DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS

NEWS RELEASE

Released: December 23, 2009

Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program
Funding for Fiscal Year 2010

The Fiscal Year 2010 (FY10) Defense Appropriations Act provides $80 million to the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP) to support innovative, high-impact prostate cancer research. The PCRP is administered by the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command through the Office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

FY10 PCRP Program Announcements, along with deadlines for submission, for the following award mechanisms are anticipated to be posted on Grants.gov in January-February 2010. Information in this pre-announcement is intended to allow investigators time to plan and develop applications.

IMPORTANT: All applications for FY10 PCRP funding must address at least one of the FY10 PCRP Overarching Challenges and at least one of the six PCRP Focus Areas:
  • Overarching Challenges: Development of effective treatments for advanced disease, Distinguishing lethal from indolent disease
  • Focus Areas: Imaging, Biomarkers, Therapy, Genetics, Tumor Biology, Survivorship
Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding
Exploration-Hypothesis Development Award Investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent)
  • Supports highly innovative, untested, potentially groundbreaking concepts in prostate cancer
  • Emphasis is on Innovation; potential impact may be unknown
  • Human studies investigation is permitted provided it is exempt
  • Preliminary data are not allowed
  • Maximum funding of $75K for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Period of performance cannot exceed 18 months
Health Disparity Research Award Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent); OR

NEW for FY10!

New Investigator Option: PIs must meet the following criteria at the application submission deadline:
  • Must be an independent investigator (have the freedom to pursue individual aims without formal mentorship), AND
  • Have not previously received a PCRP New Investigator Award, AND
  • Either have completed at least 3 years of postdoctoral training or fellowship OR are within 5 years of having received first independent faculty position (or equivalent)
  • Supports new ideas that represent innovative, high-risk/high-gain approaches to prostate cancer health disparity research that have the potential to make an important contribution to eliminating death and suffering from prostate cancer
  • PI(s) and/or collaborator(s) should have a connection to, or effectiveness in working with, an affected population or community
  • Preliminary data are encouraged but not required
  • Emphasis is on Innovation and Impact
  • Clinical trials are not allowed
  • Maximum funding of $450K for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Period of performance cannot exceed 3 years
Health Disparity Training Award Predoctoral Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. PIs:
  • Must be enrolled full-time in an accredited doctoral program and must have completed all predissertation requirements by October 1, 2010
Postdoctoral Ph.D. PIs:
  • Must have successfully defended a doctoral thesis by October 1, 2010; and
  • Have 3 years or less of postdoctoral fellowship experience by October 1, 2010
Postdoctoral M.D. PIs:
  • Must have an M.D.; AND
  • Must be able to devote at least 40% effort; AND
  • By August 1, 2010, must be:
    • Enrolled in an accredited intern training program, OR
    • Enrolled in an accredited residency or fellowship program with at least 2 years of training remaining, OR
    • Within 3 years of the last formal training
  • Supports training in prostate cancer health disparity research for individuals in the early stages of their careers
  • PIs must have a designated mentor who is an experienced prostate cancer health disparity researcher
  • PI or mentor must demonstrate a connection to, or effectiveness in working with, the affected population or community
  • Emphasis is on PI, Mentor, and Training Program and Environment
Predoctoral Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. PIs:
  • Maximum funding of $92.5K for direct costs (plus 8% indirect costs)
  • Period of performance cannot exceed 3 years
Postdoctoral M.D. or Ph.D. PIs:
  • Maximum of $115K for direct costs (plus 8% indirect costs)
  • Period of performance cannot exceed 2 years
Idea Development Award NEW for FY10!

New Investigator Option:
Principal Investigators (PIs) must meet the following criteria at the application submission deadline:

  • Must be an independent investigator (have the freedom to pursue individual aims without formal mentorship), AND
  • Have not previously received a PCRP New Investigator Award, AND
  • Either have completed at least 3 years of postdoctoral training or fellowship OR are within 5 years of having received first independent faculty position (or equivalent)
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only
  • Supports new ideas that represent innovative, high-risk/high-gain approaches to prostate cancer research, and have the potential to make an important contribution to eliminating death and suffering from prostate cancer
  • Preliminary data are encouraged but not required
  • Emphasis is on Innovation and Impact
  • Clinical trials are not allowed
  • New Investigator Option supports applicants early in their faculty appointments or in the process of developing independent research careers
  • Maximum funding of $450K for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Period of performance cannot exceed 3 years
Impact Award (NEW!) Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only
  • Supports high-impact studies towards reducing or eliminating the problem of overtreatment of primary prostate cancer
  • Areas of special interest include but are not limited to active surveillance, biomarkers, improved staging, local staging, and optimal measures for follow-up and biopsy
  • Multidisciplinary teams inclusive of strong clinical expertise are a key feature
  • Preliminary data to support feasibility are required
  • Emphasis is on the Research Question and Impact
  • Allows clinical trials
  • Maximum funding of $750K for direct cost (plus indirect costs)
  • Period of performance cannot exceed 3 years
Laboratory- Clinical Transition Award Investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent)
  • Supports goal- and product-driven preclinical studies of promising lead agents or targets that may revolutionize prostate cancer clinical care
  • PIs are expected to have identified and have access to either one lead agent or a limited number of lead agents for optimization, or a validated target before applying
  • Preliminary data are required to demonstrate validated target availability or lead agent(s) in human prostate cancer
  • Does not support target discovery, drug screening, device development, development of diagnostic biomarkers, studies of conventional therapeutics, or clinical trials
  • Emphasis is on Lead Agent, Research Strategy, and Clinical Impact
  • Maximum funding of $750K for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Period of performance cannot exceed 3 years
Physician Research Training Award At the time of proposal submission, the PI must be either:
  • A physician with clinical duties and/or responsibilities in the last year of an accredited medical residency or medical fellowship program; or
  • A physician within 3 years of first independent faculty appointment
  • Supports training of physicians with clinical duties for careers in prostate cancer research
  • PIs must have a designated mentor with an established research program in prostate cancer
  • Institutions must provide at least 40% protection of PI's time for research
  • Emphasis is on PI, Mentor, and Training Program and Environment
  • Maximum funding of $130K per year for direct costs (plus 8% indirect costs)
  • Period of performance is 3 years minimum to 5 years maximum
Population-Based Research Award Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)
  • Supports high-impact approaches to prostate cancer research from the perspective of population-based studies that will, if successful, significantly accelerate the elimination of death and suffering from prostate cancer
  • Population-based studies may include case-control, retrospective, prospective, and cohort studies provided that the study population is of sufficient size to provide appropriate statistical power
  • Topics may include but are not limited to epidemiology, molecular genetics, germline and somatic genomics, risk prediction, disease aggressiveness, predictors of therapeutic response and progression, and health disparity
  • Requires a robust statistical plan and strong biostatistical expertise in the study team
  • Emphasis is on Impact and Research Strategy and Feasibility
  • Clinical trials are not allowed
  • Maximum funding of $600K for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Period of performance cannot exceed 4 years
Prostate Cancer Training Award Postdoctoral Ph.D. PIs:
  • Must be enrolled full-time in an accredited doctoral program and must have completed all predissertation requirements by October 1, 2010
Must have successfully defended a doctoral thesis by October 1, 2010; and
  • Must have successfully defended a doctoral thesis by October 1, 2010; and
  • Have 3 years or less of postdoctoral fellowship experience by October 1, 2010
Postdoctoral M.D. PIs:
  • Must have an M.D.; AND
  • Must be able to devote at least 40% effort; AND
  • By August 1, 2010, must be:
    • Enrolled in an accredited intern training program, OR
    • Enrolled in an accredited residency or fellowship program with at least 2 years of training remaining, OR
    • Within 3 years of the last formal training
  • Supports prostate cancer research training for individuals in the early stages of their careers
  • PIs must have a designated mentor
  • Emphasis is on PI, Mentor, and Training Program and Environment
  • Predoctoral Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. PIs:
    • Maximum funding of $92.5K for direct costs (plus 8% indirect costs)
    • Period of performance cannot exceed 3 years
  • Postdoctoral M.D. or Ph.D. PIs:
    • Maximum of $115K for direct costs (plus 8% indirect costs)
    • Period of performance cannot exceed 2 years
Synergistic Idea Development Award Two or three independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only
  • Supports new or existing partnerships between two or three independent investigators to address a central innovative question in prostate cancer that may include high risk, provided there is a potential for significant impact
  • Preliminary data are encouraged but not required
  • Emphasis is on Synergy, Innovation, and Impact
  • Clinical trials are not allowed
  • Maximum funding of $750K for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Period of performance cannot exceed 3 years

The government reserves the right to make changes to the award mechanisms offered and the mechanism elements if necessary. All applications must conform to the final Program Announcements and application instructions that will be available for electronic downloading from the Grants.gov website. The application package containing the required forms for each award mechanism will also be found on Grants.gov. A listing of all USAMRMC funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420.

A pre-application is required for all award mechanisms and must be submitted through the CDMRP eReceipt website (http://cdmrp.org) prior to application submission. Applications must be submitted through the federal government's single-entry portal, Grants.gov. Requests for email notification of the program announcements release may be sent to help@cdmrp.org. For more information about the PCRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.army.mil).

Requests for email notification of the release of program announcements may be sent to Help@cdmrp.org. For more information about the PCRRP or other CDMRP-sponsored programs, please visit the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.army.mil).

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