DoD Lung Cancer, Clinical Translational Research Partnership Award | W81XWH 21 LCRP CTRPA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 21 LCRP CTRPA

The DoD Lung Cancer, Clinical Translational Research Partnership Award (FY21 LCRP CTRPA; Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-21-LCRP-CTRPA) is a Department of Defense lung cancer research grant designed to move strong, clinic-ready ideas more quickly into real-world clinical use. The main purpose is to support a true clinician-scientist partnership that can tackle an important lung cancer problem in a way that neither investigator could accomplish as effectively alone. The award is run through the Department of Defense (Department of the Army, USAMRAA) and is part of the Lung Cancer Research Program (LCRP) under CFDA 12.420.

A central requirement is that the project be led by two independent, faculty-level (or equivalent) investigators working as equal intellectual partners: one must be a research scientist and the other must be a clinician. The announcement emphasizes that this cannot be a one-sided arrangement where the clinician simply provides access to patients, specimens, or clinical infrastructure while the scientist designs and runs the study. Instead, reviewers are looking for clear evidence that both partners meaningfully shaped the research question, study design, and overall strategy, and that the project depends on the distinct expertise each person brings. Multi-institutional teams are encouraged (though not required), and at least one member of the pair must already have relevant experience in lung cancer research or lung cancer patient care to ensure the work is grounded in the field and feasible.

The research scope is intentionally translational and clinical, with the mechanism aimed at supporting a pilot study, proof-of-principle effort, or an early-phase clinical trial along with associated correlative science. The opportunity uses a standard definition of a clinical trial: a study in which one or more human subjects are prospectively assigned to one or more interventions (including placebo or control) to evaluate effects on biomedical or behavioral health-related outcomes. Applications are expected to present a strong justification for why the trial should be done now, including a well-developed scientific and clinical rationale, convincing preliminary data, and a credible plan for trial methodology and execution. If applicants propose additional preclinical studies alongside the trial, those studies must be clearly justified as necessary to inform the clinical work or to properly interpret the trial and correlative findings, rather than functioning as loosely related exploratory lab research.

The program also anticipates the practical regulatory and operational needs that commonly determine whether early clinical translation succeeds. If the project would ultimately require an FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) application or Investigational Device Exemption (IDE), the application must show that the team has access to the necessary clinical-grade reagents or therapeutic candidates (for example, a drug, biologic, or device) and that the proposed patient population is realistically available for enrollment. In other words, beyond scientific promise, the DoD is looking for readiness: the ability to actually run the study and produce interpretable results within the award period.

A notable feature is the strong encouragement to include a consumer advocate as part of the research team. The consumer advocate is intended to be a lay representative who has been diagnosed with lung cancer and is active in a lung cancer advocacy organization. Their involvement is not described as symbolic; the announcement points to meaningful roles such as shaping the research question, contributing to project design, helping with oversight and evaluation, and improving recruitment and participant-facing aspects of the trial. The overarching goal is to keep the project aligned with patient priorities and to strengthen the relevance and potential impact for people living with lung cancer or at risk for it.

The DoD also signals a particular interest in military- and veteran-connected collaboration. While not an absolute requirement, the program strongly encourages that one of the partners be an active duty Service member or a Federal employee working at a DoD military treatment facility or laboratory, or at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center or research lab. This preference reflects the program’s interest in leveraging DoD and VA clinical and research environments and accelerating impact within those systems.

From an administrative and team-structure standpoint, the mechanism requires two Principal Investigators. One is designated as the Initiating PI, who handles most of the submission and administrative coordination, and the other is the Partnering PI. Both are expected to contribute substantially to core application elements such as the Project Narrative and Statement of Work. If funded, each PI is named on an individual award within the recipient organization, reinforcing the idea that this is a balanced partnership rather than a subcontract-style arrangement.

Finally, the announcement places real weight on how the partnership will function day to day. The proposal must lay out concrete plans for PI and institutional interactions, including communication routines, coordination of progress and results, and data transfer processes. For multi-institutional collaborations, an intellectual property plan is required to address potential IP and material-sharing issues early, reduce institutional friction, and remove barriers that could undermine cooperation. Overall, this opportunity is structured to fund small-to-early clinical translation efforts in lung cancer that are both scientifically compelling and operationally realistic, built around a genuine clinician-scientist partnership with a clear line of sight to patient impact.

• 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, Clinical Translational Research Partnership 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 Feb 26, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 28, 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 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 W81XWH 21 LCRP CTRPA

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