DoW Melanoma Research Program Survivorship Research Award

The Melanoma Survivorship Research Award is offered through the Defense Health Agency under the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs as part of the Melanoma Research Program. This federal initiative is designed to address the growing and underfunded area of melanoma survivorship research. The program is rooted in a broader congressional mandate to advance high-impact biomedical research that benefits service members, veterans, their families, and the general public. Since its inception, the Melanoma Research Program has received significant federal appropriations, reflecting the increasing importance of melanoma prevention, treatment, and survivorship outcomes. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to support innovative and impactful research that improves the health and well-being of melanoma survivors, as well as their families and care partners. The program specifically emphasizes survivorship as a continuum beginning at diagnosis and extending throughout the patient’s life. Funded projects are expected to address quality of life, physical function, psychological health, and long-term treatment outcomes rather than focusing solely on survival rates. Research areas of interest include symptom management, behavioral health, psychosocial impacts, healthcare delivery improvements, and survivorship care strategies. Clinical trials are permitted under this funding mechanism. Funding for this award is capped at 1,020,000 dollars per project for a maximum performance period of three years. The total program funding is approximately 2.04 million dollars, with an expectation to fund about two awards. Allowable costs include direct and indirect research expenses, travel for collaboration and dissemination, and costs associated with engaging melanoma consumer collaborators. Notably, cost sharing is not required for this opportunity. Funds must be used within the designated federal timeline, with awards anticipated to be issued no later than September 30, 2027. Eligibility is broad and inclusive, allowing applications from domestic and international organizations, including for-profit and nonprofit entities, public and private institutions, and government-affiliated organizations. The Principal Investigator must be an independent researcher at or above the Assistant Professor level or equivalent. A unique requirement of this program is the mandatory inclusion of at least one melanoma consumer collaborator, such as a survivor, family member, or care partner, who contributes lived experience to the research design and execution. Applications lacking this component are considered noncompliant. The application process follows a two-step submission model. Applicants must first submit a pre-application in the form of a Letter of Intent through the Electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal. This is followed by a full application submission through either eBRAP or Grants.gov, depending on the applicant’s organizational classification. The full application includes multiple required components such as a detailed project narrative, technical and lay abstracts, a statement of work, impact statement, collaboration plan, and supporting documentation. Additional materials may be required for clinical trials, including a clinical trial strategy statement and regulatory documentation. Applications are evaluated through a two-tier review process consisting of peer review and programmatic review. Peer review assesses scientific merit, study design, feasibility, impact, and collaboration quality, while programmatic review considers alignment with program priorities, relevance to military health, and portfolio balance. The inclusion and meaningful integration of melanoma consumer collaborators is a critical evaluation factor. Additional considerations include data sharing plans, budget appropriateness, and the potential for research translation into real-world applications. The timeline for this funding opportunity includes a pre-application deadline of September 22, 2026, and a full application deadline of October 14, 2026. Peer review is expected to occur in December 2026, followed by programmatic review in March 2027. Funding decisions are typically communicated within six weeks after programmatic review. Awards are expected to begin in 2027, with funds available through 2032. This opportunity does not explicitly state recurrence, suggesting it may be contingent on annual federal appropriations and program priorities.

Ensure strong melanoma consumer collaboration integration; emphasize quality of life outcomes not just survival; align with military health relevance; demonstrate clear impact and feasibility