DoD Prostate Cancer, Health Disparity Research Award | W81XWH 20 PCRP HDRA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 20 PCRP HDRA

The DoD Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP) Health Disparity Research Award (FY20) is a Department of Defense funding opportunity designed to support promising research ideas that could meaningfully reduce or eliminate disparities in prostate cancer incidence, morbidity, mortality, and survivorship. The intent is not just to generate knowledge, but to push work that can plausibly change outcomes for populations that experience disproportionate burden from prostate cancer. The award is open to a wide range of disciplines, reflecting the program's view that disparity problems often require multi-angle solutions that may include biology, clinical care, data science, behavioral science, and health systems research.

A central expectation is that projects align with one or more of the FY20 Health Disparity Research Award Focus Areas. If a proposed project does not neatly fit a stated focus area, the applicant is still allowed to apply, but must clearly justify why the work addresses a critical disparity-related need in prostate cancer research or patient care. This emphasis on explicit relevance means applicants need to draw a straight line between the research question and how it could reduce inequities, not simply study prostate cancer in general. The program encourages applications across a spectrum of research types, including basic science, engineering, bioinformatics, population science, psycho-oncology, translational research, and health care services research, among others.

Community engagement is strongly encouraged when it makes sense for the work. Investigators are urged to involve members of the targeted population or community in shaping the research and in carrying it out, rather than treating community interaction as an afterthought. When applicants plan to partner with population- or community-based organizations, they are expected to document the depth of those partnerships, typically through letters of support that make clear what the organizations will do and how they will contribute. The opportunity materials also point applicants toward existing resources and advocacy or community organizations that can support meaningful engagement.

Impact is treated as a core review priority. The program is looking for research that can credibly move the needle on prostate cancer disparities, and it signals that innovation can increase the likelihood of a high-impact outcome. In addition, applications must include a detailed transition plan explaining what happens after the award ends, including how results will be advanced into the next phase of development. The transition plan is meant to show that the project is not a dead end, and that there is a practical pathway to continued progress toward clinical or real-world impact even if immediate clinical translation is not the direct endpoint during the award period.

The research scope is broad and can include basic, translational, or clinical research, including clinical trials. However, clinical trials are limited to small-scale, early-stage studies up to and including Phase II (or equivalent). For investigators proposing a trial, the announcement highlights the PCRP Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium (PCCTC) as a potential infrastructure partner to help launch and complete trials efficiently. Preliminary data are encouraged but not required, and any unpublished preliminary evidence included should come from the PI or members of the project team, reinforcing that proposals can be competitive even when they are genuinely early-stage, provided the rationale and design are strong.

For projects examining the biological basis of disparities, the announcement explicitly flags the need for careful thought about how populations are defined and stratified. Applicants are encouraged to consider the implications of using genetic/genomic classifications versus self-reported race, and to justify the approach chosen. This is paired with a strong requirement for statistical rigor: applications must include a robust statistical plan and a complete power analysis demonstrating that the proposed sample size is appropriate for the study objectives. The program also encourages several best practices intended to improve reproducibility and translational value, such as authenticating cell lines, ensuring rigorous design and analysis for animal studies, and incorporating experiments that test clinical relevance and translatability.

To strengthen feasibility and impact, the opportunity points applicants to major shared resources. It specifically highlights the PCRP-funded Prostate Cancer Biorepository Network (PCBN) and the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project (PCaP) as valuable options when retrospectively collected human specimens or correlated data are needed. When applicants plan to use these or similar resources, they are encouraged to include letters of support confirming access and availability. The program also welcomes studies that leverage large patient datasets with long-term health records and biospecimen repositories, especially when paired with state-of-the-art genomic/proteomic methods, bioinformatics, or mathematical modeling, signaling interest in modern data-driven approaches to understanding and addressing disparities.

The award includes a dedicated New Investigator category intended to bring early-career researchers into prostate cancer disparity work and allow them to compete separately from established investigators. New Investigator applicants must include an experienced collaborator with a track record in prostate cancer health disparity research, demonstrated through publications and funding. The application must explain how the collaboration will work in practice and how it strengthens the PI's ability to execute the project and answer the disparity-focused research question. New Investigator applicants must also meet specific eligibility criteria described in the full announcement.

The opportunity also notes broader strategic alignment with the Congressionally mandated Metastatic Cancer Task Force, encouraging applicants to review the Task Force recommendations and submit ideas that fit within the funding opportunity's limits and FY20 PCRP priorities. This highlights an interest in accelerating progress for advanced and recurrent disease, as long as the project remains fundamentally grounded in disparity reduction.

Administratively, this FY20 opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-20-PCRP-HDR A; CFDA 12.420) is run by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, USAMRAA, and uses assistance mechanisms listed as Cooperative Agreement and Grant. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any clarifications in the official notice. The application deadline listed is July 16, 2020, and the agency anticipated making awards no later than September 30, 2021, with an expected total of about nine awards. The anticipated direct cost limits for the full performance period are capped at $600,000 for New Investigator awards and $750,000 for Established Investigator awards, with additional details governed by the program's funding restrictions section.

• 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 Prostate Cancer, Health Disparity Research 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 Apr 07, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 16, 2020. (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 9 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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