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Peer Reviewed Cancer

NEWS RELEASE

Released: February 10, 2020

Defense Health Program
Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program
Anticipated Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20)

The FY20 Defense Appropriations Act provides funding 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 J9, Research and Development Directorate manages the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation. The managing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC).

The PRCRP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY20 funding opportunity. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the Government. The FY20 PRCRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms will be posted on the Grants.gov website. Pre-application and application deadlines will be available when the Program Announcements are released. 

Congressionally Directed Topic Areas: The PRCRP appropriation of $110,000,000 will provide funds for research into cancers not addressed in the breast, pancreatic, prostate, ovarian, kidney, lung, melanoma, and rare cancer research programs. To be considered for funding, applications for the FY20 PRCRP must address at least one of the FY20 PRCRP Topic Areas as directed by Congress. Research applications in the areas of breast, prostate, lung (excluding mesothelioma), kidney, melanoma, pancreatic, rare cancer, or ovarian cancer will not be accepted. The inclusion of the individual rare cancer research program shall not prohibit the PRCRP from funding the below mentioned cancers or cancer subtypes that may be rare by definition.

 

The FY20 PRCRP Topic Areas are:

  • Bladder cancer
  • Blood cancers
  • Brain cancer
  • Colorectal cancer
  • Esophageal cancer
  • Head and neck cancers
  • Immunotherapy†
  • Liver cancer
  • Mesothelioma
  • Metastatic cancerǂ
  • Neuroblastoma
  • Pediatric, adolescent, and young adult cancers (PAYAC)*
  • Pediatric brain tumors
  • Stomach cancer

†As derived from the NCI Dictionary of Cancer terms (http://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms). Immunotherapy is a type of biological therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer. Cancers studied under this Topic Area should be within the scope of the Congressional language and the intent of the Program Announcement(s).

*National Cancer Institute (NCI) definition of adolescents and young adults (https://www.cancer.gov/types/aya) is people between 15-39 years of age. Cancers studied under this Topic Area should be within the scope of the Congressional language and the intent of the Program Announcement(s). Research should be targeted toward children (ages 0-14 years), adolescents (ages 15-24 years), and/or young adults (ages 25-39 years).

ǂMetastatic cancer is cancer that has spread from its original location to another place in the body, representing what is known as stage III and stage IV cancer diagnoses. While recent research has revealed that there is a genetic basis for susceptibility or resistance to metastasis, more research is needed to develop a comprehensive understanding of this complex process. Applications to the metastatic cancer topic area should focus on the process of metastasis and not the cancer type (i.e.an agnostic interrogation of the process of metastasis).

The FY20 PRCRP Military Health Focus Areas are listed below:

It is central to the vision and mission of the PRCRP that applications address how the proposed research is related to military health, mission readiness, and the cancer health needs of both deployed and non-deployed military personnel, their dependents, Veterans, and other military beneficiaries (i.e., family members of retirees). The FY20 PRCRP requires all applications to answer at least one of the following Military Health Focus Areas:

  • Environmental/exposure risk factors associated with cancer
  • Mission Readiness
    • Gaps in cancer prevention, early detection/diagnosis, prognosis, and/or treatment that may affect the general population but have a particularly profound impact on the health and well-being of military Service members, Veterans, and their beneficiaries
    • Gaps in quality of life and/or survivorship that may affect the general population but have a particularly profound impact on the health and well-being of military Service members, Veterans, and their beneficiaries

Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding
PRCRP Cancer Center Director Award Investigator at or above the level of Associate Professor (or equivalent); must have a proven publication and funding record in cancer research.

Deputy Director must be at or above the level of Associate Professor (or equivalent); must have a proven publication and funding record in cancer research. Deputy Director must be at a different institution and must be in a different cancer discipline than the Director.
  • Letter of Intent is required. An invitation to submit a full application is not required.
  • Supports visionary individuals who are established cancer researchers with a strong record of mentoring and commitment to leadership.
  • The PRCRP Cancer Center is an opportunity to establish a virtual cancer center focused on fostering the next generation of independent cancer researchers across the spectrum of cancers included under the PRCRP.
  • The PRCRP Cancer Center will have early career investigators from multiple different institutes.
  • Director, with Deputy Director, will oversee the interactive virtual cancer center of early-career investigators (Scholars) and their designated career guides, facilitate regular interactive communication among all members, and assess research progress and career progression of the Scholars.
  • Early-career investigators interested in applying to the virtual cancer center should refer to the Career Development Award – Cancer Center Scholar Option program announcement.
  • Maximum funding for the entire period of performance is $1,250,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 5 years.
Career Development Award – Fellow Option Principal Investigator (PI): Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor or Instructor (or equivalent) and within 7 years after completion of their terminal degree (excluding time spent in residency or on family medical leave) by the time of the application submission deadline.

