Opportunity Information: Apply for HT942524KCRPAKCIECSA
The DoD Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP) Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigators (AKCI) Early-Career Scholar Award is a four-year grant mechanism built around a structured, virtual mentoring academy rather than a traditional standalone career development award. The core idea is to accelerate the development of junior faculty into independent, highly productive kidney cancer researchers by pairing each Early-Career Scholar (ECS) with a Designated Mentor and then plugging that pair into a larger, interactive national network. The academy format is meant to create sustained momentum through regular scientific exchange, career guidance, collaboration, and exposure to advocacy perspectives, with an overall goal of strengthening the kidney cancer research workforce and speeding progress in the field.
A central feature of this opportunity is the expectation that the ECS will do more than just run a funded project. Scholars are expected to actively participate in the AKCI community through monthly webinars, annual workshops, and ongoing communication and collaboration with other academy members, including fellow scholars, mentors, and the Academy Leadership Team. Engagement with the kidney cancer advocacy community is also part of the model, reflecting an emphasis on keeping research connected to patient and community needs. The Academy Leadership Team, led by an Academy Director and Deputy Director, serves as a coordinating and support structure across the academy, helping track scholar progress, facilitating connections, and supporting both scientific and professional development. Beyond research skills, the program explicitly aims to build leadership and practical competencies needed to win funding and manage a laboratory or research team.
The award supports a kidney cancer research project led by the ECS, who is named as the Principal Investigator on the application. Projects can be basic, translational, and/or clinical in nature, but they must not be clinical trials under the federal definition (45 CFR 46.102). In other words, studies can involve human subjects, human specimens, or human data, and can include observational clinical research such as biomarker studies, diagnostic or detection research (including imaging), mechanism-of-disease work in humans, epidemiology, health disparities, outcomes research, or health services research, as long as participants are not prospectively assigned to an intervention to evaluate health outcomes. Applicants must include preliminary data to demonstrate feasibility, although that supporting data does not have to come directly from kidney cancer research as long as it credibly supports the proposed approach.
The mentoring structure is intentionally flexible and designed to broaden access to expertise. The Designated Mentor does not have to be at the same institution as the ECS, which is meant to help early-career investigators who may lack strong kidney cancer mentorship locally. The KCRP specifically encourages applications from early-career scholars who face resource constraints that limit their ability to commit to kidney cancer research, such as limited access to specialized tools, limited collaboration opportunities, or the absence of a qualified mentor at their home institution; those barriers should be clearly described in the application. The ECS and mentor are responsible for crafting the scholar's career development plan and for designing and executing the proposed research, while the academy provides the broader environment, networking, and accountability structure. The ECS must clearly communicate a serious commitment to a long-term career focused on kidney cancer research and to contributing to the growth and culture of the AKCI.
Mentor expectations are substantial and are designed to expand mentorship capacity across the academy, not just within a single scholar-mentor relationship. The Designated Mentor must have a strong record of training and mentoring early-career investigators and must also agree to serve as a Secondary Mentor to another ECS within the AKCI. Mentors are limited to one primary mentorship (the applicant pair) and one secondary mentorship. The announcement also notes that applicants may not list the Dean of the Academy as the Designated Mentor. Both the ECS and Designated Mentor must attend Department of Defense KCRP AKCI workshops, including a multi-day workshop every two years and a one-day workshop in alternate years, reinforcing the program's emphasis on active participation and cohort-building.
While the science can be broad within kidney cancer, the announcement highlights several cross-cutting emphasis areas that applicants are encouraged to consider when appropriate and aligned with KCRP priorities. These include nuclear medicine approaches that could improve early diagnosis and targeted treatment through advanced imaging or precision theranostics; women's health considerations, including analysis of sex as a biological variable and relevance to outcomes for women; and alignment with recommendations from the congressionally mandated Metastatic Cancer Task Force, particularly research aimed at accelerating progress for advanced or recurrent disease. The program also stresses rigorous study design and transparent reporting practices to improve reproducibility and translational value, pointing applicants toward established best practices such as randomization, blinding, sample-size justification, and clear data handling plans. In addition, the DoD strongly encourages military service involvement and multidisciplinary partnerships across academia, industry, the military services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other federal agencies, especially when those collaborations provide unique populations, infrastructure, or data resources; proposals relying on unique resources must explain access at submission and how access will be maintained throughout the project.
