DoW Peer Reviewed Cancer, Clinical Trial Award

The FY26 Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program Clinical Trial Award is administered by the Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs as part of the Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program. The program supports the rapid implementation and analysis of clinical trials intended to improve the treatment or management of cancer within at least one congressionally directed FY26 PRCRP topic area. Eligible topic areas include bladder cancer, blood cancers, brain cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, esophageal cancer, germ cell cancers, glioblastoma, liver cancer, lymphoma, mesothelioma, metastatic cancers, myeloma, neuroblastoma, neuroendocrine tumors, pediatric adolescent and young adult cancers, pediatric brain tumors, sarcoma, stomach cancer and thyroid cancer. The funding opportunity specifically excludes melanoma and cancers originating in the breast, kidney, lung, pancreas, prostate and ovary. Research must also align with one PRCRP strategic goal and one military health focus area tied to mission readiness, environmental exposure risks or survivorship outcomes affecting Service Members, Veterans and military beneficiaries. The Clinical Trial Award supports projects ranging from proof-of-concept and first-in-human studies through large phase III efficacy trials. Applications must include a clinical trial and may evaluate drugs, biologics, medical devices, clinical guidance, or emerging technologies and approaches. The program emphasizes translational and clinically impactful work capable of improving standards of care, reducing toxicities, improving survivorship outcomes, enhancing quality of life and accelerating movement toward implementation or fielded science. Preclinical work is not permitted under this mechanism and all supporting preclinical studies must be completed before the award start date. Animal studies are prohibited. Applications requiring Investigational New Drug or Investigational Device Exemption submissions must have the regulatory application filed with the appropriate regulatory authority before the application submission deadline. The proposed clinical trial must begin within 12 months of the award date, or within 18 months for studies regulated by a regulatory agency. The Defense Health Agency expects to allocate approximately $45 million to support about 10 awards. Applications may request up to $4.5 million in total costs over a maximum four-year period of performance. Both direct and indirect costs are allowable within the cap, and collaborating institutions may budget indirect costs according to their negotiated rates. Allowable direct costs include participant compensation, reimbursement of travel and caregiving expenses related to participation, travel supporting multi-institutional collaborations and limited scientific meeting travel for dissemination of findings. Tuition, preclinical research costs and excessive scientific meeting travel are unallowable. Cost sharing is not required. The award mechanism strongly encourages collaboration among academic institutions, industry, the Department of War, the Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal entities to improve access to military populations, data systems and translational infrastructure. Eligibility is broad and includes foreign and domestic organizations, nonprofit and for-profit entities, public and private institutions and intramural or extramural Department of War organizations. Independent investigators at any career stage may serve as Principal Investigator if affiliated with an eligible organization. Applications are institutionally awarded rather than awarded directly to individuals. The funding opportunity requires substantial patient advocate participation. Each research team must include at least two patient advocates who are either cancer survivors or caregivers and who contribute throughout study planning, implementation, recruitment, evaluation and project oversight. The opportunity also requires demonstration of access to an appropriate patient population, intervention availability, statistical expertise, regulatory expertise and institutional support for the clinical trial infrastructure. The application process includes both a pre-application and an invited full application. Pre-applications must be submitted through eBRAP and include a three-page preproposal narrative, references, abbreviations, biographical sketches and optional letters of support. Applicants must identify the relevant PRCRP portfolio, topic area, strategic goal and military health focus area during submission. Following invitation, full applications are submitted through Grants.gov for extramural applicants or eBRAP for intramural Department of War applicants. Full applications require a project narrative, supporting documentation, technical and lay abstracts, statement of work, military relevance statement, impact statement, patient advocate statement, study population recruitment and safety plan, regulatory strategy, study personnel and organization description and post-award transition plan. Review occurs through a two-tier process consisting of peer review and programmatic review evaluating clinical impact, feasibility, regulatory readiness, recruitment plans, statistical rigor, ethical considerations, military relevance and transition potential. The FY26 PRCRP Clinical Trial Award uses a recurring annual funding cycle. The pre-application deadline is June 26, 2026, and invited full applications are due October 5, 2026. Application verification closes October 8, 2026. Peer review is expected in December 2026 and programmatic review in February 2027. Awards are anticipated no later than September 30, 2027. Applicants are encouraged to begin registrations early because SAM.gov, eBRAP and Grants.gov registration processes may take several weeks. Questions regarding eBRAP and submission requirements may be directed to help@eBRAP.org or 301-682-5507, while Grants.gov technical support is available at support@grants.gov or 800-518-4726. The funding opportunity number is HT942526PRCRPCTA and the assistance listing number is 12.420.

Strong applications clearly demonstrate military relevance, patient advocate integration, intervention availability, realistic recruitment plans, regulatory readiness and rigorous statistical design. Clinical impact and transition potential are heavily emphasized in peer review.