2026 MRP Funding Overview video (Text Version)

Title: Melanoma Research Program FY2026 Funding Opportunities

Slide 1

Welcome and thank you for taking time to learn a little bit about the current funding opportunities for the FY26 Melanoma Research Program. I am Padma Kamineny, the Program Manager of the MRP.

The intent of this recording is not to provide you with all of the information you will need to apply to an MRP funding opportunity, but rather to point out some of the important details and let you know where you can find more information to answer any questions you may have.

Slide 2

Disclaimer

Slide 3

Hallmarks of all CDMRP research programs include the fact that all research funds are specifically targeted by Congress and added to the DoD budget on a yearly basis. The CDMRP specifically targets research according to each program area, and funds high-impact, high-risk, and high-gain projects that other agencies may not venture to fund. It is also important to note that CDMRP programs fund the full pipeline of research development, from basic science through clinical trials, as appropriate to the state of the field of each program.

If this is your first time checking out a program under the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, or CDMRP, then I encourage you to visit the CDMRP web page to learn more about us as I do not have the time to go into much detail in this video. A few key points that you should know about CDMRP is that we were created in 1992 thanks to the grassroots efforts of dedicated patient advocates, or consumers in CDMRP-speak. Each year Congress adds target funds to the DOW budget for each of the programs managed under CDMRP, and each program seeks to target underfunded or unmet needs specific to that field that are not necessarily addressed by other funders. All of our applications are reviewed in a two-tiered process involving a peer review and a programmatic review. Applications that are recommended for funding have the funds for the entire period of performance obligated up front. Again, I encourage you to learn more about each of these items from the CDMRP webpage, and to view additional webinars available through the CDMRP website

Slide 4

On this slide you can see the funded CDMRP programs in FY26, where the MRP, highlighted here received $40M in funding for FY26

Slide 5

The MRP has existed as a stand-alone program since FY19, and from its inception through FY26, the MRP received $260M in appropriations specifically for melanoma research. The program’s vision is to prevent melanoma initiation and progression and reduce hardship, and we aim to achieve this by supporting the development of earlier interventions to enhance mission readiness, diminish melanoma burden, and improve quality of life for Service Members, Veterans, their Families, and the American public.

Slide 6

As I mentioned, CDMRP programs, including the MRP, seek to fund research in underfunded areas and/or unmet needs. The MRP has identified three such key areas as program priorities: prevention and interception, rare melanoma, and survivorship research. Three of the FY26 MRP funding opportunities, the Idea Award, Melanoma Academy Scholar Award, and Team Science Award—offer a list of Focus Areas that provide investigators additional information about the types of research projects that the MRP is interested in funding in order to address these priorities. The full details of these program priorities and focus areas are provided for all investigators in Program Description section of the three funding opportunities I just mentioned.

Slide 7

The MRP seeks to address the program’s priorities by funding the full spectrum of research from early ideas through projects that are likely to have a near-term impact on the field. As alluded to on the previous slide, the IA, MASA, and TSA, are the MRPs “general” funding opportunities, where investigators must justify in their applications how the proposed research project addresses one the of the seven outlined FY26 MRP Focus Areas. None of these three opportunities allow for clinical trials.

The Survivorship Research Award and the Focused Program award for Rare Melanomas are in fact the only two FY26 MRP funding opportunities that do allow clinical trial proposals.

Slide 8

Here are the deadlines that need attention

I want to bring to your attention that new for FY26, the Idea Award, Team Science Award, and Focused Program Award for Rare Melanomas will all require a pre-proposal screening step, where investigators must receive an invitation to submit a full application. The Melanoma Academy Scholar Award, and Survivorship Research Award will still only require a letter of intent, and investigators will not receive an invitation to submit a full application. Please pay careful attention to the pre-application due dates, which are different for the opportunities that require a pre-application screening step than those that do not have that requirement.

Slide 9

Like for FY25, ALL MRP funding opportunities are now using a TOTAL cost limit as opposed to the direct cost cap limit used before FY25. I will also stress that all applicants or potential applicants should ensure that they are signed up to receive news and alerts about the MRP from eBRAP as that is the most reliable way to stay on top of all program- and funding opportunity-related updates.

Slide 10

Now onto some funding opportunity-related highlights. I will emphasize that the Idea Award is truly intended to bring new ideas into melanoma. Preliminary data is discouraged and should only be provided in support of unexpected results obtained from other studies. This funding opportunity is not meant to further develop already existing lines of research in the PI’s laboratory, especially if the idea is covered under other funding in the PI’s laboratory and/or has already been published.

There are not any major updates for the FY26 Scholar Award.

And for the Team Science Awards, the MRP is looking to fund a broad range of multidisciplinary studies, not just translational studies but data science, development of new tools, epidemiology and so on, that have the intention of moving the melanoma field forward. For FY26 is that the consumer collaboration is optional for Team Science Award

Slide 11

The MRP is offering the Survivorship Research Award this year. The needs of melanoma survivors are diverse, and no single discipline can address them all, therefore, the intent of this opportunity is to fund a broad range of research where the intended goal of the research is to improve the health and well-being of melanoma survivors, their family, and/or care partners. For the purposes of the MRP, a person becomes a melanoma survivor at the time they receive their initial diagnosis. Furthermore, needs and impact of a melanoma diagnosis on family members, friends, and/or caregivers are topics included within the scope of this funding opportunity.

The Intent of the SRA section referenced on the slide goes into more detail about the types of research that generally speaking would meet the intent of this funding opportunity, but I will emphasize that if something is worded vaguely and/or may have a broad interpretation, that is intentional. Please note that for FY26, the application must include at least one melanoma consumer collaborator, defined as a melanoma survivor, family member and/or care partner who can provide lived experience expertise to the research project team, or a melanoma-community supporting organization to support the planning, execution, and implementation of the proposed research. PIs should read the instructions carefully and make sure that they provide the necessary information to explain how the proposed project is intended to improve the health and well-being of those affected by a melanoma diagnosis.

Slide 12

Moving on to the FPA-RM. This opportunity is intended to fund 2-3 independent but related research projects that together work towards addressing an Overarching question related to rare melanomas. I have already mentioned that investigators must receive an invitation to submit a full application this year. Additionally, this is a partnering PI mechanism, so investigators must be sure to read the instructions carefully and ensure that all of the required information and application components are submitted in the correct locations by the stated deadlines. Also, new for FY26: Investigators must include at least one rare melanoma survivor or patient advocate as part of the project team who will provide advice and consultation throughout planning, implementation, and results dissemination to maximize research impact. And finally, the description of applicable types of rare melanoma research has been refined. The full text of which is provided in the funding opportunity.

Slide 13

I now would like to touch on how incorporating melanoma consumers within the research team has become a bigger focus for the MRP in recent fiscal years. This is an optional, unscored component of the TSA and is a required, scored component of the and FPA-RM and Survivorship Research Award. I encourage investigators who are interested in any of these three funding opportunities to carefully read the portion of the Program Description section where collaboration with melanoma consumers is described and also review the references that are included within the funding opportunities. But please also note those references are by no means a thorough review of the resources available to investigators and are only meant to give you tools to get started if you have never engaged with the consumer community.

Slide 14

I will leave you these few final notes, which are snippets of questions and answers that you will find in the FY26 CDMRP Frequently Asked Questions document which can be found on the CDMRP home page or the MRP Frequently Asked Questions document that is available on the MRP webpage.

Slide 15

Thank you for your interest in CDRMP. Thank you for your attention and I wish you the best with your FY26 MRP applications

For more information, please visit us at cdmrp.health.mil.