DoD Lung Cancer, Concept Award | W81XWH 18 LCRP CA

FY18 DoD Lung Cancer Research Program (LCRP) Concept Award - FAQs

1) What is the FY18 DoD Lung Cancer Research Program (LCRP) Concept Award?

The FY18 LCRP Concept Award is a Department of Defense funding mechanism designed to support bold, early-stage lung cancer research ideas that are genuinely new and potentially game-changing. It is intended to let investigators explore a highly innovative concept or untested theory aimed at an important lung cancer problem, particularly when the idea is too new or unconventional for traditional funding routes.

2) What is the main goal of this award mechanism?

The central goal is to catalyze high-risk, high-reward lung cancer research by providing seed funding for imaginative concepts. The award emphasizes launching entirely new directions for the field, rather than funding a predictable next step in an existing research line.

3) What types of research ideas are a good fit for the Concept Award?

Projects are a strong fit when they are highly innovative, early-stage, and potentially transformative. The mechanism is explicitly meant for high-risk work, including ideas sparked by unexpected findings or serendipitous observations, where the payoff could be opening new investigative directions in lung cancer research.

4) What types of projects are less aligned with the intent of this award?

Projects that represent a straightforward or incremental continuation of an established research line (a predictable next step) are less aligned. The award is not designed to support routine extensions of existing work; it is designed to enable genuinely new concepts and untested theories.

5) How important is novelty in the application?

Novelty is central. A strong application needs to clearly explain why the proposed concept is truly new and how it could meaningfully expand what is known about lung cancer or launch an innovative investigative path.

6) Is preliminary data required?

No. Providing preliminary data is considered inconsistent with the intent of the Concept Award. The program emphasizes the idea itself and the strength of the rationale rather than the amount of prior work already completed.

7) Can preliminary data be included anyway?

Applicants are not forbidden from including preliminary results, but reviewers are not supposed to treat preliminary data as the foundation of the proposal. The application should not depend on preliminary data to be convincing.

8) What is the expectation for outcomes at the end of the project?

The expectation is that the project may generate early proof-of-concept evidence or initial findings that help the principal investigator build toward a larger, future research proposal. This opportunity is best understood as seed funding to test a bold idea and position the team for follow-on studies.

9) What does “military relevance” mean for this opportunity?

Military relevance is a defining feature of the opportunity. The LCRP is aligned with the healthcare needs of active duty Service members, Veterans, and their families. Military relevance is explicitly considered during programmatic review in relation to the Defense Health Program mission.

10) How can an applicant demonstrate military relevance in a concrete way?

The opportunity encourages applicants to demonstrate military relevance through practical approaches, such as using military or VA patient populations, biospecimens, or data resources; leveraging DoD or VA programs; or collaborating with investigators at DoD military treatment facilities and laboratories or VA medical centers and research labs.

11) Are collaborations with DoD or VA sites encouraged?

Yes. Collaborating directly with investigators at DoD military treatment facilities and laboratories, or at VA medical centers and research labs, is described as a way to strengthen military relevance.

12) Does the program mention specific military advisory roles that can strengthen relevance?

Yes. The program notes that involving military consultants (Army or Air Force) or Navy and Marine Corps specialty leaders connected to the Surgeons General in relevant clinical or scientific areas is another valued way to strengthen military relevance.

13) What is meant by “dual-use impact” in this program?

Dual-use impact refers to showing that a resulting technology, tool, or knowledge product could address a military need while also benefiting civilian healthcare. Demonstrating this kind of shared value is described as a valued angle for the program.

14) Does military relevance have to focus on tobacco-related lung cancer?

No. The program highlights that lung cancer relevance for military communities can include considerations beyond tobacco, such as environmental or occupational exposures that may be more common or uniquely relevant in military settings.

15) Who is offering and administering this grant opportunity?

This is a discretionary federal opportunity offered by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, and it is administered through USAMRAA.

16) What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number is W81XWH-18-LCRP-CA.

17) What is the CFDA number and activity area associated with this award?

The activity area is science and technology and other research and development, and the CFDA number listed is 12.420.

18) What funding instruments are available under this opportunity?

The mechanism allows for either grants or cooperative agreements.

19) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of applicant entity types may apply, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement.

20) How much funding is available for a single Concept Award project?

The anticipated direct costs for the entire period of performance may not exceed $100,000. Additional details and restrictions are referenced in the funding announcement’s budget and funding restrictions section.

21) Why is the budget described as modest?

The Concept Award budget is intentionally modest to match the award’s role as a catalyst for new ideas. It is positioned as seed funding to explore a novel concept and generate early evidence that could support a future, larger proposal.

22) How many awards were anticipated?

The opportunity anticipated making around 14 awards.

23) When was the opportunity created and what was the original closing date?

The opportunity was created on May 3, 2018, and the original closing date was August 9, 2018.

24) What do reviewers primarily look for in a strong Concept Award application?

Based on the stated intent, reviewers are meant to focus on the novelty of the concept and the quality of the rationale, and on whether the idea could meaningfully expand lung cancer knowledge or open a new investigative path. The proposal should be persuasive on its conceptual strength rather than on extensive prior results.

25) What is the overall “best way” to understand this opportunity?

Overall, it is seed funding for imaginative, high-impact lung cancer concepts that can plausibly serve military and veteran health needs, generate early proof-of-concept results, and position teams for larger follow-on studies.