DoW Peer Reviewed Cancer, Idea Award
This grant funds innovative, high-risk cancer research ideas, especially for early career investigators, aiming to advance cancer care for military and public health without requiring preliminary data.
Funder: Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA
Due Dates: June 26, 2026: Pre-Application (Preproposal) | October 5, 2026: Full Application | October 8, 2026: End of Application Verification Period
Funding Amounts: Up to $600,000 total costs per award over 2 years; approx. $18M total program funding, ~30 awards expected.
Summary: Supports innovative, high-risk/high-reward basic cancer research relevant to military health for designated cancer topic areas; early career investigator option available.
Key Information: Pre-application required; clinical trials are not allowed; research must address a specified topic and military health relevance.
Description
This opportunity supports innovative, untested, and potentially transformative basic research in cancer, with a focus on ideas that could significantly advance knowledge, patient care, or treatment options relevant to the Military Health System (MHS) and military-affiliated populations. The award is not intended for incremental advances or projects that represent the next logical step in an existing research line. Preliminary data are not required but proposals must be based on strong scientific rationale.
Distinctive features include a strong emphasis on creativity and innovation, military health relevance, and a newly established Early Career Investigator Option for promising independent researchers early in their faculty appointments.
Research must address one of the congressionally directed FY26 PRCRP Topic Areas and a corresponding strategic goal, and clearly demonstrate relevance to military health or mission readiness.
