[ U.S. CDMRP – Melanoma Research Program Mid-Career Accelerator Award | Research Funding ]
2020-06-22
Aim: Through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP), the Department of Defense is announcing the Melanoma Research Program (MRP) Awards. The MRP Mid-Career Accelerator Award supports independent, mid-career investigators to conduct impactful research in the field of melanoma. The MCAA presents an opportunity for mid-career investigators to obtain funding to perform impactful research that will accelerate their career to become leaders in the melanoma research community. Preliminary data are required.

Key elements of the Mid-Career Accelerator Award mechanism are as follows:

Principal Investigator (PI): The PI must be an independent, mid-career researcher, or physician-scientist at the level of Assistant or Associate Professor or equivalent. See Eligibility below for more details.
Impact: The application must articulate the potential impact the proposed work will have on melanoma research and/or patient care.
Continuity Development Plan: The continuity development plan should include a clearly articulated strategy furthering the career of the PI.

To be considered for funding, applications must address at least one of the FY20 MRP Focus Areas, which are listed at the end of this announcement

Funding: max. $700’000

Duration: 3 years

Eligibility: Applicants from international organizations or institutions are eligible to apply, and there are no citizenship restrictions. The PI must be an independent, mid-career researcher, or physician-scientist at the level of Assistant or Associate Professor or equivalent. The PI must be at least 7 years or more from their first faculty-level appointment. Instructors and full professors are not eligible. The PI must demonstrate receipt of at least one previously peer-reviewed extramural funding.

How to Apply: Pre-applications are submitted through the eBRAP platform. They should contain contact information, a preproposal narrative, and a list of collaborators and key personnel as suggested on the platform. Full applications (by invitation) will be made via a Grants.gov workspace. Full application packages can be downloaded from Grants.gov at any time.

Pre-Application Deadline: 22-June-2020, 5:00 p.m. EST
Full Application Deadline: 24-September-2020, 11:59 p.m. EST

Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Number: W81XWH-20-MRP-MCAA

Further information

To see the program announcement, navigate to the search page on Grants.gov and search for the Opportunity Number W81XWH-20-MRP-MCAA
For questions about the eBRAP or Grants.gov platforms, contact the Research Office.

FY20 Focus Areas

Prevention of melanoma initiation factors (e.g., UV radiation)
Prevention of melanomagenesis and precursor lesions (e.g., novel genetic and epigenetic drivers, oncogene induced senescence)
Understanding the tumor microenvironment
Bioengineering (e.g., computational, imaging) approaches to address diagnostics, high risk markers, dormancy, and metastasis
Therapeutic Prevention (e.g., interruption of disease progression, recurrence)
Minimal Residual Disease (e.g., chemoprevention, micro-metastasis)
