DoD Peer Reviewed Cancer, Career Development Award | W81XWH 18 PRCRP CDA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 18 PRCRP CDA

The DoD Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP) Career Development Award (FY18) is designed to help independent, early-career investigators build strong, self-sustaining careers in cancer research while pursuing a high-impact, discovery-focused research project. The central idea is to pair a promising new investigator with an established cancer researcher (called the Career Guide) who can provide structured mentorship, career direction, and access to expertise, while still keeping the intellectual leadership of the project clearly in the hands of the early-career Principal Investigator (PI). Applications are expected to be centered on the PI's scientific vision and long-term trajectory, showing that the project is conceived and driven by the PI rather than being an extension of the Career Guide's work. Preliminary data are not required, but the proposal must still be persuasive, logically constructed, and supported by a strong scientific rationale.

Eligibility is tailored to researchers who have moved beyond training but are still within the early stages of independence. The PI must be an independent investigator or physician-scientist within 10 years of completing a terminal degree at the time of the application deadline. Certain time exclusions apply: time spent in residency or on family medical leave does not count toward the 10-year window, but time as a postdoctoral fellow does count. Importantly, postdoctoral fellows are explicitly not eligible because they are not considered independent for this mechanism. Reviewers will consider the PI's track record and potential, including how well the PI and the proposed work align with the program's cancer topic areas. Prior career development support (beyond institutional startup resources) may be weighed when assessing whether the applicant still has a clear need for developmental funding.

A required component of the application is a formal career development plan, built with input from the Career Guide. The Career Guide must be an experienced cancer researcher with a strong history of peer-reviewed funding and publications, and must demonstrate genuine commitment to advancing the PI's career. The plan is expected to go beyond general mentorship statements and instead lay out a concrete strategy for how the PI will gain new skills, competencies, and expertise that support a transition into a leading independent research role. This typically includes targeted training activities, research skill acquisition, networking, exposure to new methodologies or clinical/translational perspectives, and milestones that show measurable professional growth.

Program fit is also critical. The proposed research must address at least one of the FY18 PRCRP Topic Areas, ensuring that the science aligns with the priorities set for that funding year. In addition, the project must demonstrate military relevance by addressing at least one FY18 PRCRP Military Relevance Focus Area and clearly explaining how the work relates to active duty Service members, Veterans, and their beneficiaries. In practice, this means applicants need to connect the cancer problem being studied to the needs of military and Veteran populations, healthcare delivery contexts, risk factors, outcomes, or other defense health concerns, rather than treating military relevance as a generic add-on.

Impact is a major review emphasis. Applicants must clearly explain how the work, if successful, could meaningfully influence cancer research and/or patient care, with an expectation that strong projects will accelerate the translation of promising ideas toward clinical application. While the award emphasizes discovery, it is not limited to purely theoretical advances; it favors research that could realistically shift understanding of cancer biology, improve prevention or detection strategies, refine treatment approaches, or otherwise move the field toward better real-world outcomes.

From an administrative standpoint, this FY18 opportunity was offered by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, through USAMRAA, under funding opportunity number W81XWH-18-PRCRP-CDA. The instrument type allowed includes grants and cooperative agreements, and eligibility was listed as unrestricted (open broadly across organization types, subject to any additional eligibility details in the full announcement). The anticipated budget cap for direct costs for the full period of performance was $360,000. The posting indicated an expected total of about 25 awards. The opportunity opened in May 2018 and had an original closing date of September 26, 2018.

• 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 Peer Reviewed Cancer, Career 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 May 02, 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 25 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 PRCRP CDA

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