DoD Lung Cancer, Concept Award | W81XWH 20 LCRP CA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 20 LCRP CA

The DoD Lung Cancer Research Program (LCRP) Concept Award (FY20) is a Department of Defense funding opportunity designed to back bold, early-stage lung cancer ideas that are genuinely new rather than extensions of ongoing, well-established projects. The central purpose is to give investigators room to test a highly innovative concept or an unproven theory that could address a meaningful problem in lung cancer, especially when the idea comes from a surprising observation or a new line of thinking that has not yet been widely explored. The program is explicitly oriented toward high-risk research, with the expectation that even though some concepts may not pan out, the strongest proposals will have the potential to open entirely new directions for the field and reshape how researchers think about lung cancer biology, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment.

A key feature of this Concept Award mechanism is its emphasis on innovation over buildup. Applicants are expected to explain clearly how the proposed idea would add something new to current lung cancer knowledge or create a novel investigative pathway, rather than offering incremental progress on an existing research trajectory. In other words, reviewers are looking for a compelling rationale for why the concept is different, why it matters, and how it could shift understanding if successful. The award is also positioned as a launchpad: projects funded under this mechanism may generate the initial proof-of-concept findings needed to support future, more traditional research proposals that require preliminary data and a more developed evidence base.

Consistent with that early, exploratory intent, preliminary data is not considered a requirement and is described as not consistent with the spirit of the mechanism. While applicants are not barred from including preliminary results, they are advised not to make the overall strength of the proposal depend on existing data. Instead, the application should stand on the logic, novelty, and potential impact of the concept, along with a sound plan for how the idea will be tested in a practical and informative way.

The opportunity also places value on collaboration with government medical and research environments tied to military and veteran health. Submissions from investigators at Department of Defense military treatment facilities and laboratories, as well as partnerships with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and research laboratories, are strongly encouraged. This signals an interest in building connections between academic or civilian research teams and DoD/VA settings, potentially improving relevance to service members and veterans while leveraging specialized clinical populations, infrastructure, or translational pathways available in those systems.

Administratively, the funding opportunity is listed under the title "DoD Lung Cancer, Concept Award" with the number W81XWH 20 LCRP CA. It is offered by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, through USAMRAA, and falls under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category (CFDA 12.420). The instrument types include both grants and cooperative agreements, indicating that awards may vary in the degree of federal involvement or coordination depending on the specific project. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to many types of applicant organizations, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement. The opportunity was created on March 12, 2020, with an original closing date of June 10, 2020, and it projected around 12 awards. An award ceiling is not specified in the provided data, suggesting applicants would need to consult the full announcement for budget limits, cost principles, and any caps or recommended funding ranges.

• 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 Lung Cancer, 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 Mar 12, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 10, 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 12 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.

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