DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS

NEWS RELEASE

Released: December 16, 2021

Department of Defense
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP)
Ovarian Cancer Research Program
Anticipated Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22)

The FY22 Defense Appropriations Bill has not been signed into law. Although FY22 funds have not been appropriated for the Ovarian Cancer Research Program (OCRP), the OCRP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY22 funding opportunities. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the Government.

The FY22 Defense Appropriations Act is anticipated to provide funding for the OCRP to support patient-centered research to prevent, detect, treat, and cure ovarian cancer to enhance the health and well-being of Service Members, Veterans, their family members, and all women impacted by this disease. 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 Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation appropriation. The managing agent for the anticipated program announcements/funding opportunities is the CDMRP at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC).

The OCRP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY22 funding opportunities. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the government. The FY22 OCRP funding opportunity announcements for the following award mechanisms will be posted on the Grants.gov website. Pre-application and application deadlines will be available when the announcements are released.

Applications submitted to the FY22 OCRP must address one or more of the following areas of emphasis:

  • Understand the basic biology and etiology of ovarian cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, recurrence, genetics and other critical events
  • Develop novel therapeutic strategies for treatment and prevention
  • Identify and develop new strategies for screening, early-stage detection, prevention, accurate diagnosis and prognosis
  • Identify and implement strategies to improve the survivorship and quality of life
  • Address health disparities
  • Address precision medicine

Alternatively, with adequate justification, applications may identify and address another area of importance related to the ovarian cancer. Justification must be provided in the application.


Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding
Investigator-Initiated Research Award Must be at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).

Partnering Principal Investigator (PI) Option:
Up to two investigators may collaborate on a single application, each of whom will be recognized as a PI and receive a separate award.

  • Supports meritorious basic and clinically oriented research in ovarian cancer.
  • Impact is an important review criterion.
  • Preliminary data are required.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Pre-application is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Maximum funding of $600,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum funding of $800,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs) for Partnering PI Option.
  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years.
Ovarian Cancer Academy Award – Early-Career Investigator Investigators must be within 5 years of their last postdoctoral research position (Ph.D.) or clinical fellowship (M.D.), or equivalent as of the full application submission deadline. A letter attesting to eligibility is required.
  • Supports the addition of new Early-Career Investigators (ECIs) to the unique, interactive virtual academy that provides intensive mentoring, national networking, collaborations, and a peer group for junior faculty.
  • ECIs whose ability to commit to conducting ovarian cancer research is limited by lack of resources or other overwhelming obstacles are encouraged to apply.
  • A Designated Mentor who is an experienced ovarian cancer researcher with ovarian cancer funding is required.
  • A Designated Mentor may only mentor one ECI.
  • The Designated Mentor is not required to be at the same institution as the ECI.
  • Preliminary data are required.
  • Clinical trials are allowed.
  • Pre-application is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Maximum funding of $725,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years.
Pilot Award Investigators must be at or above the postdoctoral level (or equivalent).
  • Supports innovative, high-risk/high-reward research that could ultimately lead to critical discoveries or major advancements that will drive the field of ovarian cancer research forward.
  • Innovation and Impact are important review criteria.
  • Goal is to develop preliminary data; thus, preliminary data are not required, but are allowed.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Pre-application is required and blinded; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Maximum funding of $250,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 2 years.
Teal Expansion Award Investigators of the following awards:
  • OCRP FY15-FY18 Ovarian Cancer Academy – Early Career Investigator Award
  • OCRP FY15-FY18 Investigator-Initiated Research Award
  • OCRP FY15-FY19 Pilot Award
  • Supports expansion of the initial research idea or the generation of a new idea based on the original research project.
  • Impact is an important review criterion.
  • Preliminary data are required.
  • Outcomes Statement is required.
  • Clinical trials are allowed.
  • Pre-application is required; application submission is by invitation only.
  • Maximum funding of $450,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum funding of $600,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs) if a clinical trial is proposed.
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years.
Proteogenomics Research Award Investigators must be at or above the level of postdoctoral fellow or clinical fellow (or equivalent).
  • Supports the genomic and/or transcriptomic and/or proteomic analysis of currently available clinical specimens with a focus on answering biologic and pathophysiologic questions of clinical relevance in ovarian cancer.
  • Innovation and impact are important review criteria.
  • Analysis of clinical trial-derived specimens and/or large patient specimen cohorts is encouraged.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed.
  • Preliminary data are not required but are allowed.
  • Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.
  • Maximum funding of $250,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
  • Maximum period of performance is 2 years.
Ovarian Cancer Academy – Clinical Trial Award NEW!  Investigators must be an independent ovarian cancer investigator with strong record of mentoring and leadership experience.
  • Supports to build an interactive academy that will focus on developing early career investigators, interested in developing clinical trials on ovarian cancer, in a collaborative research and career development environment. The OCA-CT will provide intensive mentoring, networking, collaborations, and a peer group for clinicians and scholars, in order to support investigators to develop clinical trials on ovarian cancer.
  • Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.
  • Maximum funding of $500,000 for direct costs ($150,000 for the first 18 months).
  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years (incremental).
Clinical Trial Award NEW!  Independent investigators at all academic levels
  • Supports rapid implementation of clinical trials with the potential to have a significant impact on OC.
  • Proposed projects may range from small proof-of-concept trials through large-scale, definitive trials.
  • Early phase or pilot clinical trials (Phase 0, I, or I/II), preliminary data may require. Larger, more definitive clinical trials, including expansion of previous promising pilot trials, must include preliminary data with respect to safety in an OC population.
  • Maximum funding of $1,500,000 for direct costs; funding requested must be commensurate with the phase and size of trial proposed
  • Maximum period of performance is 3 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 funding opportunity announcements that will be available for 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 funding opportunity announcements are released. For email notification when 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 OCRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.army.mil).

Point of Contact:

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


Last updated Tuesday, January 4, 2022