Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 16 PRCRP TTSA
Apply for W81XWH 16 PRCRP TTSA
- The DOD-AMRAA in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DoD Peer Reviewed Cancer Translational Team Science 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 Apr 18, 2016 and posted on Apr 18, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 13, 2016. (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 10 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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Opportunity Summary:
The DoD Peer Reviewed Cancer Translational Team Science Award (TTSA) is a Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program opportunity designed to push promising cancer findings closer to real-world clinical use. Its core purpose is to fund hypothesis-driven translational research that is explicitly tied to an ongoing or completed clinical trial, using what has already been learned from those trials to answer key follow-on questions. Projects are expected to leverage clinical trial observations to fill critical knowledge gaps, validate important results, explain outcomes, or pursue novel signals that emerged during the trial. The intent is to generate the kind of evidence and mechanistic understanding that can justify and shape a next-phase clinical trial or inform a future clinical application, rather than starting from scratch with purely exploratory work.
A key boundary of the TTSA is that it does not pay for clinical trials themselves. The program draws a firm line between translational studies that use trial-derived data or specimens and the prospective enrollment of patients to test an intervention for a measured safety or efficacy outcome. In other words, if a project involves a classic clinical trial structure (prospective accrual plus an intervention such as a drug, biologic, device, surgery, rehab approach, or behavioral program), that portion cannot be supported with TTSA funds. Applicants can reference an ongoing or completed trial and build correlative or translational studies around it, but they must clearly state that the trial will not be funded through this mechanism. Applications tied to a clinical trial that has not yet begun are discouraged, reflecting the program preference for studies grounded in real trial experience and available data rather than plans that have not yet produced observations.
The science supported by TTSA can include work in preclinical models and studies involving human subjects or human anatomical substances, as long as the work is positioned as translational follow-up connected to the clinical trial context. The opportunity also allows the development or use of relevant preclinical models when they are needed to test hypotheses generated from clinical trial findings. At the same time, the program signals what it does not want to fund: large-scale high-throughput screening or broad sequencing efforts as a primary activity are described as outside the award’s intent. The expectation is that the proposed research is focused, hypothesis-driven, and clearly linked to accelerating a practical clinical path.
Team structure is central to the TTSA. Applications must be submitted by a multi-PI team with at least two and no more than three Principal Investigators working together under one overarching research strategy. One investigator is designated as the Initiating PI, who handles most of the administrative responsibilities for submission, while the remaining investigator(s) serve as Partnering PI(s). Even though administrative roles differ, each PI is expected to make a substantial intellectual and scientific contribution to the project’s design and execution. If funded, each PI receives a separate award, which underscores the cooperative, multi-institutional nature of the mechanism and the expectation of shared responsibility for outcomes.
Because the award is built around cross-cutting teamwork, applications must lay out concrete plans for collaboration, including how the investigators and organizations will communicate, coordinate progress, share results, and transfer data. Applicants must also provide an intellectual property plan to address potential ownership and material transfer issues up front and to reduce institutional friction that could limit cooperation. This requirement reflects the program’s emphasis on making sure the collaboration is operationally realistic, not just nominal, and that discoveries can move forward without avoidable legal or administrative bottlenecks.
Several review priorities are highlighted. Collaboration is treated as essential, with success tied to the unique, complementary expertise of the partner investigators rather than redundant roles. The translational aspect is also a defining requirement: proposals should show genuine two-way movement between basic and clinical science, such as using clinical trial observations to drive mechanistic laboratory studies and then using those mechanistic insights to refine clinical hypotheses, biomarkers, or patient stratification approaches. The program also places strong weight on impact, looking for projects that can meaningfully accelerate progress across the cancer continuum (prevention through survivorship) within the specified PRCRP topic areas for that fiscal year. Innovation is encouraged when it challenges existing paradigms, introduces new approaches, or applies established technologies in a fresh, clinically relevant way.
