DoD Lung Cancer, Concept Award | W81XWH 22 LCRP CA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 22 LCRP CA

The DoD Lung Cancer Research Program (LCRP) Concept Award (FY22), administered by the Department of Defense through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA), is designed to fund bold, early-stage lung cancer ideas that are not simply the next step of existing work. The program is looking for innovative, high-risk projects with the potential for high reward, meaning proposals should aim to introduce genuinely new insights, paradigms, technologies, or applications that could shift how lung cancer is understood, studied, detected, prevented, or treated. A key expectation is that the work will lay the groundwork for future research directions rather than deliver a fully mature, near-clinical product. The funding mechanism is offered as a grant or cooperative agreement under CFDA 12.420, and eligibility is broadly open (unrestricted) unless otherwise limited by additional eligibility language in the full announcement.

Applications must present a clear, testable hypothesis supported by strong scientific reasoning and a sound study design. While preliminary data can be included, it is not required, and reviewers are instructed not to penalize applicants for lacking it. In fact, the program signals that including extensive preliminary results may indicate the project is too advanced for a “concept” mechanism and might fit better under a different LCRP funding opportunity. The main deliverable for this award is robust preliminary data that can serve as a foundation for later-stage proposals, follow-on studies, or larger translational efforts. One explicit boundary is that proposals focused only on mesothelioma are not allowed; projects need to be centered on lung cancer rather than being exclusively mesothelioma research.

A notable feature of this opportunity is the option to apply under a “Care Delivery and Health Disparity” track. This option encourages projects that address comprehensive lung cancer care and/or lung cancer-related health disparities within the program’s stated Areas of Emphasis. Importantly, submissions to this option are reviewed separately from applications in the more traditional “Cancer Research Continuum” track, which can matter for how proposals are compared and prioritized. In practical terms, applicants focused on access to care, quality of care, implementation, real-world outcomes, or inequities in screening, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship may find this dedicated pathway better aligned with their aims and evaluation context.

Military health relevance is also a central programmatic consideration. The LCRP emphasizes funding research that connects to the needs of Service Members, Veterans, and their families, and that relevance is weighed during programmatic review when deciding how well an application fits the mission of the Defense Health Program (DHP) and the LCRP. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate this relevance in concrete ways, such as using military or Veteran populations, leveraging military/VA biospecimens or databases, partnering with DoD or VA investigators, or explicitly addressing lung cancer risks and realities that may be distinctive for military communities. The opportunity specifically points to environmental exposures beyond tobacco as an example area of potential military-specific relevance, reflecting concern for occupational or deployment-related exposures that could influence lung cancer risk or outcomes.

From an administrative snapshot, the opportunity is titled “DoD Lung Cancer, Concept Award” with funding opportunity number W81XWH-22-LCRP-CA. It was posted March 16, 2022, with an original closing date of May 17, 2022, and the program anticipated making around 12 awards. The listing shows the award ceiling as “0,” which typically signals that applicants must rely on the full funding announcement for the actual budget limits and allowable costs rather than the summary field. Overall, this award is best understood as seed funding for daring lung cancer concepts backed by rigorous logic and a strong plan, with added emphasis on projects that either improve care delivery and reduce disparities or clearly connect to the health needs of military and Veteran populations.

• 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 16, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 17, 2022 Revised. (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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