Career Guide: Investigators at or above the level of Associate Professor (or equivalent); must have a proven publication and funding record in cancer research. 
  • Letter of Intent is required. An invitation to submit a full application is not required.
  • Supports independent, early-career investigators to conduct impactful research with the mentorship of an experienced cancer researcher.
  • Must address at least one of the FY20 PRCRP Topic Areas.
  • Must address at least one of the FY20 PRCRP Military Health Focus Areas.
  • Preliminary data are not required.
  • 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 3 years.
Career Development Award – Cancer Center Scholar Option Principal Investigator (PI): Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor or Instructor (or equivalent) and within 7 years after completion of their terminal degree (excluding time spent in residency or on family medical leave) by the time of the application submission deadline.

Career Guide: Investigators at or above the level of Associate Professor (or equivalent); must have a proven publication and funding record in cancer research. 
  • Letter of Intent is required. An invitation to submit a full application is not required.
  • Supports the addition of new early-career investigators (Scholars) to the unique, interactive virtual cancer center focused on fostering the next generation of independent cancer researchers.
  • The Scholar shall be required to interact within the virtual cancer center and with the Cancer Center Director and Deputy Director.
  • The Scholar Option will require the candidate to demonstrate an outstanding level of productivity and potential.
  • The Scholar Option provides intensive mentoring, national networking, and a peer group for junior faculty.
  • Scholars whose ability to commit to conducting cancer research is limited by lack of resources or other overwhelming obstacles are encouraged to apply.
  • A Career Guide – an experienced cancer researcher with cancer funding – is required.
  • The Career Guide is not required to be at the same institution as the Scholar.
  • Must address at least one of the FY20 PRCRP Topic Areas.
  • Must address at least one of the FY20 PRCRP Military Health Focus Areas.
  • Preliminary data are not required.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Maximum funding for the entire period of performance is $800,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 5 years.
Idea Award Independent investigator with a faculty-level appointment (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 relevant to Service members, their families, and other military beneficiaries.
  • Emphasis on innovation and military health/impact.
  • Must address at least one of the FY20 PRCRP Topic Areas.
  • Must address at least one of the FY20 PRCRP Military Health Focus Areas.
  • Preliminary data are not required.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Maximum funding for the entire period of performance is $500,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is up to 3 years.
Impact Award Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) are eligible to submit an application.
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Supports hypothesis-driven, high impact research.
  • Encourages applications that support research projects or ideas that specifically focus on critical scientific and clinical cancer issues, which, if successfully addressed, have the potential to make a major impact on one of the FY20 PRCRP Topic Areas.
  • Must address at least one of the FY20 PRCRP Topic Areas.
  • Must address at least one of the FY20 PRCRP Military Health Focus Areas.
  • Preliminary data are required.
  • Clinical Trials are allowed.
  • Maximum funding for the entire period of performance is $1,000,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years.
Behavioral Health Science Award Independent investigator with a faculty-level appointment (or equivalent).
  • Letter of Intent is required. An invitation to submit a full application is not required.
  • Supports innovative research and high-reward concepts that span the spectrum of behavioral health science including prevention, survivorship, quality of life, and psychosocial research related to cancer.
  • Emphasis on innovation and military health/impact.
  • Must address at least one of the FY20 PRCRP Topic Areas.
  • Must address at least one of the FY20 PRCRP Military Health Focus Areas.
  • Preliminary data required.
  • Pilot clinical trials are allowed.
  • Maximum funding for the entire period of performance is $1,000,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years.
Translational Team Science Award At least two, and a maximum of three, PIs must partner in one overarching correlative or translational research study.

At least one of the PIs is encouraged to be a military or US Department of Veterans Affairs investigator.
  • Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Emphasizes multi-PI, multidisciplinary collaborations.
  • Supports translational studies associated with an ongoing or completed clinical trial that can lead to a future clinical trial or clinical application in cancer research 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 FY20 PRCRP Topic Areas.
  • Must address at least one of the FY20 PRCRP Military Health Focus Areas.
  • Preliminary data are required.
  • Clinical Trials are allowed.
  • Maximum funding for the entire period of performance is $1,500,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years.

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 and other USAMRDC extramural funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420. 

Submission deadlines are not available until the Program Announcements are released. For email notification when Program Announcements are released, subscribe to program-specific news and updates under “Email Subscriptions” on the eBRAP homepage at https://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


Last updated Thursday, December 5, 2024