DoW Ovarian Cancer, Clinical Trial Award

The Defense Health Agency, through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs Ovarian Cancer Research Program, released the FY26 Ovarian Cancer Clinical Trial Award funding opportunity under Funding Opportunity Number HT942526OCRPCTA. The Clinical Trial Award is intended to support the rapid implementation and execution of clinical trials that have the potential to significantly improve the treatment or management of ovarian cancer. The program is managed by the Defense Health Agency Research and Development office as part of the Department of War medical research portfolio. Since its establishment in FY97, the Ovarian Cancer Research Program has received more than $556 million in appropriations to support ovarian cancer research with high scientific merit and high impact potential. The FY26 appropriation totals $50 million, and the mission of the program is to support research that prevents, detects, treats, cures, and improves survivorship outcomes for ovarian cancer patients, including Service Members, Veterans, military families, retirees, and the broader public. The Clinical Trial Award specifically supports clinical trials evaluating promising interventions such as drugs, biologics, devices, clinical guidance approaches, and emerging technologies relevant to ovarian cancer care. Eligible studies may range from pilot and proof-of-concept studies to large-scale efficacy trials involving relevant patient populations. The funding announcement explicitly excludes preclinical research and retrospective analyses of completed clinical trial datasets. Proposed projects must meet the definition of a clinical trial and must seek to evaluate safety, effectiveness, and/or efficacy outcomes of an intervention. Applicants are strongly encouraged to demonstrate that their proposed clinical trial can begin within 12 months of the award date, or within 18 months if the study requires review by a regulatory agency such as the FDA. The program also requires inclusion of preliminary data supporting the proposed trial, evidence of access to the intended study population, availability of investigational products or interventions, and a qualified multidisciplinary study team. The funding opportunity anticipates approximately $5.6 million in total program funding to support roughly two awards. Each award may request up to $2.8 million in total costs over a maximum four-year period of performance. The funding mechanism will be a grant award. Direct costs may include travel supporting multi-institutional collaboration, annual scientific meeting participation for dissemination of project results, and participant compensation or reimbursement for trial-related expenses such as transportation, lodging, caregiving costs, and accessibility resources. However, the announcement prohibits requesting travel funds beyond the specifically authorized limits. Cost sharing or matching funds are not required. The opportunity allows applications from domestic and international organizations, including nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, academic institutions, and intramural Department of War entities. Independent investigators at any academic level are eligible to serve as Principal Investigators provided they are affiliated with an eligible organization. The application process is a mandatory two-step submission process consisting of a pre-application Letter of Intent submitted through eBRAP followed by a full application submitted through either Grants.gov or eBRAP depending on the applicant organization type. Extramural applicants must submit through Grants.gov while intramural Department of War organizations submit directly through eBRAP. The pre-application consists of a one-page Letter of Intent. The full application requires a substantial set of components including a 20-page Project Narrative, Supporting Documentation, Technical Abstract, Lay Abstract, Statement of Work, Study Population Recruitment and Safety Plan, Regulatory Strategy, Study Personnel and Organization documentation, Post-Award Transition Plan, Impact Statement, and additional forms such as budgets, biosketches, current and pending support documentation, and site location forms. Applications involving regulated products requiring Investigational New Drug or Investigational Device Exemption approvals must submit regulatory applications to the appropriate agency before the full application deadline. The program also requires at least two ovarian cancer consumer advocates as integrated members of the research team throughout study planning and implementation. Applications will undergo a two-tier review process consisting of peer review followed by programmatic review. Peer reviewers will evaluate applications according to criteria including clinical impact, trial strategy and feasibility, recruitment and retention planning, regulatory strategy, transition planning, statistical rigor, ethical considerations, and study personnel qualifications. Additional unscored considerations include budget appropriateness, institutional environment, and overall application presentation quality. Programmatic review will then consider peer review outcomes alongside portfolio balance, alignment with OCRP priorities, and military relevance. The highest scoring applications are not automatically guaranteed funding because programmatic considerations also influence final award decisions. Applicants whose applications are recommended for funding will receive peer review summary statements through eBRAP and may subsequently engage in award negotiations with Defense Health Agency officials. The timeline for the FY26 funding cycle includes a pre-application Letter of Intent deadline of September 15, 2026, and a full application deadline of October 1, 2026. The application verification period closes on October 6, 2026. Peer review is anticipated in November 2026 followed by programmatic review in January 2027. Awards are expected to be issued no later than September 30, 2027, using FY26 appropriated funds. The funding opportunity is part of an annual fiscal year program structure, making it reasonable to anticipate future cycles of this award mechanism. Applicants are instructed to maintain active registrations in SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eBRAP prior to submission. Technical assistance is available through the eBRAP Help Desk at help@eBRAP.org and 301-682-5507 as well as through the Grants.gov Support Center at support@grants.gov and 800-518-4726.

Demonstrate strong preliminary data and access to the intended patient population. Include at least two ovarian cancer consumer advocates integrated throughout the project. Clearly address statistical rigor, recruitment feasibility, regulatory readiness, and transition planning. Emphasize military relevance and clinical impact on ovarian cancer treatment outcomes.