DoD Prostate Cancer Transformative Impact Award | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): DoD PCRP Transformative Impact Award

1) What is the DoD Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP) Transformative Impact Award?

The PCRP Transformative Impact Award is a Department of Defense funding opportunity intended to support ambitious prostate cancer research projects that can change clinical practice in the near term. It is specifically aimed at work that can transform how prostate cancer is clinically managed and contribute to reducing deaths and improving quality of life for men affected by prostate cancer.

2) What does the program mean by "transformative impact"?

In this context, "transformative impact" means a credible, practice-changing shift in prostate cancer clinical management on a realistic timeline. Applications are expected to make a clear, explicit case for how the project will lead to a revolutionary change in patient care, not just generate interesting findings or incremental advances.

3) What kinds of projects does this award prioritize?

The award prioritizes translational and clinically oriented projects expected to produce near-term patient benefit. The scope may include translational research, clinical research, and/or clinical trials, as long as the end goal is clear clinical impact in prostate cancer clinical management.

4) What areas of prostate cancer care can a proposal address?

The program defines "clinical management" broadly. Projects may target screening, detection, diagnosis, prognosis, and/or treatment, as long as the proposal clearly connects the work to near-term clinical impact.

5) Is this award intended for early-stage or exploratory research?

No. The opportunity is not positioned as seed funding for purely exploratory work with distant timelines. The program expects bold and potentially high-risk research, but not speculative projects that lack strong support.

6) How much preliminary data is expected?

The award requires substantive preliminary data demonstrating feasibility and supporting the logic behind the proposed approach. The program is looking for teams that have already built a convincing foundation and are ready to move rapidly toward patient-relevant outcomes.

7) Does the program allow high-risk research?

Yes, the program expects projects to be bold and potentially high-risk. However, the work must not be thinly supported; applicants must show a strong scientific and clinical rationale and a rigorous, well-designed research strategy grounded in existing literature.

8) Are clinical trials allowed or expected?

Projects should include translational research, clinical research, and/or clinical trials. The key requirement is that the work is clinically oriented and positioned to deliver near-term benefit and practice-changing impact.

9) Are there topical requirements beyond clinical relevance?

Yes. Projects must directly address one of the PCRP overarching challenges and are expected to address at least one PCRP focus area.

10) What is required in the implementation plan?

Applicants must provide a detailed implementation plan that identifies critical milestones, explains the expertise and technical innovations to be used to meet those milestones, and describes how results will be translated to patients or clinical use.

11) What does the award mean by "execution readiness"?

Execution readiness refers to showing that the project can begin immediately upon award. The application must demonstrate access to and availability of key resources such as human subjects, human anatomical samples, relevant substances, and/or clinical data, depending on what the project requires.

12) Are collaborations with biorepositories encouraged?

Yes. For studies requiring human specimens, the program encourages collaboration with established prostate cancer biorepositories, including the Prostate Cancer Biorepository Network (PCBN) and the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project (PCaP), to support feasibility, speed, and clinical relevance.

13) Is statistical planning required?

Where appropriate, applications are expected to include robust statistical planning and genuine statistical expertise, reflecting an emphasis on methodological rigor as well as innovation.

14) What kind of team does this award expect?

The mechanism expects an exceptionally skilled, multidisciplinary team, which may include scientists, clinicians, and consumer advocates. Leadership is expected to be shared among multiple collaborators rather than relying on a single-lab model.

15) What experience is expected of the Principal Investigator (PI)?

The PI (or PIs) should have a demonstrated track record leading large, focused efforts that deliver clinical impact, along with clear evidence of commitment to team-based execution.

16) Is a communications plan required?

Yes. Applicants are expected to provide a communications plan supporting frequent, intensive interaction among team members to accelerate translation.

17) Are external scientific advisors permitted?

Yes. External scientific advisors are encouraged as part of the team structure.

18) What role does the PCRP Science Officer play during the project?

The assigned PCRP Science Officer must be invited to participate in periodic team meetings, and these meetings should be incorporated into the project plan.

19) Is there an option to have more than one PI?

Yes. The Transformative Impact Award includes a Partnering PI option that can accommodate up to three PIs: one Initiating PI and up to two Partnering PIs.

20) How does funding work under the Partnering PI option?

Under the Partnering PI structure, each PI receives a separate award. The proposal must clearly describe how the partners will combine and synergize their efforts to maximize outcomes.

21) Are the submission requirements the same for Initiating and Partnering PIs?

No. The opportunity notes that submission requirements differ by role, while still expecting that all PIs contribute meaningfully to the overall application.

22) How competitive is this opportunity?

The announcement indicates an estimated total funding level of $8,000,000 with an expectation of only one award, signaling a highly competitive mechanism.

23) What type of award mechanism is this?

This funding opportunity is offered as a cooperative agreement grant.

24) Who posted the opportunity and under what identifiers?

The opportunity was posted by the Department of the Army (USAMRAA) under Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-13-PCRP-TIA within the Military Medical Research and Development CFDA (12.420).

25) What are the key dates listed for this opportunity cycle?

The opportunity was posted May 13, 2013. The original and final closing date for that cycle was October 9, 2013. The announcement was archived November 8, 2013.

26) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The announcement specifies that there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

27) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any eligibility clarifications contained in the full announcement text.

28) Is there an oral presentation requirement?

Yes. If an application is selected for final consideration during Stage 2 of Programmatic Review, the PI or Initiating PI must present in person to the PCRP Integration Panel in the National Capital Area (the announcement specifies March 2014 for that cycle).

29) What does the oral presentation suggest about the review process?

The in-person presentation requirement underscores that the mechanism is selective and high-stakes, and it provides an opportunity for the program to probe feasibility, team integration, and the realism of claimed near-term clinical impact.

30) Who should applicants contact for access issues?

For access issues, the announcement directs applicants to the CDMRP Help Desk at 301-682-5507.