DoD Melanoma, Translational Research Award | W81XWH 20 MRP TRA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 20 MRP TRA

The Department of Defense Melanoma Research Program (MRP) Translational Research Award (TRA) is a FY20 funding opportunity designed to push well-developed melanoma research projects closer to real-world clinical use. The program is aimed at hypothesis-driven, high-impact translational studies that tackle pressing scientific or clinical problems in melanoma. The central expectation is that the proposed work is already mature, meaning the underlying ideas, preliminary evidence, and project plan should be strong enough that the research can realistically accelerate promising findings toward outcomes that matter in patient care, such as improved treatment approaches or prevention strategies.

A key theme of this award is clinical relevance and continuity. Reviewers are looking for projects that build logically on existing progress rather than early exploratory concepts, and that show a clear line of sight from the planned experiments to clinically meaningful next steps. The DoD emphasizes leveraging resources that strengthen real-world applicability, especially the use of clinical samples obtained through clinical trials and/or established biorepositories. In practice, that means proposals that incorporate patient-derived materials, clinically annotated datasets, or trial-linked specimens are likely to fit the intent of the mechanism better than projects relying on more artificial or convenience models.

The award focuses on generating rigorous, robust scientific outcomes that can be translated toward tangible melanoma interventions. Applicants are expected to articulate how their study will produce results that inform, de-risk, or directly support the development of treatment or prevention strategies, and how the project will maximize impact by positioning findings for clinical applicability. While the funding supports both grants and cooperative agreements, the overarching goal remains the same: move beyond basic discovery and produce outcomes that are ready to influence the clinical pipeline.

The solicitation also clarifies what is not a good fit. The TRA is not intended to support studies focused on evaluating the clinical utility of PD-1 in combination with other therapeutics, and it is not intended for studies that utilize established cell lines. This steers applicants away from heavily traveled PD-1 combination directions and away from standard in vitro cell line work, reinforcing the program preference for translational designs grounded in clinically relevant materials and questions.

Administratively, this is a discretionary federal opportunity from the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, managed through USAMRAA, under CFDA 12.420 (science and technology and other R&D). The opportunity number is W81XWH 20 MRP TRA. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of organization types may apply as long as they meet any requirements described in the full announcement. The posting was created on April 21, 2020, with an original closing date of September 24, 2020, and the program anticipated making about four awards. The award ceiling is listed as 0 in the summary data, which typically indicates that applicants need to rely on the full solicitation for budget limits or that limits may vary by project scope and are not captured in that specific field.

• 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 Melanoma, Translational 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 Apr 21, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 24, 2020. (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 4 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 20 MRP TRA

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