Military relevance is another required pillar. Proposed research must align with at least one PRCRP Military Relevance Focus Area and should be clearly tied to the needs of active duty Service members, their families, Veterans, and other military beneficiaries. The rationale should connect to exposures, conditions, or circumstances that are unique to military service or disproportionately affect military populations, and it should be framed in terms of the broader Military Health System, the VA, and the Defense Health Program mission. Including a military or VA investigator as an equal research partner is encouraged, but the program is explicit that this person should have a substantial scientific role and not be added solely to gain access to military or VA patient populations.
Finally, the TTSA expects applicants to bring preliminary evidence to the table. Data from an ongoing or completed clinical trial must be included in the application, or the investigators must cite relevant prior work connected to the proposed studies. In practical terms, this means the program is aimed at teams that already have a strong foundation of clinical-trial-linked observations and are ready to use that foundation to produce decisive translational advances. The funding opportunity was issued by DOD-AMRAA under opportunity number W81XWH-16-PRCRP-TTSA, with an unrestricted eligibility statement (open to many entity types), and it anticipated making around 10 awards; the listing provided does not specify an award ceiling.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - DoD Peer Reviewed Cancer Translational Team Science Award (TTSA)
1) What is the main goal of the DoD PRCRP Translational Team Science Award (TTSA)?
The TTSA is designed to push promising cancer findings closer to real-world clinical use by funding hypothesis-driven translational research that is explicitly tied to an ongoing or completed clinical trial. The program emphasizes using what has already been learned in the clinical trial to answer key follow-on questions that can justify, shape, or inform a next-phase clinical trial or future clinical application.
2) What kinds of research does the TTSA prioritize?
The TTSA prioritizes focused, hypothesis-driven translational studies that leverage clinical trial observations, data, or specimens to fill knowledge gaps, validate important results, explain outcomes, or pursue novel signals that emerged during a trial. Projects should demonstrate a clear translational pathway, meaning the work is intended to help move the science toward a practical clinical path rather than remaining purely exploratory.
3) Is a clinical trial required for a TTSA application?
The proposed research must be explicitly tied to an ongoing or completed clinical trial. The application is expected to use clinical trial-derived observations (for example, findings, data, or specimens) to drive the translational research questions.
4) Will the TTSA pay for a clinical trial?
No. The TTSA does not fund clinical trials themselves. The opportunity draws a firm line between translational studies that use trial-derived data/specimens and the prospective enrollment of patients to test an intervention for a measured safety or efficacy outcome. If a project includes a classic clinical trial structure (prospective accrual plus an intervention), that portion cannot be supported with TTSA funds.
5) What does the program consider a "clinical trial" that cannot be funded?
As described in the opportunity, a classic clinical trial structure includes prospective patient accrual plus an intervention such as a drug, biologic, device, surgery, rehabilitation approach, or behavioral program, with measured safety and/or efficacy outcomes. Funding for that prospective intervention-testing portion is not allowed under TTSA.
6) Can an application be linked to an ongoing clinical trial?
Yes. Applicants can reference an ongoing clinical trial and propose correlative or translational studies around it, as long as they clearly state that the clinical trial itself will not be funded through this mechanism.
7) Can an application be linked to a completed clinical trial?
Yes. The program is intended to use lessons and observations from ongoing or completed trials to generate evidence and mechanistic understanding that supports next steps toward clinical application or the design of a subsequent trial.
8) Are applications tied to a clinical trial that has not yet started allowed?
They are discouraged. The TTSA preference is for studies grounded in real clinical trial experience and available observations/data, rather than plans that have not yet produced trial-based findings.
9) Can TTSA-supported research include preclinical work?
Yes. The TTSA can include work in preclinical models when needed to test hypotheses generated from clinical trial findings, as long as the overall project remains a translational follow-up connected to the clinical trial context.
10) Can TTSA-supported research involve human subjects or human anatomical substances?
Yes. The opportunity allows studies involving human subjects or human anatomical substances, provided the work is positioned as translational follow-up connected to the clinical trial context.
11) What types of research activities are explicitly outside the TTSA's intent?
The TTSA signals that large-scale high-throughput screening or broad sequencing efforts as a primary activity are outside the award's intent. The expectation is for a focused, hypothesis-driven proposal rather than a primarily discovery-wide, high-throughput approach.
