ovarian cancer, are required
  • Preproposal is required; proposal submission is by invitation only

NEW FOR FY08:

  • Non-Traditional Collaboration (optional): Collaborations that meet the criteria outlined in the program announcement will be qualified for a higher level of funding. Non-traditional collaboration is between an academic institution and a biotechnology/ pharmaceutical company; or between an academic institution and a foundation; or between a biotechnology/pharmaceutical company and a foundation
  • Clinical trials are allowed

  • A maximum of $375,000 for direct costs for up to a 3-year performance period, plus indirect costs as appropriate
  • Proposals with a qualified non-traditional collaboration can request a maximum of $450,000 for direct costs for up to a 3-year performance period, plus indirect costs as appropriate
  • Anticipate 4-5 awards

Translational Research Partnership Award

  • Initiating Principal Investigator (PI): Must be an independent investigator
  • Partnering PI: Must be an independent investigator

  • Fund partnerships between clinicians and laboratory scientists that accelerate the movement of promising ideas in ovarian cancer into clinical applications
  • Partnership:
    • One partner must be a laboratory scientist, and the other must be a clinician
    • Each partner will be a PI
  • Proposals in all areas of research are accepted
  • Proposals in the following three areas are encouraged:
    • Identification and characterization of early changes associated with ovarian cancer
    • Identification and characterization of ovarian cancer stem cells
    • Contribution of the stroma to the tumor microenvironment in ovarian cancer
  • Clinical trials are not allowed
  • Preliminary data relevant to the proposed project, but not necessarily in ovarian cancer, are required
  • Preproposal is required; proposal submission is by invitation only

NEW FOR FY08:

  • Non-Traditional Partnership (optional): Partnerships that meet the criteria outlined in the program announcement will be qualified for a higher level of funding. Non-traditional partnership is between an academic institution and a biotechnology/ pharmaceutical company; or between an academic institution and a foundation; or between a biotechnology/pharmaceutical company and a foundation

  • A separate award will be made to each partner's institution. The maximum combined funding for both awards is $750,000 for direct costs for up to a 3-year performance period, plus indirect costs as appropriate
  • Proposals with a qualified non-traditional partnership can request a maximum combined funding of $825,000 for direct costs for up to a 3-year performance period, plus indirect costs as appropriate
  • Anticipate 2 awards

Career Development Award

At the time of proposal submission:

  • Postdoctoral Fellow: Must be within 5 years of doctoral degree; or
  • Early-Career Investigator: Must be within 3 years of having completed postdoctoral or fellowship training, and have received less than $300,000 in direct costs in aggregate for ovarian cancer research as PI of federally or privately funded, non-mentored, peer reviewed grants

  • Provide research training opportunities focused on ovarian cancer research to individuals in the early stages of their career
  • Designated Mentor who is an experienced ovarian cancer researcher for Postdoctoral Fellow is required
  • Designated Collaborator who is an experienced ovarian cancer researcher for Early-Career Investigator is required
  • Proposals in all areas of research are accepted
  • Proposals in the following three areas are encouraged:
    • Identification and characterization of early changes associated with ovarian cancer
    • Identification and characterization of ovarian cancer stem cells
    • The contribution of the stroma to the tumor microenvironment in ovarian cancer
  • Preliminary data relevant to the proposed project, but not necessarily in ovarian cancer, are required
  • Clinical trials are not allowed

  • For Postdoctoral Fellow: A maximum of $300,000 for direct costs for up to a 3-year performance period, plus indirect costs as appropriate
  • For Early-Career Investigator: A maximum of $375,000 for direct costs for up to a 3-year performance period, plus indirect costs as appropriate
  • Anticipate 6 awards in total

Consortium Development Award

Must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)

  • Support for establishing the necessary collaborations and developing a plan and budget for a consortium which will focus only on the issue of identification and characterization of early changes associated with ovarian cancer
  • Funds may not be used to support research
  • Funded applicants will be eligible to compete for a consortium award to be offered in FY09

  • A maximum of $150,000 for direct costs for up to a 1-year performance period, plus indirect costs as appropriate
  • Anticipate 2 awards

Information in this pre-announcement is being provided to allow investigators time to plan and develop proposals. All proposals submitted must conform to the final program announcements that will be posted on Grants.gov at a later date. The number of awards anticipated is based on available funds, average cost of proposals, and the quality of proposals received. The OCRP reserves the right to make awards in greater or lesser numbers than anticipated. Each program announcement will be available electronically for downloading from the Grants.gov website.

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the CDMRP e-Receipt website. Effective 2007, full proposals requesting funding from the CDMRP are submitted through the federal government's single-entry portal, Grants.gov, in compliance with Public Law 106-107. Individual program announcements and required forms are also found on this website.

Requests for email notification of the program announcement release may be sent to Help@cdmrp.org. For more information about the OCRP or other CDMRP-sponsored programs, please visit the CDMRP website.

Point of Contact: