DoD Kideny Cancer, Idea Development Award | W81XWH 18 KCRP IDA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 18 KCRP IDA

The FY18 Department of Defense Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP) Idea Development Award (Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-18-KCRP-IDA) is a discretionary research funding opportunity run by the Department of Defense (Department of the Army, USAMRAA). Its purpose is to back innovative, high-impact kidney cancer research ideas that are grounded in solid scientific evidence and that meaningfully advance the KCRP vision of eliminating kidney cancer. Projects are expected to be hypothesis-driven, with a clear, testable hypothesis supported by strong scientific rationale, and a well-developed research strategy that is relevant to active duty Service members, Veterans, other military beneficiaries, and, more broadly, the American public.

The award emphasizes both creativity and rigor. Applicants are expected to propose approaches that either introduce new paradigms, challenge existing assumptions, or tackle persistent problems from genuinely new angles. High-risk, high-reward concepts are encouraged as long as they are backed by a convincing case that, if successful, the work could significantly affect the kidney cancer field, clinical care, and/or patient quality of life. In contrast, projects likely to produce only incremental progress are not viewed as sufficiently innovative for this mechanism. Reviewers will also be looking for strong alignment with at least one of the FY18 KCRP Areas of Emphasis, with the expectation that successful projects will substantially advance current concepts or methods in kidney cancer research or care.

A major feature of the program is its expectation for a detailed and feasible research plan. The application should show a deep understanding of kidney cancer biology and/or clinical challenges, and the experimental methodology should be carefully thought through. Proposals should clearly explain how the project goals will be achieved, identify the resources needed to carry out the work, and document that those resources are available. Applicants are also expected to address anticipated problems and pitfalls, along with practical alternative strategies. Where appropriate, proposals should include a statistical analysis plan and a power analysis to justify the study design and sample size, signaling that the work is both interpretable and executable.

Preliminary data are required, but the program allows flexibility in what counts. The preliminary evidence does not have to come directly from kidney cancer studies. It can include published or unpublished findings from the Principal Investigator (PI) or named collaborators, as well as relevant data drawn from the scientific literature, as long as it supports the rationale and feasibility of the proposed kidney cancer research direction.

The personnel component is treated as central to competitiveness. The program expects the research team to have a strong kidney cancer background, either through the PI and core team experience or through well-documented collaborations that fill expertise gaps. Collaboration is acceptable and often important, but it must be clearly supported with documentation, reinforcing that the team has the capability to execute the work at a high level.

In terms of eligibility and career stage, the opportunity is broadly open to applicants (unrestricted by entity type, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement) and specifically welcomes applications that include Early Investigators (EIs) and Early Career Investigators (ECIs). The program indicates an intent to fund one or more meritorious applications that include investigators who meet the ECI definition, and ECIs are reviewed using different personnel-focused criteria during peer review. For this opportunity, an ECI is defined as someone within 10 years of completing a terminal degree (doctoral or medical degree), excluding time spent in medical residency and time away for family medical leave. Notably, time spent as a postdoctoral fellow does count toward the 10-year window, and postdoctoral fellows themselves are not eligible for ECI designation. ECIs have additional application requirements: a Career Guide is required, and ECIs must submit a Career Development Plan.

Funding is provided through either a cooperative agreement or a grant. The anticipated maximum direct cost budget for the entire period of performance is capped at $400,000, with applicants directed to consult the Funding Restrictions section of the full announcement for details on allowable costs and limitations. The opportunity listing reported an expected number of awards of about 10. The announcement was created on June 8, 2018, with an original closing date of September 26, 2018, and is associated with CFDA number 12.420 (Science and Technology and other Research and Development).

• 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 Kideny Cancer, Idea Development 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 Jun 08, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 26, 2018. (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 10 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 18 KCRP IDA

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