DoD Kidney Cancer, Idea Development Award | W81XWH 17 KCRP IDA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 17 KCRP IDA

The DoD Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP) Idea Development Award (FY17) is a Department of Defense funding opportunity designed to push forward fresh, innovative kidney cancer research ideas that have the potential for high impact. The program is aligned with the KCRP vision of eliminating kidney cancer, so proposals are expected to go beyond incremental work and instead present a strong, scientifically grounded concept that could meaningfully move the field. Projects must be built around a clear and testable hypothesis supported by solid scientific rationale, along with a well-developed research strategy that explains exactly how the team will test the idea and why the approach is likely to produce useful, credible results.

A key expectation is relevance to military and public health needs. The research approach should be framed in a way that connects to active duty Service members, Veterans, other military beneficiaries, and, more broadly, the American public. In practice, that means applicants should be able to explain why the kidney cancer problem they are tackling matters to these populations and how the work could contribute to prevention, detection, treatment, survivorship, or other outcomes that would be valuable in real-world settings. The funding announcement also emphasizes that the project team should include personnel with a strong background in kidney cancer research, signaling that reviewers will look for demonstrated expertise and the ability to carry out the proposed studies at a high level.

From a funding and award structure standpoint, the opportunity is offered through either grants or cooperative agreements under the Department of Defense (Department of the Army, USAMRAA). The anticipated direct cost budget for the entire period of performance is capped at $400,000. Applicants are instructed to consult the formal funding restrictions section in the full announcement for the fine print on what can and cannot be charged. The listing indicates the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding within science and technology/research and development, under CFDA 12.420. While the award ceiling field is listed as 0 in the posted record, the narrative budget guidance clearly sets the practical cap in direct costs at $400,000 for the full performance period.

Eligibility is described as unrestricted in terms of organizational type, meaning a wide range of entities can apply as long as they meet any additional eligibility conditions laid out in the full text. The program is open to both Established Investigators (EIs) and Early-Career Investigators (ECIs), with the program specifically expecting to fund one or more high-quality applications led by investigators who qualify as ECIs. ECIs receive a distinct personnel-focused review consideration during peer review, so the program is explicitly set up to encourage strong early-career applicants while still competing on scientific merit and feasibility.

The Early-Career Investigator definition is very specific: an ECI must be within 10 years of completing a terminal degree (a doctorate or any medical degree). Certain time is excluded from that 10-year window, including time spent in medical residency and time taken for family medical leave. However, time spent as a postdoctoral fellow is not excluded and must still fall within the 10-year span, and postdoctoral fellows themselves are not eligible to apply as ECIs. Applicants who are applying under ECI status are expected to clearly explain and document how they meet the eligibility requirements in their biographical sketch.

For ECI applicants, the award includes a career development emphasis in addition to the research itself. Mentorship is required, and ECIs must submit a Career Development Plan, reflecting the program's intent to support not just a single project but also the investigator's progression and long-term capacity to contribute to kidney cancer research. Key dates in the posted opportunity record show the funding opportunity was created on October 25, 2017, with an original closing date of January 4, 2018, and the listing anticipated making around seven awards.

• 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, 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 Oct 25, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 04, 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.

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