DoD Melanoma, Melanoma Academy Leadership Award

The Department of Defense (DoD) through its Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) is offering the FY25 Melanoma Academy Leadership Award under the Melanoma Research Program (MRP). This opportunity is designed to fund a Director and Deputy Director who will co-lead the Melanoma Academy (MA), a virtual, multi-institutional network dedicated to fostering the professional growth of early-career melanoma researchers (referred to as Scholars). The MA provides structured mentoring, collaborative networking, and scientific development in a cross-disciplinary research environment. The MA Leadership Award is a cooperative agreement funding mechanism that mandates a partnering model with two Principal Investigators (PIs): an Initiating PI (Director) and a Partnering PI (Deputy Director). Both PIs must be independent, established melanoma researchers with a record of research funding and peer-reviewed publications. They must also demonstrate strong mentorship experience. Each PI will submit a separate full application; however, only the Initiating PI is responsible for submitting the pre-application. Selected individuals will receive separate awards and are expected to begin their roles no later than September 30, 2026. The grant offers a maximum of $1.82 million in total funding for a period of up to four years, split between the two awardees. Key responsibilities for MA Leadership include setting the strategic vision, integrating diverse disciplines, hosting workshops, providing professional development, maintaining oversight of Scholar progress, and incorporating consumer advocacy via a required Melanoma Consumer Consultant Panel and Advisory Board. Projects must align with MRP’s three strategic priorities: Prevention and Interception, Rare Melanomas, and Survivorship. Clinical trials are not permitted. Eligible applicants include both intramural and extramural U.S. and foreign organizations, including academic institutions, nonprofits, and private industry. Applications must be submitted via Grants.gov for extramural applicants or eBRAP for intramural DoD applicants. The two-step application process requires submission of a pre-application (Letter of Intent) by September 10, 2025, followed by a full application by October 1, 2025. Applications will undergo a dual-tier review process involving peer and programmatic review. Evaluation criteria include the clarity of the MA vision, qualifications of leadership, management and mentorship plans, and proposed evaluation strategies. Applicants must also demonstrate the relevance of their proposal to military health. Contact for technical support includes the eBRAP Help Desk (help@eBRAP.org, 301-682-5507) and Grants.gov Contact Center (support@grants.gov, 800-518-4726).