OpportunityTitle: DoD Kidney Cancer, Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigators &#8211; Early-Career Investigator Award
Description: The KCRP Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigators Awards support a unique, interactivevirtual academy providing intensive mentoring, national networking, collaborations, and a peergroup for junior faculty emerging as potential leaders of kidney cancer research. The overarchinggoal of the Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigators (AKCI) is to develop successful, highlyproductive kidney cancer researchers in a collaborative research and careerdevelopment environment.The AKCI is a virtual career development and research training platform that consists of Early-Career Investigator (ECI)/Designated Mentor pairs from different institutions, and an Academy Dean. The KCRP AKCIECIA is not a traditional career development award; the ECI is expected toparticipate in monthly webinars and annual workshops and to communicate and collaborate with othermembers of the Academy (other ECIs, Mentors, Dean) as well as with the kidney cancer advocacycommunity.The Academy Dean, selected in FY19, serves as a resource for the ECIs and Mentors, assessing theprogress of the ECIs, and facilitating communication and collaboration among all of the ECIs andMentors, as well as with research and advocacy communities. In addition to fostering ECIscientific development, the AKCI, through its leadership by the Academy Dean, provides professionaland leadership development of the ECIs to include skills and competencies needed to fund and managea productive laboratory or research team.This FY20 Program Announcement is soliciting ECIs and Designated Mentors to join the newlyestablished Academy. This award mechanism enables the ECI (the investigator named as the PrincipalInvestigator [PI] on the application) to pursue a kidney cancer project that may be basic,translational, and/or clinical research. The Designated Mentor is not required to be at the sameinstitution as the ECI.The KCRP encourages applications from ECIs whose ability to commit to conducting kidney cancerresearch is limited by minimal resources or a lack of resources, such as a qualified DesignatedMentor at their institution, access to kidney cancer research tools, opportunities for establishingcollaborations, or other obstacles, which should be identified in the application.Preliminary data to support the feasibility of the research applications and approaches arerequired; however, this data does not necessarily need to be derived from the kidney cancerresearch field.The ECI must be in the early-career stage. This award provides the ECI with funding, networking,and collaborative opportunities, and research experience necessary to develop and sustain asuccessful, independent career at the forefront of kidney cancer research. This award alsoprovides support and protected time for the ECI for 4 years of intensive research under theguidance of a Designated Mentor experienced in kidney cancer research. Although the AKCI willserve as a conduit to share knowledge and research experience among all Academy members, the ECIand Designated Mentor will be responsible for developing the ECI&#8217;s career development plans and fordesigning and executing the proposed research. The ECI must clearly articulate their commitment toa career as a kidney cancer researcher and to participating in and contributing to the growth ofthe AKCI.The Designated Mentor must have a strong record of mentoring and training early-careerinvestigators. With the goal to expand and enrich mentorship capacity within the Academy, aDesignated Mentor must agree to also serve as a Secondary Mentor to another ECI in the Academy. The Designated Mentor will be limited to one Primary (applicant ECI-Mentor pair) and one Secondarymentorship. The Dean of the Academy cannot be listed as a DesignatedMentor.The ECI and Designated Mentor are required to attend a biennial multi-day Department ofDefense (DoD) KCRP AKCI Workshop and, in alternate years, a 1-day DoD KCRP AKCI Workshop.The types of awards made under the Program Announcement will be assistance agreements. Anassistance agreement is appropriate when the Federal Government transfers a &#8220;thing of value&#8221; to a&#8220;state, local government,&#8221; or &#8220;other recipient&#8221; to carry out a public purpose of support orstimulation authorized by a law of the United States instead of acquiring property or service forthe direct benefit and use of the U.S. Government. An assistance agreement can take the form of agrant or cooperative agreement. The level of involvement on the part of the DoD during projectperformance is the key factor in determining whether to award a grant or cooperative agreement. If&#8220;no substantial involvement&#8221; on the part of the funding agency is anticipated, a grant award willbe made (31 USC 6304). Conversely, if substantial involvement on the part of the funding agency isanticipated, a cooperative agreement will be made (31 USC 6305), and the award will identify thespecific substantial involvement. Substantial involvement may include, but is not limited to,collaboration, participation, or intervention in the research to be performed under the award. Theaward type, along with the start date, will be determined during the negotiation process.The proposed research must be relevant to active duty Service members, Veterans, militarybeneficiaries, and/or the American public.The anticipated direct costs budgeted for the entire period of performance for an FY20 AKCIECIAwill not exceed $725,000. Refer to Section II.D.5, Funding Restrictions, for detailed fundinginformation.Awards will be made no later than September 30, 2021. For additional information refer to SectionII.F.1, Federal Award Notices.The CDMRP expects to allot approximately $4.64M to fund approximately four AKCIECIA applications. Funding of applications received is contingent upon the availability of Federal funds for thisprogram as well as the number of applications received, the quality and merit of the applicationsas evaluated by scientific and programmatic review, and the requirements of the Government. Fundsto be obligated on any award resulting from this funding opportunity will be available for use fora limited time period based on the fiscal year of the funds. It is anticipated that awards madefrom this FY20 funding opportunity will be funded with FY20funds, which will expire for use on September 30, 2026.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: CDMRP Help Desk
GrantorContactText: CDMRP Help Desk &lt;br/&gt;Phone: 301-682-5507 &lt;br/&gt;Email: Help@eBRAP.org