From an administrative and funding standpoint, awards are issued as grants. The anticipated maximum for direct costs over the full period of performance is $725,000 for the four-year project. The agency expects to commit roughly $2.32 million total to fund about two awards, though actual funding depends on federal fund availability and the results of peer and programmatic review. The opportunity is run by the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA), under CFDA 12.420, and eligibility is listed as unrestricted. The original application closing date is October 15, 2024. Awards supported with FY24 funds are expected to be made no later than September 30, 2025, and FY24 funds associated with awards are anticipated to be available for use until they expire on September 30, 2030, reflecting the federal period-of-availability rules for the underlying appropriation.Apply for HT942524KCRPAKCIECSA
- The Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DoD Kidney Cancer, Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigators - Early-Career Scholar 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 2024-07-11.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-10-15. (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 2 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.
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FAQs: DoD KCRP Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigators (AKCI) Early-Career Scholar Award
What is the AKCI Early-Career Scholar Award?
The AKCI Early-Career Scholar (ECS) Award is a four-year Department of Defense Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP) grant mechanism built around a structured, virtual mentoring academy. Rather than functioning like a traditional standalone career development award, it pairs each scholar with a Designated Mentor and places that pair into a larger, interactive national network intended to accelerate the scholar into an independent, highly productive kidney cancer researcher.
What is the main goal of this award?
The main goal is to strengthen the kidney cancer research workforce and speed progress in the field by accelerating the development of junior faculty into independent investigators. The academy model emphasizes sustained momentum through regular scientific exchange, career guidance, collaboration, and exposure to advocacy perspectives.
How is this award different from a traditional career development award?
This opportunity is structured around an ongoing, virtual academy with required engagement (webinars, workshops, communication and collaboration) and a cohort/network model supported by an Academy Leadership Team. The expectation is that the scholar will participate actively in the AKCI community, not only conduct a funded project.
How long is the period of performance?
The award is a four-year grant mechanism.
Who is the Principal Investigator (PI) on the application?
The Early-Career Scholar is named as the Principal Investigator (PI) and leads the proposed kidney cancer research project.
What kinds of research projects are supported?
Projects may be basic, translational, and/or clinical in nature, as long as they are focused on kidney cancer and meet the program requirements (including the restriction on clinical trials). The announcement notes that studies may involve human subjects, human specimens, or human data, including observational clinical research (for example, biomarker studies, diagnostics/detection including imaging, mechanism-of-disease studies in humans, epidemiology, health disparities, outcomes research, or health services research), provided they are not clinical trials under the federal definition.
Are clinical trials allowed?
No. Projects must not be clinical trials under the federal definition (45 CFR 46.102). The announcement indicates that the work can include human-subjects research and observational clinical studies, but it cannot involve prospectively assigning participants to an intervention to evaluate health outcomes.
Is preliminary data required?
Yes. Applicants must include preliminary data to demonstrate feasibility. The preliminary data does not have to come directly from kidney cancer research, as long as it credibly supports the proposed approach.
Do I need to have a mentor at my own institution?
No. The Designated Mentor does not have to be at the same institution as the Early-Career Scholar. This flexibility is intended to broaden access to expertise, including for early-career investigators who may not have strong kidney cancer mentorship locally.
What is the role of the Designated Mentor?
The Designated Mentor is paired with the Early-Career Scholar to support the scholar’s scientific and career development. The scholar and mentor are responsible for crafting the scholar’s career development plan and for designing and executing the proposed research, while the academy provides the broader networking, collaboration, and accountability structure.
