DoW Melanoma Research Program Idea Award

The FY26 Melanoma Research Program Idea Award is a competitive grant opportunity administered by the Department of Defense through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs to support high-risk, high-reward innovative research with the potential to transform melanoma science. This award is specifically designed to foster novel ideas without reliance on preliminary data, which are explicitly discouraged to encourage truly original concepts. Applicants must first submit a pre-application through eBRAP and receive an invitation to proceed with a full application; only invited applicants may submit complete proposals. The total funding pool is approximately $5.6 million, with up to ten awards expected at a maximum of $560,000 each over a two-year performance period. All awards must be obligated by September 30, 2027, and funds remain available for use through September 30, 2032. Proposals must be submitted via Grants.gov for extramural applicants or eBRAP for intramural Department of Defense personnel, with strict adherence to a two-stage process and deadlines: pre-applications due July 13, 2026, and full applications due October 14, 2026, with final verification required by October 20, 2026. The full application requires nine mandatory attachments formatted as PDFs with specific naming conventions, including a six-page Project Narrative, a one-page Technical Abstract, a one-page Lay Abstract, a three-page Statement of Work, a one-page Innovation Statement, and a one-page Impact Statement, along with supporting documentation, representations, and budget forms. Evaluation is conducted through peer review based on three equally weighted criteria: Innovation, Research Strategy and Feasibility, and Impact, with additional un scored elements such as personnel, budget, and research sharing plans considered holistically. Final award decisions incorporate programmatic priorities including alignment with military health needs, portfolio balance, and strategic objectives, making the process a trade-off rather than a lowest-price technically acceptable determination. Applicants must be registered in SAM.gov and provide a Unique Entity Identifier, and all senior/key personnel must disclose foreign affiliations under national security protocols; failure to do so results in automatic withdrawal. Organizational conflicts of interest, including involvement of CDMRP review contractors or dual submissions, lead to rejection. Research must comply with DoDGARs, 2 CFR, CDMRP SABV requirements, and ethical standards for human and animal subjects. Deliverables include shared datasets, biospecimens, and tools aligned with military