DoD Kideny Cancer, Technology Development Award | W81XWH 18 KCRP TDA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 18 KCRP TDA

The DoD Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP) Technology Development Award (Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-18-KCRP-TDA) is a product-focused funding mechanism designed to move practical, usable technologies closer to real-world impact in kidney cancer. The intent is not basic discovery for its own sake, but development work that can clearly improve clinical or patient outcomes in areas such as prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life. Proposals need to make a convincing case that the technology being advanced will add to and strengthen what is already known about kidney cancer, rather than sitting alongside the field without changing how people understand or manage the disease.

This opportunity supports the development of tangible products, including (but not limited to) pharmacologic agents such as drugs or biologics, and devices or other technology solutions that can be implemented in research or clinical settings. A key requirement is that the Principal Investigator lays out a credible transition plan describing what happens after the award ends. That plan is expected to spell out how the product will move to the next development stage, such as readiness for clinical trials, regulatory steps, manufacturing scale-up, or a pathway to delivery in military or civilian markets. In other words, applicants are expected to show they have thought through the "hand-off" from a funded development project to the next infusion of resources, partnerships, and activities needed to make the product viable beyond the grant period.

Applications must include preliminary data that fits the proposed development stage. Importantly, the preliminary evidence does not have to be generated in kidney cancer specifically; the program allows supportive data from other diseases or related human conditions if it strengthens the rationale and feasibility of the approach. This includes informative clinical data, whether unpublished internal findings or results drawn from the published literature. The emphasis is on demonstrating readiness for technology development, not starting from a blank slate. For teams that are still trying to identify which product or direction to pursue, the solicitation signals that earlier-stage mechanisms (such as the Concept Award or Idea Development Award offered in the same fiscal year) may be a better fit.

The scope of supported work is broad as long as it remains clearly product-driven and kidney-cancer-relevant. Examples given include using artificial intelligence to identify new therapeutic targets or biomarkers that predict response or resistance to treatment; building or adapting platforms capable of ultrasensitive, multiplex detection of genomic, proteomic, and metabolic biomarkers to define renal cell carcinoma molecular phenotype or disease status from a single sample (such as tissue, blood, or urine); applying technology to disseminate accurate and current kidney cancer information to patients and caregivers; and creating a virtual, annotated tumor bank that the research community can use to analyze molecular features, disease status, demographics, and other meaningful attributes. These examples illustrate the program's interest in both biomedical technologies and patient- or systems-facing tools, as long as they are built toward a deliverable product with a clear use case.

Collaboration is strongly emphasized, particularly for applicants who do not have deep kidney cancer experience. Teams with limited background in kidney cancer are encouraged to partner with investigators who have substantial expertise in kidney cancer research and/or relevant model systems, which helps ensure the technology is developed with the biology, clinical context, and translational realities in mind. In parallel, the program encourages early engagement with licensing and commercialization partners. Applicants are advised to establish relationships with companies or organizations that can help carry products forward, and participating organizations are expected to proactively address intellectual property and material property considerations to prevent conflicts from derailing progress. Letters confirming or supporting these collaborations are required, underscoring that partnerships are not merely optional window dressing but a concrete part of the planned development pathway.

From a funding standpoint, this is a discretionary Department of Defense opportunity administered through the Department of the Army (USAMRAA), and awards may be made as grants or cooperative agreements. Eligibility is broadly open (unrestricted by entity type, subject to any clarifications in the full announcement). For FY18, the anticipated maximum direct costs across the full period of performance are capped at 300,000, and the program anticipated making about four awards. Finally, proposed research must be relevant to active duty Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the broader American public, aligning the work with the program's public service and military health mission rather than supporting kidney cancer research in isolation.

• 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 Kideny Cancer, Technology Development 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 Jun 08, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 26, 2018. (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 18 KCRP TDA

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