DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS
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NEWS RELEASE

Released: March 18, 2015

Defense Health Program
Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program
Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15)

The FY15 Defense Appropriations Act provides $50 million (M) to the Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP) to support innovative, high-impact cancer research. As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency, Research, Development, and Acquisition (DHA RDA) Directorate manages and executes the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation. The executing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

The PRCRP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop applications. FY15 PRCRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are anticipated to be posted on the Grants.gov website in April and July 2015. Pre-application and application deadlines will be available when the Program Announcements are released. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the government.

Congressionally Directed Topic Areas: To be considered for funding, applications for the FY15 PRCRP must address at least one of the Topic Areas as directed by Congress. Research applications in the areas of breast, prostate, lung (excluding mesothelioma), or ovarian cancer will not be accepted.

The FY15 PRCRP Topic Areas are listed below:

  • Colorectal cancer
  • Genetic cancer
  • Kidney cancer
  • Listeria vaccine for cancer
  • Liver cancer (New for FY15)
  • Melanoma and other skin cancers
  • Mesothelioma
  • Myeloproliferative disorders
  • Neuroblastoma
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Stomach cancer (New for FY15)

Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding
Career Development Award Principal Investigator (PI): Independent early-career investigator within 10 years after completion of his/her terminal degree (excluding time spent in residency or on family medical leave) by the time of the application submission deadline.

Designated Mentor: Investigators at or above the level of Associate Professor (or equivalent); must have a proven publication and funding record in at least one of the FY15 PRCRP Topic Areas.
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports independent, early-career investigators to conduct impactful research with the mentorship of an experienced cancer researcher.
  • Must address at least one of the FY15 PRCRP Topic Areas.
  • Strongly encouraged to address at least one of the FY15 PRCRP Military Relevance Focus Areas.
  • Preliminary data are not required.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Maximum funding for the entire period of performance is $360,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years
Idea Award with Special Focus Independent investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports innovative, untested, high-risk/potentially high-reward concepts, theories, paradigms, and/or methods in cancer research that are relevant to Service Members, their families, and other military beneficiaries.
  • Emphasis on innovation and military relevance/impact.
  • Must address at least one of the FY15 PRCRP Topic Areas.
  • Must address at least one of the FY15 PRCRP Military Relevance Focus Areas.
  • Preliminary data are discouraged.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Maximum funding for the entire period of performance is $400,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Maximum period of performance is 2 years
Translational Team Science Award At least three and up to five PIs across at least two institutions must partner in one overarching correlative or translational research study.

At least one Early Career Investigator within 10 years of completing a terminal degree (excluding time in residency or on family medical leave, and/or one military/Department of Veterans Affairs investigator must be included as an equal partner in the research offering both intellectual investment and research effort.
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports translational correlative studies associated with an existing clinical trial and/or translational study that can lead to a future clinical trial or clinical application in cancer research that is relevant to Service Members, their families, and other military beneficiaries
  • Not intended to support high-throughput screenings, sequencing, etc.
  • Must address at least one of the FY15 PRCRP Topic Areas.
  • Must address at least one of the FY15 PRCRP Military Relevance Focus Areas.
  • Preliminary data are required.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Maximum funding for the entire period of performance is $1,200,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years
Horizon Award (to be released in July 2015) PI: Both predoctoral candidates and postdoctoral fellows are eligible.

Mentor: The Mentor must be an experienced cancer researcher as demonstrated by a strong record of funding and publications. In addition, the Mentor must demonstrate a commitment to advancing the PI�s career in cancer research.

The PI and the Mentor must be at the same organization.
  • Letter of Intent is required.
  • Supports junior level scientists to conduct impactful research with the mentorship of an experienced cancer researcher (i.e., Mentor)
  • Challenges junior scientists to develop and implement research in the cancer field.
  • Emphasis on discovery.
  • Must address at least one of the FY15 PRCRP Topic Areas.
  • Encouraged to address at least one of the FY15 PRCRP Military Relevance Focus Areas.
  • Preliminary data are not required.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Maximum funding for the entire period of performance is $75,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
  • Maximum period of performance is 1 year

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) at https://eBRAP.org prior to the pre-application deadline. All applications must conform to the final Program Announcements and General 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 CDMRP funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420.

Applications must be submitted through the federal government's single-entry portal, Grants.gov. Submission deadlines are not available until the Program Announcements are released. Requests for email notification of the Program Announcements release may be sent to help@eBRAP.org. For more information about the PRCRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.health.mil).

Point of Contact:

CDMRP Public Affairs
301-619-9783
usarmy.detrick.medcom-cdmrp.mbx.cdmrp-public-affairs@mail.mil