DoW Kidney Cancer, Idea Development Award
This grant funds research teams developing innovative, hypothesis-driven projects to advance kidney cancer understanding and improve patient outcomes, with an option for collaborative investigator partnerships.
Funder: Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity - DHACA
Due Dates: September 14, 2026 (Pre-Application/LOI) | September 28, 2026 (Full Application) | October 5, 2026 (Application Verification)
Funding Amounts: ~$7.8M total; up to $900,000 (Single PI) or $1.2M (Partnering PI Option) for up to 3 years; ~8 awards expected.
Summary: Supports high-impact research to advance the understanding of kidney cancer and improve patient outcomes; clinical trials are not allowed.
Key Information: Two-step application: pre-application (LOI) via eBRAP, then full application via Grants.gov or eBRAP; both deadlines are strict.
Description
The FY26 Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP) Idea Development Award (IDA) is a funding opportunity from the Department of Defense aimed at supporting innovative, high-impact research that advances scientific understanding of kidney cancer. The intent is to generate rigorous, well-rationalized research projects with the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes. Projects must be hypothesis-driven and based on strong scientific rationale, and should address at least one of the FY26 KCRP focus areas, such as basic biology, novel diagnostics, new therapies, or improving patient quality of life.
A distinctive feature is the Partnering Principal Investigator (PI) Option, enabling collaborative applications between two investigators, each with a defined role and budget. Clinical trials are not permitted under this mechanism. The program encourages applications from multidisciplinary teams and both new and established investigators, including those outside the kidney cancer field.
