DoD Prostate Cancer, Physician Research Award | W81XWH 18 PCRP PRA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 18 PCRP PRA

The DoD Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP) Physician Research Award is designed to help early-career physicians build a strong, mentored pathway into prostate cancer research while they continue to carry clinical duties. The mentored physician serves as the Principal Investigator (PI) and is responsible for writing the application, with guidance from one or more mentors. A core feature of the mechanism is that it treats two things as equally important: the scientific strength of the proposed research project and the quality of the PI's career development plan. The overarching intent is to turn clinically active physicians into productive, long-term investigators in prostate cancer across basic science, translational research, population science, or clinical research.

Eligibility is focused on physicians at a very specific career stage. Applicants must have clinical duties and, by the submission deadline, must either be in the final year of an accredited residency or fellowship program, or be within three years of starting a faculty-level appointment such as Instructor or Assistant Professor (or an equivalent position). The program expects the PI to demonstrate a serious commitment to becoming a leading investigator in prostate cancer research and clinical practice, but it does not require prior prostate cancer research experience. A key practical requirement is protected time: the award is intended to ensure at least 40 percent of the PI's effort is reserved for prostate cancer research. That protected effort does not have to be exclusive to the funded project and can include time spent on other prostate cancer research activities, as long as the overall commitment supports meaningful research progress and career growth.

Mentorship is mandatory and central to the award. Each application must include at least one designated mentor who has an established prostate cancer research program, demonstrated through recent peer-reviewed publications, active research funding, and a track record of successful mentorship. Beyond credentials, the mentor must show a clear commitment to advancing the PI's development into an independent prostate cancer researcher. If the project relies on resources or infrastructure at another institution, applicants are strongly encouraged to name a co-mentor at that collaborating site to ensure day-to-day access, oversight, and professional support.

On the research side, proposed projects must directly address one or more of the PCRP Overarching Challenges, meaning the work should be tied to major unmet needs the program is prioritizing. Applications are expected to present a well-reasoned scientific rationale and a rigorous methodology, including a clearly defined, feasible research plan that explains how the project goals will be accomplished. Preliminary data can strengthen an application, but it is not required; if included, it should come from the PI, the mentor(s), or members of the collaborating team. Applicants also need to show that required resources are available and supported through documentation, underscoring that the project can realistically be executed within the award period.

A detailed, individualized Researcher Development Plan is another required component. This plan, created with mentor input, should lay out exactly how the PI will acquire the skills and expertise needed both to complete the research and to progress toward independence. Reviewers will look for a thoughtful strategy that might include technical training, study design and biostatistics development, responsible conduct of research, grant writing, publication goals, presentation opportunities, and other milestones that demonstrate a clear trajectory from mentored work to independent funding. The applicant must also describe a supportive research and mentoring environment. If the home institution has gaps in resources or mentorship, the program allows those deficiencies to be addressed through collaborations with other institutions.

Impact expectations are explicitly tied to the PCRP mission: projects should aim to meaningfully reduce death from prostate cancer and improve the well-being of Service members, Veterans, and all men affected by the disease. The work must be relevant to active duty Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the broader American public. To maximize translational value and credibility, investigators are encouraged (when appropriate) to incorporate best practices such as authenticating cell lines, applying statistical rigor in preclinical animal studies, and including experiments that test clinical relevance and translatability. The announcement highlights specific resources that may strengthen projects relying on human specimens or associated data, including the PCRP-funded Prostate Cancer Biorepository Network (PCBN) and the North Carolina to Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project (PCaP). The program also encourages studies that leverage large patient datasets with long-term health records and biospecimen repositories, especially when paired with modern genomic/proteomic approaches, bioinformatics, or mathematical modeling.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, awards are issued as assistance agreements, either grants or cooperative agreements, depending on the expected level of Department of Defense involvement during the project. If substantial involvement by the DoD is anticipated (such as collaboration or participation in the research), a cooperative agreement may be used; otherwise, a standard grant is more likely. For the FY18 cycle described, anticipated direct costs for the full period of performance were capped at $750,000, and the opportunity projected roughly seven awards. The opportunity was administered by the Department of Defense (Department of the Army, USAMRAA) under Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-18-PCRP-PRA, with the original application deadline listed as September 6, 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 Prostate Cancer, Physician Research 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 21, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 06, 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 7 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 PCRP PRA

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