12) Is this award intended for exploratory research that starts from scratch?
No. The intent is not to start from scratch with purely exploratory work. The TTSA is meant to build from clinical trial-derived lessons and observations to produce decisive translational advances that can inform a future clinical application or next-phase clinical trial.
13) What is the required team structure for TTSA?
Applications must be submitted by a multi-PI team with at least two and no more than three Principal Investigators (PIs), working under one overarching research strategy.
14) What is an Initiating PI and what do they do?
One PI is designated as the Initiating PI and is responsible for most of the administrative responsibilities for submission.
15) What is a Partnering PI and what do they do?
The remaining PI(s) serve as Partnering PI(s). Although administrative roles differ, each PI is expected to make a substantial intellectual and scientific contribution to the project design and execution.
16) If funded, does the team receive one award or multiple awards?
If funded, each PI receives a separate award. This structure underscores the cooperative, potentially multi-institutional nature of the mechanism and the expectation of shared responsibility for outcomes.
17) What collaboration details are applicants expected to provide?
Applications must include concrete plans for collaboration, describing how investigators and organizations will communicate, coordinate progress, share results, and transfer data.
18) Is an intellectual property (IP) plan required?
Yes. Applicants must provide an intellectual property plan to address potential ownership and material transfer issues up front and reduce institutional friction that could limit cooperation.
19) Why does the TTSA emphasize collaboration so heavily?
Collaboration is treated as essential, and success is tied to unique and complementary expertise across investigators rather than redundant roles. The program expects the team approach to be operationally realistic and to support translational progress without avoidable administrative or legal bottlenecks.
20) What does "translational" mean in the context of TTSA?
TTSA expects genuine two-way movement between basic and clinical science. An example described by the opportunity is using clinical trial observations to drive mechanistic laboratory studies, then using those mechanistic insights to refine clinical hypotheses, biomarkers, or patient stratification approaches.
21) What review priorities are highlighted for TTSA proposals?
The opportunity highlights collaboration, translational relevance (two-way basic/clinical movement), impact across the cancer continuum (from prevention through survivorship) within the specified PRCRP topic areas for that fiscal year, and innovation that challenges paradigms or applies technologies in clinically relevant new ways.
22) What is meant by "impact across the cancer continuum"?
Within the PRCRP topic areas for the applicable fiscal year, the program looks for projects that can meaningfully accelerate progress across prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship.
23) Is military relevance required?
Yes. Military relevance is described as a required pillar. Proposed research must align with at least one PRCRP Military Relevance Focus Area and should be clearly tied to the needs of active duty Service members, their families, Veterans, and other military beneficiaries.
24) How should applicants describe military relevance?
The rationale should connect to exposures, conditions, or circumstances unique to military service or that disproportionately affect military populations, and it should be framed in terms of the broader Military Health System, VA, and Defense Health Program mission.
25) Is including a military or VA investigator required?
Including a military or VA investigator as an equal research partner is encouraged, but not stated as required. If included, the program specifies that the person should have a substantial scientific role and not be added solely to gain access to military or VA patient populations.
26) Are preliminary data required?
Yes. The TTSA expects applicants to bring preliminary evidence. Data from an ongoing or completed clinical trial must be included in the application, or investigators must cite relevant prior work connected to the proposed studies.
27) What kind of clinical-trial connection is expected in the preliminary evidence?
In practical terms, the program is aimed at teams that already have a strong foundation of clinical-trial-linked observations and are ready to use that foundation to produce decisive translational advances.
28) Who is eligible to apply?
The listing describes eligibility as unrestricted (open to many entity types).
29) Which agency issued this funding opportunity and what is the opportunity number?
The funding opportunity was issued by DOD-AMRAA under opportunity number W81XWH-16-PRCRP-TTSA.
30) Approximately how many awards were anticipated?
The listing anticipated making around 10 awards.
31) Is there an award ceiling (maximum budget) stated in the listing provided?
No. The listing provided does not specify an award ceiling.
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