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Kidney Cancer

NEWS RELEASE

Released: April 28, 2023

Department of Defense
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP)
Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP)
Anticipated Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23)

The FY23 Defense Appropriations Act provides funding for the Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP) to support research of exceptional scientific merit in the area of kidney cancer. The managing agent for the anticipated funding opportunities is the CDMRP at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC).

The KCRP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY23 funding opportunities. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the government. The FY23 KCRP 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 FY23 KCRP must address one or more of the following Focus Areas:

  • Conduct basic biology research to better understand etiology and cancer progression, metastatic disease, refractory disease and therapeutic resistance, genetic and environmental risk factors, and the prevention of kidney cancer.
  • Identify and develop new strategies for screening, early-stage detection, and accurate diagnosis and prognosis prediction of kidney cancers, with examples including biomarkers and imaging, treatment of early-stage cancers.
  • Define the biology of rare kidney cancers and develop treatments to improve outcomes and reduce death.
  • Develop novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of kidney cancer, such as novel drug targets, therapeutic modalities and agents, treatment combinations, and drug delivery systems.
  • Identify and implement strategies to improve the quality of life and survivorship for patients.
  • Identify and implement strategies to mitigate health disparities, such as access to health care, social and cultural factors, environmental factors, and biological contributors.
  • Increase research capacity through support and development of research conducted by the next generation of kidney cancer researchers, cultivate collaborations in kidney cancer research, patient care in alignment with the KCRP Overarching Strategic Goals.

Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding
Academy of Kidney Cancer Scholars – Early-Career Scholar Award Investigators within 4 years of last postdoctoral research position (Ph.D.) or clinical fellowship (M.D.), or equivalent, as of full application submission deadline.

Letter attesting to eligibility required.
  • Supports addition of new Early-Career Investigators (ECIs) to the unique, interactive virtual academy, which provides intensive mentoring, national networking, and a peer group for junior faculty.
  • ECIs whose ability to commit to conducting kidney cancer research is limited by lack of resources or other overwhelming obstacles are encouraged to apply.
  • Requires Designated Mentor who is an independent, established kidney cancer investigator with a record of kidney cancer publications in peer-reviewed journals.
  • Designated Mentor not required to be at the same institution as the ECI.
  • Preliminary data are required.
  • Funding for clinical trials is not allowed.
  • Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.
  • Maximum funding of $750,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).

  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years.
Clinical Trial Award Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)
  • Supports hypothesis-based, early-phase clinical trials (e.g., phase 0, phase 1, pilot phase 2) to test interventions that will have a major impact in the field of kidney cancer.
  • Interventions may include drugs, devices, biologics, surgical procedures, behavior modifications, or other types.
  • Investigational New Drug or Investigational Device Exemption application approvals, if applicable, must be in place by the time of application submission.
  • Letter of support demonstrating proof of possession of sufficient drug supply to conduct study must be provided (if appropriate).
  • Clinical trials are expected to be initiated within 12 months of the award date.
  • Submission of a Letter of Intent required prior to full application submission.
  • Maximum funding of $1,500,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).

  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years.
Concept Award Investigators at all academic levels.
  • Supports highly innovative, untested, potentially groundbreaking concepts in kidney cancer.
  • Emphasis on innovation.
  • Funding for clinical trials is not allowed.
  • Preliminary data are not allowed and should not be discussed.
  • Blinded review.
  • Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.
  • Maximum funding of $100,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).

  • Maximum period of performance is 1 year.
Idea Development Award Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)
  • Supports the development of innovative, high-impact ideas that advance the understanding of kidney cancer and ultimately lead to improved outcomes.
  • Preliminary data are required.
  • Innovation and impact are the most important review criteria.
  • Funding for clinical trials is not allowed.

New for FY23 – 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.
  • The application should clearly demonstrate that both PIs have equal intellectual input into the design of the project and will devote similar and appropriate levels of effort to the conduct of the project.
  • Applications where one PI is providing samples, animal models, or investigational agents while the other PI is conducting most or all of the experiments and analyses do not meet the intent of the Partnering PI Option.
  • Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.
  • Maximum funding of $800,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs).

  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years.

Partnering PI Option:
  • Maximum funding of $1,200,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs).

  • Maximum period of performance is 4 years.
Clinical Consortium Award

Coordinating Center:
PI must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Associate Professor (or equivalent) with experience in developing and running large-scale initiatives such as clinical trials or consortia. Additional criteria are described in the announcement.

Consortium Research Site:
PIs must be independent investigators with a faculty-level appointment (or equivalent).
  • Supports a consortium to facilitate the rapid execution of collaborative phase 1 and 2 clinical trials that will bring to market high-impact, novel therapeutics that will ultimately and significantly decrease the impact of kidney cancer.
  • One coordinating center and six clinical research sites will be selected and will be jointly responsible for proposing, selecting, and conducting trials.
  • Coordinating center and clinical research sites must provide plans for accruing patients from populations disproportionately affected by kidney cancer and/or military populations.
  • Trials that incorporate investigations of biomarkers for risk assessment, early detection, prediction, or aggressiveness, and/or progression of kidney cancer are encouraged.
  • Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.
  • This award will be issued as a Research Other Transaction Agreement (rOTA).
 Coordinating Center
  • Maximum funding of $6,000,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs) for Clinical Coordinating Center.

  • Maximum period of performance 4 years.

    • Note: Only $2,000,000 direct costs (plus indirect) will be allocated for Coordinating Center award from the FY23 KCRP budget. Awardee will provide additional funds contingent upon receipt of sufficient congressional appropriations, as well as to awardee meeting mechanism milestones.

Clinical Research Site
  • Maximum funding of $800,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs) for Clinical Research sites.

  • Maximum period of performance 4 years
Nurse-Initiated Research Award

An eligible PI must be a licensed registered nurse with a terminal degree of a Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P). and/or Ph.D. (or equivalent).
  • Supports nursing research pertaining to kidney cancer patient care.
  • Emphasis is placed on structured, interdisciplinary clinical research training environment.
  • Clinical trials are not allowed; correlative studies to clinical trials are allowed.
  • Submission of a Letter of Intent required prior to full application submission.
  • Maximum funding of $300,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).

  • Maximum period of performance is 2 years.
Postdoctoral and Clinical Fellowship Award

 As of full application submission deadline, investigators:
  • Must possess a doctoral and/or medical degree (or equivalent).
  • Have 4 years or less of postdoctoral and/or mentored clinical research training experience (excluding family medical leave).

    • All other academic ranks are ineligible.
  • Supports research opportunities focused on kidney cancer for individuals in the early stages of their careers.
  • Requires participation of a Designated Mentor who is an experienced kidney cancer researcher.
  • Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.
  • Maximum funding of $195,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).

  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years.
Translational Research Partnership Award

 Investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).
  • Supports partnerships between clinicians and research scientists that will accelerate the movement of promising ideas in kidney cancer toward clinical applications.
  • This award supports the development of translational research collaborations between two independent investigators to address a central problem or question in kidney cancer in a manner that would be less readily achievable through separate efforts.
  • 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 kidney cancer.
  • Supports translational correlative studies.
  • Preliminary data to support the feasibility of the research hypothesis(es) and research approaches are required; however, these data do not necessarily need to be derived from studies of kidney cancer.
  • Funding for clinical trials is not allowed.
  • Letter of Intent is required. An invitation to submit a full application is not required.
  • Maximum funding of $750,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).

  • Maximum period of performance is 3 years.

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) 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. For more information about the KCRP 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@health.mil


Last updated Monday, May 1, 2023