Are there additional mentoring obligations beyond mentoring the applicant scholar?
Yes. The Designated Mentor must have a strong record of training and mentoring early-career investigators and must also agree to serve as a Secondary Mentor to another Early-Career Scholar within the AKCI.
How many scholars can a mentor support in the AKCI?
Mentors are limited to one primary mentorship (the applicant scholar) and one secondary mentorship.
Can the Dean of the Academy serve as the Designated Mentor?
No. The announcement states that applicants may not list the Dean of the Academy as the Designated Mentor.
What kinds of participation are expected from Early-Career Scholars?
Scholars are expected to actively participate in the AKCI community, including monthly webinars, annual workshops, and ongoing communication and collaboration with academy members (other scholars, mentors, and the Academy Leadership Team). Engagement with the kidney cancer advocacy community is also part of the program model.
What workshop attendance is required?
Both the Early-Career Scholar and the Designated Mentor must attend Department of Defense KCRP AKCI workshops, including a multi-day workshop every two years and a one-day workshop in alternate years.
What is the Academy Leadership Team and what does it do?
The Academy Leadership Team, led by an Academy Director and Deputy Director, provides coordination and support across the academy. The team helps track scholar progress, facilitates connections, and supports scientific and professional development.
Does the program address professional development beyond research skills?
Yes. In addition to research development, the program explicitly aims to build leadership and practical competencies needed to win funding and manage a laboratory or research team.
Does the program encourage applications from scholars facing limited local resources?
Yes. The KCRP specifically encourages applications from early-career scholars who face resource constraints that limit their ability to commit to kidney cancer research (for example, limited access to specialized tools, limited collaboration opportunities, or no qualified mentor at the home institution). The announcement indicates that these barriers should be clearly described in the application.
What level of commitment to kidney cancer research is expected from the scholar?
The Early-Career Scholar must clearly communicate a serious commitment to a long-term career focused on kidney cancer research and to contributing to the growth and culture of the AKCI.
Are there specific scientific emphasis areas mentioned?
Yes. The announcement highlights several cross-cutting emphasis areas that applicants are encouraged to consider when appropriate and aligned with KCRP priorities. These include nuclear medicine approaches (such as advanced imaging or precision theranostics for earlier diagnosis and targeted treatment), women’s health considerations (including sex as a biological variable and relevance to outcomes for women), and alignment with recommendations from the congressionally mandated Metastatic Cancer Task Force, particularly for advanced or recurrent disease.
What does the announcement say about study rigor and reproducibility?
The program stresses rigorous study design and transparent reporting practices to improve reproducibility and translational value. It points to established best practices such as randomization, blinding, sample-size justification, and clear data handling plans.
Is military service involvement encouraged?
Yes. The Department of Defense strongly encourages military service involvement and multidisciplinary partnerships across academia, industry, the military services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other federal agencies, particularly when those collaborations provide unique populations, infrastructure, or data resources.
If a proposal relies on unique resources or data, what must be addressed?
Proposals relying on unique resources must explain access at submission and how access will be maintained throughout the project.
What is the maximum funding amount?
The anticipated maximum for direct costs over the full four-year period of performance is $725,000.
How many awards are expected to be funded?
The agency expects to commit roughly $2.32 million total to fund about two awards, although actual funding depends on federal fund availability and the results of peer and programmatic review.
What type of award instrument is used?
Awards are issued as grants.
Which agency runs this opportunity?
The opportunity is run by the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA), under CFDA 12.420.
What is the eligibility?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted.
What is the application closing date?
The original application closing date is October 15, 2024.
When are awards expected to be made?
Awards supported with FY24 funds are expected to be made no later than September 30, 2025.
How long will FY24 funds associated with awards be available?
FY24 funds associated with awards are anticipated to be available for use until they expire on September 30, 2030, reflecting federal period-of-availability rules for the underlying appropriation.
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