DoD Prostate Cancer, Early Investigator Research Award | W81XWH 20 PCRP EIRA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 20 PCRP EIRA

The FY20 DoD Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP) Early Investigator Research Award (EIRA) is designed to help launch the careers of early-stage researchers by funding prostate cancer focused projects carried out by postdoctoral investigators under the close guidance of one or more experienced mentors. The central purpose is not only to produce meaningful research results, but also to build the applicant into an independent prostate cancer researcher through a structured training and mentoring experience. A defining feature of this mechanism is that the postdoctoral investigator is treated as the Principal Investigator (PI) and is responsible for writing the application components, while mentors provide direction and oversight.

Eligibility is centered on career stage. The PI must be a postdoctoral investigator with strong potential and a clear commitment to a research career at the forefront of prostate cancer science, even if they have not previously worked in prostate cancer. To qualify, the PI must have three years or less of postdoctoral research experience as of March 31, 2021, not counting time spent in clinical residency or clinical fellowship training. The program strongly encourages applicants who show a sustained interest in prostate cancer health disparities, signaling that projects and career plans aimed at inequities in outcomes are especially aligned with program intent.

Mentorship is mandatory and treated as a core part of the award. Each application must include at least one mentor with demonstrated prostate cancer research and mentoring experience, supported by evidence such as active funding, recent publications, and a track record of successful trainees. If the primary mentor is relatively junior, the program recommends adding a secondary mentor with a stronger and more established history in prostate cancer research and mentorship. For applications focused on health disparities, at least one mentor should have direct expertise in prostate cancer health disparity research. Across all applications, mentors are expected to show a real commitment to helping the PI progress toward independence rather than simply supervising a short-term project.

The proposed research must directly address at least one of the FY20 PCRP Overarching Challenges, ensuring alignment with the program’s priority problems in prostate cancer. There is a strong emphasis on work that can help reduce lethal prostate cancer in people of African descent, Veterans, and other high-risk and underserved populations. Applications are expected to present a clear scientific rationale, rigorous and feasible methods, and a practical plan to accomplish the project goals within the award period. Preliminary data are encouraged but not required, and if included they should come from the PI, mentor(s), or collaborators. Applicants also need to identify the key resources required for the work and back up access to those resources with documentation.

A major requirement is a prostate cancer focused Researcher Development Plan. This is an individualized roadmap explaining how the PI will acquire the skills, expertise, and professional growth needed to complete the project and transition toward independence. The application must describe an environment that supports both the research and mentoring plan, and it allows for gaps at the home institution to be addressed through collaborations. If the PI will rely on resources at another institution, the program strongly encourages naming a co-mentor at that collaborating site to strengthen training, oversight, and access.

The opportunity also signals what “good” study design looks like by encouraging best practices that increase confidence and impact. Examples include authenticating cell lines, applying statistical rigor in preclinical animal studies, and adding experiments that test clinical relevance and translatability. The program highlights major shared resources that applicants may leverage, especially when using retrospectively collected human specimens or linked clinical data. Two specifically named resources are the PCRP-funded Prostate Cancer Biorepository Network (PCBN) and the North Carolina to Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project (PCaP). If an applicant plans to use these or similar resources, they are encouraged to include letters of support confirming access and availability. The announcement also encourages projects that analyze large patient datasets with long-term health records and biospecimens using modern genomic or proteomic methods, bioinformatics, and mathematical modeling.

In addition, because the program sits within a broader federal push to speed progress for advanced and recurrent disease, applicants are encouraged to review and respond to recommendations from the Congressionally mandated Metastatic Cancer Task Force, as long as the proposed work still fits the EIRA rules and FY20 PCRP priorities. This reinforces the program’s interest in projects that can move the needle for patients facing lethal or metastatic prostate cancer, including work that bridges basic discovery and translational relevance.

From a funding standpoint, the award supports up to $300,000 in direct costs for the full period of performance, with detailed restrictions provided in the funding announcement. The Department of Defense expected to allocate about $9.6 million total to fund roughly 20 awards, with final funding dependent on federal appropriations as well as application volume and review outcomes. The original application closing date was June 18, 2020, and awards were expected to be made no later than September 30, 2021. Funding is tied to FY20 appropriations, with funds anticipated to remain available for use through September 30, 2026, reflecting the limited period in which those federal dollars can be spent.

• 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, Early Investigator 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 Mar 18, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 18, 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 20 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 20 PCRP EIRA

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