DoD Kidney Cancer, Concept Award | W81XWH 20 KCRP CA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 20 KCRP CA

The DoD Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP) Concept Award (FY20) is designed to fund bold, early-stage kidney cancer ideas that are genuinely new and not yet proven. The main goal is to give investigators room to explore unconventional, potentially groundbreaking concepts that could open up entirely new directions in kidney cancer research. This mechanism is explicitly not meant for incremental next steps of an existing, well-developed research line. Instead, it targets high-risk, high-reward work, including ideas that arise from unexpected findings or serendipitous observations, where the payoff could be a major shift in how the field understands or approaches kidney cancer.

A defining feature of this opportunity is that preliminary data are not allowed. Applicants are expected to make a strong conceptual and scientific case for why the idea is innovative and why it could matter, without relying on prior supporting datasets. Proposals need to clearly explain how the concept would either significantly enhance current knowledge of kidney cancer or establish an innovative new avenue of investigation. The program frames Concept Awards as a way to generate the kind of early results that can later serve as preliminary data for larger follow-on studies and future grant applications.

The announcement also ties the opportunity to broader federal priorities around metastatic disease. A Congressionally mandated Metastatic Cancer Task Force produced recommendations aimed at accelerating clinical and translational research for advanced-stage and recurrent cancers, with a focus on extending patient survival. As part of that larger effort, the CDMRP encourages applicants to review those recommendations and, where appropriate, propose kidney cancer concept ideas that align with them, as long as the projects still fit within the scope and priorities of the FY20 KCRP Concept Award.

Relevance to military and public health is required. Proposed research must be applicable to active duty Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the general public. This does not necessarily mean the study population must be military, but the proposal should make a clear case for why the work matters to those communities and the broader burden of kidney cancer.

The review process includes a blind component: reviewers will not know the identities of the principal investigator, collaborators, or their institutions during evaluation. This is intended to keep the focus on the strength of the idea and the proposed approach rather than the reputation or affiliation of the team.

Awards under this announcement are issued as assistance agreements, meaning the government is providing support to carry out a public purpose rather than buying a product or service for direct government use. The assistance agreement could be a grant or a cooperative agreement. Which one is used depends on how involved the DoD expects to be during the project. If no substantial federal involvement is anticipated, it will be a grant. If substantial involvement is expected (for example, active collaboration, participation, or intervention in the research), it will be a cooperative agreement, and the award document will spell out what that involvement looks like.

Funding is relatively small and meant for concept testing rather than full-scale programs. The direct cost cap for the entire period of performance is $100,000. Program-wide, the CDMRP expected to allocate about $0.96 million total to make roughly six awards, although actual funding depends on federal budget availability and the number, quality, and programmatic fit of applications received.

Key administrative details include that the funding opportunity number is W81XWH-20-KCRP-CA, it is run by the Department of Defense (Department of the Army, USAMRAA), and it falls under CFDA 12.420. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility language in the full announcement). The original posting date was May 12, 2020, with an original closing date of August 5, 2020. Awards were expected to be made no later than September 30, 2021, and projects funded with FY20 dollars would have funds available for use within the DoD spending window, with FY20 funds expiring for use on September 30, 2026.

• The Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DoD Kidney Cancer, Concept Award" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.420.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 12, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 05, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for W81XWH 20 KCRP CA

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