DoD Rare Cancers, Concept Award | W81XWH 22 RCRP CA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 22 RCRP CA

The DoD Rare Cancers, Concept Award (FY22), funding opportunity number W81XWH 22 RCRP CA, is a Department of Defense research grant run through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) under the Rare Cancers Research Program (RCRP). It is designed specifically to spark new directions in rare cancer research by backing ideas that are genuinely novel and not yet proven. The emphasis is on creativity and discovery rather than on extending a project that is already well underway. In other words, it is meant to help investigators test a bold concept that could open up an entirely different way of thinking about rare cancers, even if the approach is high-risk and might not work.

A central feature of this opportunity is that preliminary data are not required. That is important because it lowers the barrier for exploring early-stage ideas, including those that come out of unexpected or serendipitous observations. The program is trying to create space for researchers to pursue leads that might otherwise be too speculative to attract conventional funding. Because of that, the application is expected to clearly explain why the idea is innovative, what makes it potentially groundbreaking, and how it could substantially improve what is known about rare cancers or create an original path for future investigation. The measure of success is not incremental progress, but whether the concept has the potential to reveal new avenues and reshape the research landscape in this area.

The award mechanism supports science and technology research and development and can be issued as either a grant or a cooperative agreement, depending on the level of DoD involvement anticipated during the project. The opportunity is broadly eligible, listed as unrestricted, meaning it is open to a wide range of applicant organizations as long as they meet any additional eligibility conditions described in the full announcement. The posting indicates an expectation of about 20 awards. The award ceiling is listed as 0 in the provided summary data, which usually signals that the maximum funding level is not captured in that particular field or is detailed elsewhere in the full solicitation.

Timing-wise, the opportunity was created on April 20, 2022, with an original closing date of August 29, 2022. The program’s practical intent is to enable investigators to generate enough early evidence and direction-setting results to support stronger follow-on proposals later. Work completed under this Concept Award is framed as a launchpad: if the idea shows promise, it can produce the initial foundation needed to compete for future, more extensive research funding aimed at developing and validating the concept further.

• 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 Rare Cancers, Concept 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 Apr 20, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 29, 2022. (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 20 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 22 RCRP CA

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