DoD Melanoma Mid-Career Accelerator Award | HT9425 23 MRP MCAA

Opportunity Information: Apply for HT9425 23 MRP MCAA

The DoD Melanoma Mid-Career Accelerator Award (MCAA) is a Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) funding opportunity under the Melanoma Research Program (MRP) designed specifically for independent, mid-career investigators who are ready to push melanoma research forward in a way that is both scientifically meaningful and career-defining. The main idea is to support researchers who already have a track record in melanoma research and/or melanoma patient care and who have generated melanoma-relevant preliminary data, but who would benefit from a targeted boost to accelerate their work, expand their influence, and solidify their trajectory as future leaders in the melanoma field. The program emphasizes research that is impactful and moves promising concepts closer to real-world clinical usefulness, whether the work is basic, translational, or otherwise positioned to influence patient outcomes.

Eligibility is centered on the career stage and independence of the Principal Investigator (PI). Applicants must be mid-career researchers or physician-scientists at the Assistant or Associate Professor level (or equivalent) and must be at least seven years past their first faculty-level appointment. The opportunity explicitly excludes instructors and full professors (or equivalents), reinforcing that it is meant for investigators who are established but not yet senior. In addition, the PI must show prior success securing at least one peer-reviewed extramural funding award, signaling that this award is intended to build on an already functioning research program rather than launch a first independent effort. Reviewers will consider the PI's accomplishments (such as publications, presentations, patents, and related outputs) alongside the proposed research to gauge the investigator's potential to make sustained contributions to the melanoma research landscape.

From a scientific standpoint, applications must clearly align the proposed work with at least one of the FY23 MRP Focus Areas (referenced in the announcement) and must explain the expected impact in both the short term and long term. The program places weight on the idea of "impact" not just as novelty, but as a practical acceleration of melanoma advances toward clinical utility. That means applicants need to make a convincing case for why the work matters to melanoma research and/or melanoma patient care, how it could change scientific understanding or clinical decision-making, and why the project is positioned to meaningfully move the field forward rather than remain purely exploratory.

A distinctive requirement of this award is the Continuity Plan, which is meant to evaluate leadership potential and long-range commitment to melanoma beyond the life of a single project. This plan should describe how the PI will continue developing and sustaining a melanoma-focused research program and how they intend to establish themselves as a leader in the broader community, not only within their own lab or institution. In practice, this asks applicants to think ahead about the next steps after the award: how the work will grow, how it will attract follow-on funding, how it may influence collaborations, and how it will continue benefiting melanoma research and/or patients over time.

The award is also designed to connect investigators into a broader network through coordination with the MRP Melanoma Academy. While participation in Melanoma Academy activities (like networking events and seminars) is encouraged to foster collaboration and visibility, there is also a required engagement: MCAA PIs must attend one meeting hosted by the Melanoma Academy Leadership during the second year of the award to present project information or share results. This requirement signals that the program values community-building, dissemination, and cross-pollination of ideas, not just isolated project execution.

Administratively, this opportunity is run by the Department of Defense (Department of the Army, USAMRAA). It was posted under Funding Opportunity Number HT9425 23 MRP MCAA, categorized as a discretionary program, and uses grant and/or cooperative agreement mechanisms. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted by entity type (open broadly), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full notice. The opportunity anticipated making about three awards, and the public listing did not specify an award ceiling in the provided metadata. The original closing date for the posted cycle was September 22, 2023.

• 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 Melanoma Mid-Career Accelerator 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 May 18, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 22, 2023. (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 3 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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