We are excited to report that Congress has funded the congressionally directed Department of Defense (DoD) funding for Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) with $80 million to support innovative, high-impact cancer research. This is a major increase from last year’s $60 million, $50 million the year before, and $25 million two years prior. The upward trend, in particular, is very promising.
In 2008, this Foundation played a crucial role in this eligibility, arguing in front of the DoD that as a cancer affecting a high number of military personnel, and specifically Navy personnel, it fit perfectly within the program’s guidelines. The 2008 addition of mesothelioma has resulted in over $15 million directed to mesothelioma research to date.
To be considered for the FY18 Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP) funding, applications must address at least one of the Topic Areas as directed by Congress, which include mesothelioma and 16 other cancers.
The FY18 PRCRP seeks to support studies that are responsive to at least one of Military Relevance Focus Areas listed below:
- Militarily relevant risk factors associated with cancer (e.g., ionizing radiation, chemicals, infectious agents, environmental carcinogens, and stress)
- Gaps in cancer prevention, screening, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and/or survivorship that may impact mission readiness and the health and well-being of military members, Veterans, and their beneficiaries and the general public
Career Development Award – Letter of Intent August 28, 2018
Principal Investigator (PI): Independent early-career investigator within 10 years of completing terminal degree (excluding time spent in medical residency or on family medical leave) at the time of the application submission: time spent as a postdoctoral fellow is not excluded.
Postdoctoral fellows are not eligible.
Career Guide: Investigators at or above the level of Associate Professor (or equivalent); must have a proven publication and funding record in cancer research
The PI and the Career Guide do not need to be located at the same organization.
- Supports independent, early-career investigators to conduct impactful research with the mentorship of an experienced cancer researcher.
- Must address at least one of the FY18 PRCRP Topic Areas.
- Must address at least one of the FY18 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 in direct costs (plus indirect costs).
- Maximum period of performance is 3 years.
Idea Award with Special Focus – Preproposal due June 20, 2018
Independent investigator with a faculty-level appointment (or equivalent)
Only one pre-application per PI is allowed.
- Supports innovative, untested, high-risk/potentially high-reward concepts, theories, paradigms, and/or methods in cancer research relevant to Service members, Veterans, other military beneficiaries, and the American Public.
- Emphasis on innovation and military relevance/impact.
- Must address at least one of the FY18 PRCRP Topic Areas.
- Must address at least one of the FY18 PRCRP Military Relevance Focus Areas.
- Inclusion of preliminary data discouraged.
- Clinical trials are not allowed.
- Maximum funding for the entire period of performance is $400,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs).
- Maximum period of performance is 2 years.
Translational Team Science Award – Preproposal due June 20, 2018
At least two and up to three PIs must partner in one overarching correlative or translational research study in at least one of the required FY18 PRCRP Topic Areas.
The PIs must be at or above the level of Assistant Professor or equivalent.
At least one military/Department of Veterans Affairs investigator is encouraged to be included as an equal partner.
- Supports hypothesis-driven translational studies associated with an ongoing or completed clinical trial and are focused on research for the next-phase clinical research.
- Must address at least one of the FY18 PRCRP Topic Areas.
- Must address at least one of the FY18 PRCRP Military Relevance Focus Areas.
- Encourages research in quality of life, longitudinal cancer risk studies, and risk straficiation for primary and metastatic disease.
- Preliminary data are required.
- Clinical trials are allowed.
- Maximum funding for the entire period of performance is $1,000,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs).
- Maximum period of performance is 4 years.
Impact Award – Preproposal due June 20, 2018
Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).
Only one pre-application per Principal Investigators (PI) is allowed.
- Supports hypothesis –driven high-impact research.
- Encourages application that support the ideas that specifically focus on critical scientific and clinical cancer issued.
- Emphasis on impact, transformation, and continuity of research.
- Must address at least one of the FY18 PRCRP Topic Areas.
- Must address at least one of the FY18 PRCRP Military Relevance Focus Areas.
- Preliminary data are required.
- Clinical trials are allowed.
- Maximum funding for the entire period of performance is $1,000,000 in direct costs (plus indirect costs)
- Maximum period of performance is 3 years.
A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) prior to the pre-application deadline. All applications must conform to the final Program Announcements and General Application Instructions 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. For more information about the PRCRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website.
For more information about the DoD funding or to learn more about other funding opportunities, go to curemeso.org/funding.
