DoD, Melanoma, Focused Program Award - Rare Melanomas | HT942524MRPFPARM

Opportunity Information: Apply for HT942524MRPFPARM

The DoD Melanoma Research Program (MRP) Focused Program Award - Rare Melanomas (FPA-RM) is a team-science grant mechanism run through the Department of the Army, USAMRAA, intended to push progress in rare melanoma research and patient care by funding tightly coordinated, multi-project programs rather than single independent studies. Applications are expected to revolve around one clear, unifying overarching question that tackles a critical unmet need in rare melanoma. That question can be centered on a single rare melanoma subtype or framed to solve a challenge that cuts across multiple rare melanomas, but it must be strong enough to justify several complementary research projects working toward the same larger goal.

A defining feature of this opportunity is the required leadership and structure. The entire program must be led by a Principal Investigator (PI) who has demonstrated experience successfully directing large, focused research efforts. The PI must commit at least 10 percent effort to the award, must personally lead one of the proposed projects, and is expected to actively build a collaborative environment that enables coordination, innovation, and productive teamwork across all participating investigators. The PI assembles a multidisciplinary research team that includes Project Leader(s) who each bring distinct expertise and resources needed for the overall program. Importantly, the PI and Project Leaders can be at different organizations, making this mechanism well suited for multi-institutional consortia where specialized capabilities (for example, clinical recruitment at one site, genomics at another, and model development or drug testing elsewhere) need to be integrated.

The application must include multiple distinct research projects, each led by an individual Project Leader, and each addressing a different but complementary aspect of the overarching question. Projects may span a spectrum from exploratory or hypothesis-developing work through translational studies and even clinical trials. The program design needs to strike a balance: every project should be strong and credible on its own scientific merits, yet the collection of projects must be clearly interrelated and synergistic so that the combined output advances the field beyond what separate, uncoordinated awards could accomplish. At the same time, the funding opportunity is explicit that it is not meant to support a chain of projects that only work if earlier projects succeed; in other words, the program should not be constructed like a single fragile pipeline where later activities collapse if one component fails. Each project should contribute meaningfully even if another project hits obstacles.

Feasibility and readiness are emphasized. All projects must be grounded in a strong scientific rationale and supported by preliminary data when appropriate to demonstrate that the proposed approaches are realistic and executable. Clinical trials are allowed under this mechanism, but any project that includes a clinical trial must include preliminary data, reflecting the expectation that clinical testing be well justified and sufficiently mature rather than speculative. Across the full set of projects, there should be a clear intent to progress toward translational and clinical impact over the period of performance, meaning the program should be designed to move discoveries toward applications that could realistically influence rare melanoma care.

Applicants must also provide an implementation plan that translates the research strategy into an accountable, milestone-driven program. This plan should identify critical milestones, specify what knowledge, resources, and technical innovations will be used to reach them, and describe how the team will evaluate performance for individual projects as well as overall progress toward answering the overarching question. For multi-institutional efforts, the application is expected to address practical coordination issues such as communication routines, data transfer processes, and handling of shared data, specimens, and study products. Participating organizations are also expected to formalize an intellectual and material property plan, signaling that the program anticipates the generation and sharing of valuable assets (datasets, biospecimens, assays, candidate interventions, or other deliverables) and needs clear agreements for their management.

A key accountability checkpoint is built into the award: after the end of year 2, the PI must present a progress update at a Milestone Meeting held virtually or in person in the National Capital Area. This meeting is designed to evaluate progress, troubleshoot challenges, and set future direction, and it will include the MRP Programmatic Panel, CDMRP staff, the USAMRAA Grants Officer, and other DoD stakeholders. Up to two additional team members may be invited, and if the team includes rare melanoma consumer collaborators, they should be invited as well. Milestones expected by the end of year 2 must be clearly defined in the Statement of Work and are finalized during award negotiations. Continued funding may depend on successfully meeting specific milestones and goals, so the program must be planned with realistic, measurable outputs and credible timelines.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant (Funding Opportunity Number HT942524MRPFPARM) under CFDA 12.420, offered by the Department of the Army (USAMRAA). Eligibility is listed as unrestricted. The original application closing date was August 26, 2024. The opportunity anticipated making about two awards, and the public listing does not specify an award ceiling amount.

• The Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DoD, Melanoma, Focused Program Award - Rare Melanomas" 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 2024-05-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-26. (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 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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