DoD Melanoma Focused Program Award - Rare Melanomas | HT9425 23 MRP FPA RM

Opportunity Information: Apply for HT9425 23 MRP FPA RM

The Department of Defense Melanoma Research Program (MRP) is offering the FY23 Melanoma Focused Program Award - Rare Melanomas (FPA-RM) to fund a coordinated, multidisciplinary research effort aimed specifically at rare forms of melanoma. This opportunity is designed to support a tightly integrated research program made up of at least two and no more than three distinct projects that work together toward a shared scientific goal. Rather than funding a single standalone study, the program emphasizes a package of complementary projects that collectively tackle a major problem in rare melanoma research or patient care.

A central requirement of the FPA-RM is the presence of a clear, unifying overarching question. Applicants must define one big question that links all proposed projects and demonstrates how the combined program will address a critical unmet need in rare melanomas. The overarching question can be tailored to one rare melanoma subtype or be framed broadly to address a need that cuts across multiple rare melanoma types. The solicitation highlights rare melanoma contexts such as uveal, acral, mucosal, and pediatric melanoma as examples of the intended focus. The key idea is that the projects should not feel like separate efforts bundled together; they should be designed to inform one another and collectively deliver a more complete answer than any single project could provide alone.

The scope of research topics is intentionally broad, allowing applicants to propose projects anywhere across the research and care continuum. Proposed work can span fundamental biology, causes and risk factors (etiology), prevention approaches, improved diagnosis and detection, prognostic tools, treatment strategies, and quality-of-life research. Regardless of the specific area, the application must make a strong case that the work targets a meaningful gap or urgent challenge in rare melanoma science and/or clinical management, and that the proposed multi-project structure is essential to achieving the program goals.

There is also a clear boundary on what is not allowed: studies involving non-melanoma skin cancers are explicitly prohibited under this FY23 MRP opportunity. Applicants need to ensure the scientific aims, samples, models, and clinical populations are aligned with rare melanoma and do not drift into other skin cancer categories that fall outside the program.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a Department of Defense funding opportunity managed by the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). The opportunity number is HT9425 23 MRP FPA RM, and it falls under CFDA 12.420. The funding mechanism includes cooperative agreements and grants, and eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning applications are generally open to a wide range of organization types as permitted by any additional eligibility language in the full announcement. The posting date is May 18, 2023, with an original closing date of September 22, 2023. The opportunity indicates an expected total of two awards, and the listed award ceiling is shown as 0 in the provided source data, which typically signals that applicants should rely on the full funding announcement for any specific budget limits or that ceiling information was not populated in the summary fields.

Overall, this award is aimed at teams that can build an integrated mini-portfolio of projects around one coherent question, with the explicit goal of advancing understanding and improving outcomes in rare melanoma types where major clinical and scientific needs remain unmet.

• 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 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 May 18, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 22, 2023. (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 (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for HT9425 23 MRP FPA RM

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