DoD Peer Reviewed Cancer, Translational Team Science Award | W81XWH 21 PRCRP TTSA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 21 PRCRP TTSA

The DoD Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP) Translational Team Science Award (TTSA) is a Department of Defense funding mechanism designed to push cancer findings from the clinic toward real-world use by supporting hypothesis-driven, advanced translational research that is directly tied to an ongoing or completed clinical trial. The core idea is that the proposed work should not sit upstream as purely exploratory biology, and it should not be framed as simply paying for a clinical trial. Instead, the award is meant to fund multidisciplinary teams that use clinical trial-derived observations, outcomes, and patient-linked data to answer concrete clinical questions, close key knowledge gaps, validate important results, expand potentially practice-changing findings, or dig into novel signals seen in clinical investigations. The expectation is a clear pathway where what is learned from clinical studies feeds back into the next-phase clinical trial design or a future clinical application that could affect patient outcomes in a relatively near-term way.

A defining feature of the TTSA is its team structure and collaboration requirements. Applications must be led by a multi-investigator group with at least two and up to three Principal Investigators working under one integrated scientific plan in one of the required FY21 PRCRP Topic Areas. One PI serves as the Initiating PI and takes on most submission and administrative coordination, while the other PI(s) serve as Partnering PIs; however, all PIs are expected to contribute substantially to the scientific development, including the project narrative and the statement of work. The program strongly encourages inclusion of at least one military or Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) investigator as an equal intellectual and scientific partner, not just someone added to provide access to military or VA patient populations. In this context, a military/VA investigator can include active-duty or active-reserve personnel detailed outside DoD agencies, civilian DoD investigators, or investigators working at VA research facilities, and they are expected to have a meaningful role and committed effort in the research.

Scientifically, the TTSA emphasizes true translation, defined as a reciprocal flow of information between clinical and basic science (or vice versa) that shapes the research plan. Applicants are expected to show how clinical trial information will be leveraged to drive the proposed studies, whether that means explaining unexpected response patterns, refining biomarkers, clarifying mechanisms tied to outcomes, or informing patient selection strategies for future trials. Clinical preliminary data are required in some form, either presented directly in the application or supported by citations to prior relevant clinical work from the investigative team. The program also sets a strong bar for rigor: proposals should include a well-developed statistical plan and data analysis plan, with an emphasis on how the anticipated results could matter for patient outcomes and clinical decision-making.

Relevance to military health is not optional. The project must address at least one FY21 PRCRP Military Health Focus Area and be pertinent to active-duty Service Members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the broader American public. Alongside this requirement, the program highlights impact as a central review theme: the work should have credible potential to significantly influence cancer research and/or patient care and to accelerate translation across the cancer control spectrum (prevention, detection, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, survivorship). The opportunity also encourages teams to align with DoD and/or VA laboratories and programs when appropriate and points investigators toward National Cancer Institute resources such as the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) for clinical research and trial-related information.

From an administrative and funding-opportunity standpoint, this FY21 TTSA was offered by the Department of Defense (Department of the Army, USAMRAA) under Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-21-PRCRP-TTSA. The instruments listed include cooperative agreements and grants, and eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement). The posting indicated an anticipated number of awards (8). While an award ceiling value is listed as 0 in the provided record, that typically signals that applicants need to rely on the full solicitation for the actual budget constraints and any caps, rather than assuming there is no limit. Overall, the TTSA is best understood as a team-based translational award that starts with clinical trial context and aims to produce actionable, clinic-informing evidence that can shape the next clinical step.

• 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 Peer Reviewed Cancer, Translational Team Science 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 24, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 18, 2021. (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 8 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 21 PRCRP TTSA

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: