Grants for Private Institutions Of Higher Education

This funding opportunity provides up to $1 million to research centers focused on improving the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of intellectual and developmental disabilities through collaborative and innovative research.

The DoD Reconstructive Transplant, Idea Discovery Award is a funding opportunity aimed at supporting innovative, high-risk/high-reward research projects related to reconstructive transplant, with a focus on generating robust data, addressing military health care needs, advancing women's health research, and adhering to rigorous experimental design, with a total budget not exceeding $500,000.

The Humanities Montana Film + Video grant program is a competitive initiative designed to foster the development, production, and distribution of documentary films and series. These projects must engage general audiences with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways, aligning with Humanities Montana's mission to deepen public understanding of significant humanities questions. The program supports projects grounded in humanities scholarship, requiring a thoughtful, balanced, and analytical approach to subjects, while also demonstrating the potential to attract a broad general audience. The primary beneficiaries of this program are media producers collaborating with scholars, as well as the general public who will consume the resulting film and video content. The impact goals are to enhance public understanding of humanities themes, foster analytical thinking, and engage communities and cultures represented in the project content. The program aims to support projects that not only present diverse perspectives but also involve humanities scholars in all aspects, from research and script development to production and post-production. The grant prioritizes projects that focus on clearly defined humanities themes, build on sound humanities scholarship, and actively engage the general public in learning through appealing and accessible formats. Funding is categorized into three stages: Stage One for research and script development (up to $8,000), Stage Two for production (up to $10,000), and Stage Three for post-production and public distribution (up to $10,000). Each stage has specific prerequisites and expected deliverables, ensuring a structured progression of projects. Expected outcomes include the creation of completed scripts or detailed treatments in Stage One, rough cuts of films or videos in Stage Two, and fully distributed projects with public programming, outreach, and evaluation plans in Stage Three. Humanities Montana's strategic priority is to support major projects that may require multiyear support and significant stages of research, development, and production. The theory of change is that by funding high-quality, humanities-focused documentary films, they can effectively reach and engage broad audiences, thereby deepening public understanding and appreciation of the humanities.

The Alliance for Pediatric Device Innovation (APDI) is offering grants up to $50,000 for pediatric medical devices aimed at improving the monitoring, diagnosis, or treatment of youth substance use disorders and addiction. Up to $150,000 in total grant funds are available for distribution. Eligible applicants include inventors from established businesses, startups, and academic researchers with commercializable device concepts that address unmet pediatric needs. The goal is to support the development of devices that can be commercialized, with an emphasis on bridging the gap between prototyping and FDA approval, marketing, and sales. Proposals should focus on innovations such as AI-based diagnostic tools, digital therapeutics, wearable devices, and neuromodulation therapies. The application deadline is July 30, 2024, and winners will be announced on August 15, 2024.

The "Facilitating Preclinical and Early Phase Human Studies for New Therapeutics" grant aims to fund research that advances new treatments from preclinical stages to first-in-human trials for aging-related conditions, excluding neurodegenerative and Alzheimer's diseases, with a focus on improving injury repair in older adults and defining clear milestones for progress monitoring.

This funding opportunity supports non-profit organizations, schools, and community groups in Hawaii to develop and sustain urban forestry projects that promote tree planting, care, and education while emphasizing equity and environmental justice.

Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), GCJ seeks applications to support accountability processes for alleged atrocity crimes committed globally by members of the Wagner Group and analogous Kremlin-backed paramilitaries, including tracking enablers of these entities, which include corporate actors and financial services firms. Accountability processes can include investigations being pursued by national authorities, including by Ukraines Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG), or other domestic authorities, including where national systems may exercise extraterritorial jurisdiction; cases before international and hybrid courts; efforts to achieve corporate accountability through corporate governance, civil, or administrative proceedings; and proceedings before human rights mechanisms.

The DoD Reconstructive Transplant Research Investigator-Initiated Research Award is a funding opportunity aimed at supporting innovative and impactful research projects that contribute to reconstructive transplant science, improve patient care, and enhance the quality of life, with a particular focus on addressing the healthcare needs of military service members, veterans, and their families.

The Humanities Montana’s Community Project Grants support public humanities programming throughout Montana. This initiative aligns with the foundation's mission to strengthen community and culture by promoting civic engagement, sparking thoughtful community dialogue, and reflecting on the human experience across the state. These grants are designed to foster bold and innovative projects that are meaningful to local communities and inspire timely community conversations. The primary target beneficiaries are the general public across Montana, with a particular emphasis on engaging diverse communities and cultures. The impact goals include deepening public understanding of significant humanities questions, building on sound humanities scholarship, and fostering analytical approaches that present a variety of perspectives. The program aims to strengthen cultural understanding and civic participation through accessible and appealing formats. The program prioritizes projects focused on clearly defined humanities themes. Funding is available for a wide array of formats, including storytelling, historical analysis, public writing workshops, literacy programs, ethical inquiry, interpretation at historic sites, book festivals, exhibits, lectures, speaker series, panel discussions, teacher institutes & workshops, humanities program planning, reading & discussion programs, and various humanities events. All projects must involve humanities scholars (academic, professional, or subject-expert) in all aspects and require at least one confirmed subject-expert. Expected outcomes include increased public engagement with humanities topics, enhanced community dialogue, and a deeper reflection on the human experience. Measurable results will likely be demonstrated through the reach and participation in the programs, the quality of humanities scholarship integrated, and the active involvement of communities and cultures represented in project content. For projects involving Native American communities, letters of support from participating scholars, researchers, and/or program participants are required, outlining their involvement. The maximum award for these grants ranges from $2,000 to $10,000.

The National Academy of Sciences Gulf Research Program is investing $50 million in the Gulf Futures Challenge to fund projects addressing critical challenges in the Gulf region. The Challenge aims to discover and promote innovative and transformative solutions by leveraging the talent and knowledge of the Gulf's people. The competition focuses on three main areas: energy transition, environmental change along the coast, and healthy and resilient communities. Up to ten finalists will receive up to $1 million in project development support, with two finalists awarded $20 million each to implement their solutions. Eligible applicants include nonprofits, state, local, and tribal governments, and academic institutions from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, or Texas, with projects located within 100 miles of the Gulf coastline. The registration deadline is August 20, 2024, and the application deadline is September 20, 2024.

With this solicitation, OJJDP seeks to support a National Community and Schools Youth Drug Prevention Program for the purpose of delivering substance use prevention programs in schools in partnership with local law enforcement and community coalitions. The successful national organization will provide funding and training and technical assistance (TTA) to local non-profits who will be required to build community coalitions in partnership with law enforcement to educate youth in schools and in extracurricular programming on drug prevention. Community coalitions consist of community leaders that organize to meet the local prevention needs of the youth and families in their communities. Partnerships among non-profit organizations, community coalitions and law enforcement ensure that communities implement comprehensive approaches to prevent youth substance use.

The CDMRP Neurofibromatosis Clinical Trial Award is designed to support the implementation of clinical trials that aim to significantly improve the treatment or management of Neurofibromatosis, encouraging collaborations among various sectors including academia, industry, military services, and federal agencies.

This grant provides funding for innovative research proposals from universities, non-profits, and businesses to develop disruptive technologies that enhance the U.S. Army's capabilities for future operations.

The U.S. Embassy Dushanbe Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) is soliciting proposals to manage the English for Journalists Program from accredited non-governmental schools, institutes, teacher training centers, universities, or organizations. Applicants should pay close attention to the Public Diplomacy Sections goals, priority program areas, and target audiences when developing their proposals. Current Situation Problem Statement: English is the most commonly used language on the Internet and in global media. Yet, journalists in Tajikistan generally do not make use of this global resource as their capacity in English language is low. As a result, journalists cannot research stories in English and are not able to access accurate sources of information that will allow them to recognize, respond to, and combat disinformation, misinformation, and propaganda in the news and on the internet. Additionally, many journalists miss out on opportunities to learn skills in high quality field reporting through studying the most prestigious international sources of information, or even adequately cover international stories. Review of Past Projects: The U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe previously supported English for Journalists projects that trained hundreds of journalists and bloggers in professional reporting skills; past projects have increased participants ability to read and write stories in English and strengthened their investigative journalism skills. Projects have also trained journalists in new techniques and approaches to make the transition to digital journalism. Proposed Project Introduction: This funding opportunity seeks to equip journalists with English language skills to access English language news sources, write articles in English, and conduct interviews and reports in English. During this program, journalists will also become familiar with international standards of journalism ethics, and how to recognize, respond to, and combat disinformation, misinformation, and propaganda in the news and on the internet. The Embassy welcomes creative proposals to establish English for Journalists courses that can both boost the English language ability of journalists and improve their reporting and develop their critical thinking and decision-making skills. The program should consist of English language courses for intermediate and upper-level English-speaking journalists, of at least 20 hours per month, with a total of 240 hours of English language instruction over one year. The projects can be implemented in Dushanbe, Khorugh, Khujand, and Kulob. The project should include between 75 and 175 professionals in journalism from private and independent media organizations in Dushanbe, Khorugh, Khujand, and Kulob. Projects that involve higher numbers of journalists with lower costs are encouraged. To be eligible for consideration, the organization must use instructors who can demonstrate relevant teaching experience, with at least three years of experience teaching English to adults. Project Goal: Strengthen the capacity of journalists and content creators in Tajikistan to produce diverse, high-quality media content through English language development. Project Audience(s): The primary target audience for this project is between 75 and 175 Tajik professionals in journalism from private and independent media organizations, including journalists, managers, editors, and translators of media outlets, and social media influencers who demonstrate a commitment to engaging on social issues in English, as demonstrated in published or online work. Participants will have demonstrated English language proficiency: Pre-intermediate A2B1, Intermediate B1, Upper-intermediate B2, Advanced C1C2 Project Objectives: Successful proposals will achieve one or more of the following objectives: Objective 1: Over a 12-month period, participating journalists will improve their English language proficiency, namely their speaking, writing, reading, vocabulary, grammar, and listening skills by at least one standardized level on the CEFR scale, with a specific focus on journalistic language style and terminology. Objective 2: Over a 12-month period, participating journalists will improve their critical thinking, investigative journalism, source evaluation, fact-checking, and media literacy skills by participating in activities with English as the language of instruction. Objective 3: Over a 12-month period, participating journalists will improve their understanding on current trends and best practices in global journalism, specifically in the areas of digital journalism, multimedia storytelling, data journalism, and citizen journalism. Objective 4: Over a 12-month period, Journalists will learn how to recognize, respond to, and combat disinformation, misinformation, and propaganda in the news and on the internet by participating in activities with English as the language of instruction. Objective 5: Over a 12-month period, participating journalists will establish connections with international journalists and media professionals through virtual conferences, webinars, and online forums. Examples of activities include but are not limited to: English language classes for journalists focused on developing speaking, reading, and writing, skills Immersive English language camps for journalists. Lessons or seminars in English that focus on advancing skills specific to journalistic contexts, such as news writing styles, interviewing techniques, and media terminology. Practical reporting assignments, including conducting interviews in English; analyzing and summarizing English-language news reports, and producing original media content in English. Analyzing real-world journalism case studies to learn from successes and failures, analyze ethical dilemmas, and discuss best practices. Expert lectures and panel discussions from journalism experts on topics such as digital journalism, data-driven storytelling, media ethics, and cross-cultural communication

Under the authority of Section 21 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act), the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) established its discretionary grant program in 1978. In 1997, OSHA renamed the program in honor of the late Susan Harwood, former director of the OSHA Office of Risk Assessment. The grant program offers opportunities for nonprofit organizations to compete annually for funding so they may develop and conduct training and educational programs for small business employers and workers. The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program aims to advance the job quality of the American workforce by providing disadvantaged, underserved, low-income, or other hard-to-reach, at-risk workers with hazard awareness, avoidance, and control training to protect them from on-the-job hazards, and to inform workers of their rights and employers of their responsibilities under the OSH Act. The program and this funding opportunity announcement prioritizes investment and funding to train workers and employers impacted by working in high-hazard industries, industries with high fatality rates, or whose workforce has historically had disadvantaged access to occupational safety and health training, including young workers, temporary, minority, low literacy, limited-English speaking, and other disadvantaged and hard-to-reach workers and worker communities. The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program seeks to increase access to life-saving training by encouraging grantees to provide the training in other languages. Technical assistance, guidance, and support for this funding opportunity is presented in OSHAs FY 2024 Susan Harwood Training Grant Funding Opportunity Overview available at: www.osha.gov/harwoodgrants/applicant-information. The program is designed to support and enable nonprofit organizations efforts to provide this important occupational safety and health training to disadvantaged workers. These nonprofit organizations include qualifying labor unions, community-based, faith-based, and grassroots organizations; employer associations; Native American tribes; tribal Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and native-controlled organizations that are not an agency of a state or local government; and public/state-controlled institutions of higher education. The program provides education and training on advancement of workers workplace rights and protections against discrimination and reprisal. The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program seeks applications based on proven strategies to reach the target training populations while also developing innovative solutions to expand access. Grantees agree to participate in the data collection and training impact evaluations described in this funding opportunity announcement. The Susan Harwood Grant Program awards funds to qualifying organizations who have demonstrated capabilities to achieve the programs performance expectations outlined in this FOA. This includes experience in employing subject matter experts, delivering and administering adult training programs, recruiting students, and managing grants. Following the grant awards, OSHA monitors each organizations progress in achieving their performance goals and training targets. OSHA accomplishes this by conducting orientation meetings, training material reviews, training observations, program and financial monitoring visits, and quarterly and year-end report reviews. For FY 2024, OSHA announces the availability of $12,787,000 in funding for new Susan Harwood Training Program grants based on 2024 federal appropriations. OSHA expects to award multiple grants to eligible nonprofit organizations under this competitive FOA. This FOA does not itself obligate any federal funds. The obligation of funds occurs when grant recipients acknowledge receipt and acceptance of award documents. Program funding is for a 12-month period beginning no later than September 30, 2024, and ending on September 30, 2025. The maximum award for a Training and Educational Materials Development grant is $75,000. Applications submitted under this FOA are competing for a Training and Educational Materials Development grant. This FOA does not itself obligate any federal funds. The obligation of funds occurs when grant recipients acknowledge receipt and acceptance of award documents. Applicants must propose to develop new training materials addressing one of the OSHA-specified training topics. The materials must include learning objectives, course matrices, presentation/training materials including videos, instructor and participant guides, student handouts, training evaluations, and learning assessments. Grantees must validate the training materials by conducting a pilot instructor-led classroom training session. Organizations are restricted to one Susan Harwood Targeted Topic Training grant, Training and Educational Materials Development grant, or Capacity Building grant award in a fiscal year. If an organization submits multiple applications for any of these Susan Harwood funding opportunities, OSHA will review the last complete and viable application package submitted. Once submitted, applications are not available for additions, corrections, or revisions. To make changes to a submitted application, the organization must submit a new application package. This FOA closes on July 26, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. eastern time. Applications not validated www.grants.gov (Grants.gov), or submitted after this deadline, are ineligible for consideration.

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Public Diplomacy (PD) section at the U.S. Embassy in Harare of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications for a grant award to deepen understanding of the United States through interactive, engaging programming at the American Spaces in Zimbabwe. The PD section invites proposals from eligible organizations for projects beginning no earlier than October 2024. The deadline for this NOFO, AF-HAR-FY24-11, is Monday, July 15, 2024. Please follow all instructions below. American Spaces are U.S. Department of State supported cultural and information centers around the world that provide free and open access for members of local communities to learn more about the United States, develop skills, and access a wide range of resources. They are designed, configured, and equipped to promote critical thinking, innovation, and thoughtful discussions of issues important to the United States and host countries. American Spaces programming showcases the breadth and depth of American values, ideals, culture, and perspectives on a variety of themes. Priority Region: Project activities must take place at the American Spaces in Bulawayo and Gweru, Zimbabwe. Program Objectives: PD Harare invites proposals to implement impactful programs focused on civil society sustainability, investigative journalism, entrepreneurship and innovation, media literacy, and climate resilience at the American Spaces to forge enduring connections between the United States and emerging leaders. Grant proposals must convey an American cultural element, support a priority program area (see program focus below) or include a connection with American expert(s), organization(s), or institution(s) in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives. Priority Program Areas: A successful proposal will include a robust calendar of activities through serial programming spanning at least eight (8) months and directly address the following key programming areas: Civil Society Sustainability. Entrepreneurship. Investigative journalism. Photography/Videography Skills Building. 5. Climate Resilience. Participants and Audiences: The U.S. Mission American Corner programs audiences are emerging leaders and young professionals, ages 18 30. B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION Length of performance period: 8 to 12 months Number of awards anticipated: One (1) award Award amounts: Maximum of $17,800.00 Total available funding: $17,800.00 Type of Funding: 19.022 Educational Cultural Exchange Programs Anticipated programs start date: September 15, 2024 Funding Instrument Type: Grant THIS NOTICE IS SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY OF FUNDING. Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 12 months or less. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) We are committed to fostering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) within our programs. We encourage applications from local associations that embrace and demonstrate a commitment to diversity in all its forms, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic background, and geographic location. We believe that diverse perspectives and experiences strengthen our communities and lead to more innovative solutions to shared challenges. Therefore, we actively seek to support projects and initiatives that promote equity and foster inclusion. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION To Request Application Package: Email [email protected]; an automatic reply with the application forms will be sent. Forms are also available at www.grants.gov Required Registrations: All organizations (not individuals) whether based in the United States or in another country, must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and an active registration with the SAM.gov. Steps to acquire UEI and registration: https://login.gov create an account. To access SAM.gov an organization is required to have a Login.gov account. https://www.SAM.gov registration which will generate a unique entity identifier (UEI) The UEI are assigned when an organization registers or renews its registration in SAM.gov Organizations should renew their registration once a year to maintain an active registration status in SAM.gov. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure it has an active SAM registration. Note: The process of obtaining or renewing a SAM.gov registration may take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Please begin your registration as early as possible. Organizations based outside of the United States and that do not pay employees within the United States do not need an EIN from the IRS but do need a UEI number prior to registering in SAM.gov. Organizations based in the United States or that pay employees within the United States will need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and a UEI number prior to registering in SAM.gov. If an organization plans to issue a sub-contract or sub-award, those sub-awardees must also have a unique entity identifier (UEI number). Please note the UEI for sub-grantees is not required at the time of application but will be required before an award is processed. If an organization does not have an active registration in SAM.gov prior to submitting an application, the application will be deemed ineligible. Note: As of April 2022, a DUNS number is no longer required. Submission Dates and Times PD Harare will accept proposals starting June 26, 2024. All applicants should submit their proposals prior to July 31, 2024 for consideration. Other Submission Requirements All application materials may be emailed to [email protected] (with PD AMERICAN SPACES GRANT PROPOSAL in the subject line). FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS If you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact: [email protected] and enter PD American Spaces Program in the subject line. For programmatic questions, please contact: Kenneth Mangemba [email protected]

The Global Engagement Center seeks to support a third-party implementer to conduct a three-phase project to mitigate foreign influence efforts in Indonesia. The project implementer is expected to share findings through a publicly available report, partnered media reporting, and a series of briefings that integrate findings and propose actionable recommendations, with translation of published materials and public events into Indonesian.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONThe U.S. Consulate General in Erbil of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to build capacity among social media influencers, journalists, and journalism students in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR) and Kirkuk governorate. Please follow all instructions below.Priority Region: Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Priority will be given to projects which include audiences from outside the three major cities of Erbil, Duhok and Sulaimani. Program Objectives: The rise of AI-generated disinformation poses significant concerns to the ability of the public and media to fairly and accurately report on current events, given the ability of bots to spread information, and deepfakes to make it extraordinarily difficult to tell truth from fiction putting democracy itself at risk. This program will train 15 social media influencers and 100 newly minted journalists (fewer than 5 years of service) or journalism students on how AI is used to produce and disseminate disinformation, how to recognize disinformation, and how to explain this in clear language to their audiences without scare tactics, in a way that empowers audiences rather than demoralizes them. Influencers should, as a result, create at least two pieces of unique content on disinformation for their audiences; journalists and journalism students should write and publish at least two stories on disinformation. Participants and Audiences:This program envisions two separate trainings: one focused on 15 significant social media influencers (minimum numbers of followers to be determined), and one for 100 journalism students or journalists with fewer than 5 years of service.

The "Privacy-Preserving Data Sharing in Practice" grant aims to fund research and development projects that create practical, scalable technologies for sharing data in a way that preserves privacy, with a focus on advancing privacy-enhancing technologies for artificial intelligence, developing tools and testbeds for safe data sharing, and promoting the usability and inclusiveness of these solutions.

The Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigators (AKCI) is a unique, interactive virtual academy that provides, intensive mentoring, national networking, and a peer group for scientist and clinician junior faculty. The KCRP created the Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigators in FY19 to align with several program priorities, which include to build research capacity in kidney cancer; increase collaborations to advance kidney cancer research, and support innovative research conducted by the next generation of kidney cancer scientists and clinicians. The overarching goal of the AKCI is to increase research capacity in kidney cancer through the development of successful, highly productive kidney cancer researchers in a collaborative research and training environment. The AKCI is a virtual career development and research training platform that currently consists of 11 Early-Career Scholars (ECS)/Designated Mentor pairs from different institutions, and one Academy Director. It is expected that six Early-Career Scholars will graduate by the fall of 2025 and four FY23 AKCI Early-Career Scholars/Designated Mentor awards will be made by September 2024. In addition, Academy graduates will continue to participate in the annual Academy meetings. Information about the Academy is available on the KCRP webpage and in the Kidney Cancer Program Booklet at https://cdmrp.health.mil/kcrp. The AKCI leadership team will identify opportunities for engagement with KCRP AKCI Scholars-Designated Mentors and KCRP FY25 (and subsequent year awardees) Postdoctoral and Clinical Fellowship Awardees. The Academy Director and Deputy Director catalyze the growth and professional development of the Early-Career Scholars in collaboration with their Designated Mentors, assess the progress of the ECSs, and facilitate communication and collaboration among all of the Academy members. The AKCI leadership team will also identify and offer opportunities for engagement (e.g., invitations to seminar series and in-person meetings) with FY24 Postdoctoral and Clinical Fellowship Awardees with FY24 KCRP AKCI-ECS-Designated Mentors (and subsequent year awardees). This FY24 funding opportunity is soliciting applications for an Academy Director (Principal Investigator [PI]) and Deputy Director (Partnering PI) to lead the AKCI. The newly selected FY24 Academy Director and Deputy Director will initiate their responsibilities no later than October 2025. The Academy Director and Deputy Director (hereafter referred to as Academy Leadership) must be established kidney cancer researchers and can be at different institutions. The Academy Leadership must demonstrate a strong record of mentoring and training early career investigators, a commitment to leadership, the ability to articulate methods toward research collaborations, and the ability to objectively assess the progress of all Scholars with their Designated Mentors in the AKCI. Other objectives will include execution of research that will engage AKCI FY24 Scholars (including subsequent-year Scholars), develop tools for Scholars to enable success, and provide opportunities to broaden their knowledge in kidney and renal pelvis cancers. The leadership team will identify and offer occasion(s) for the AKCI to network with KCRP FY24 Postdoctoral and Clinical Fellowship Awardees (and subsequent year awardees). Designated Mentors on FY24 KCRP AKCI Early-Career Scholar Award applications and Designated Mentors on open FY19 through FY23 KCRP AKCI Early-Career Scholar Awards (with the exception of those graduating in 2024) are not eligible to apply for this award. Note: An invited oral presentation is a requirement for application review of the KCRP AKCI LA, as described in Section II.D.2.b.iv, Additional Application Components. Responsibilities of the Academy Leadership include, but are not limited to: Act as a resource for all Scholars and Designated Mentors in the Academy over the Scholars 4-year period of performance. Facilitate communication and collaboration among all Scholars and Designated Mentors (including periodic interactive communication among all Academy members). Develop assessment criteria to evaluate the research progress made by all Scholars, as well as their career progression and sustainment as independent investigators in kidney cancer research. Conduct collaborative kidney cancer pilot project(s) that include Academy Scholars. These pilot projects should have the potential to improve collaboration within the Academy, as well as impact kidney cancer research and/or kidney cancer patients/survivors. o Examples of pilot research projects may include but are not limited to (a) funding an extended statistical or bioinformatics analysis with AKCI Scholars, (b) performing a large-scale meta-analysis of human or animal datasets with AKCI scholars, (c) provide access to critical biorepositories or animal models to expand AKCI investigator analyses or increase study rigor. Provide constructive critiques with the goal of advancing the research and professional careers of the Scholars and strengthening the mentorship of the Designated Mentors. Provide avenues to increase the promotion of the Academy and visibility of Scholars within kidney cancer research and advocacy communities (e.g., peer review, conferences, editorial boards). Support the professional development, to include laboratory management skills, of the Scholars into leading researchers through invited presentations by experts outside of the AKCI LA. Plan and host an annual 1-day workshop and, biennially, a multi-day workshop for all Scholars/Designated Mentor pairs as well as Academy graduates to present their research, share knowledge, and develop collaborative efforts within the AKCI. Scholars will be responsible for their own travel costs to in-person Academy meetings. Include KCRP FY24 Postdoctoral and Clinical Fellowship Awardees in at least one meeting of the FY24 AKCI. These investigators will be responsible for their own travel costs, funds for which are included in their research awards. Establish a panel of patient advocates and Veteran(s) (i.e., the Patient Advocacy Panel) to inform the AKCI on the needs of the patient community. Establish the Designated Mentor Panel to facilitate collaborations among the AKCI participants including the Scholars, Academy Director/Deputy Director, and the Designated Mentors. The Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigators Leadership Award is structured to support two PIs. The Academy Director will be identified as the Initiating PI and will be responsible for the majority of the administrative tasks associated with application submission. The Deputy Director will be identified as the Partnering PI. The collaboration between the Academy Director and the Deputy Director should be supported by complementary expertise and experience. Initiating and Partnering PIs each have different submission requirements, as described in Section II.D.2, Content and Form of the Application Submission; however, both PIs should contribute significantly to the development of the proposed research project. The application should clearly demonstrate that both PIs have equal levels of input on the proposed Academy Leadership and clearly define the components to be addressed by each to support the success of the Scholars. While it is up to the Academy Director and the Deputy Director to define their roles, both Academy Leaders should have interactions with each Scholar-Designated Mentor pair, (and the Scholars Designated Mentors); acting as administrative support does not fulfill the intent of the Director and Deputy Director. If recommended for funding, each PI will be named on separate awards to the recipient organization(s). Each award will be subject to separate reporting, regulatory, and administrative requirements. For individual submission requirements for the Initiating and Partnering PI(s), refer to Section II.D.2, Content and Form of the Application Submission. Organizational-Level Emphasis: The following areas of emphasis are broadly applicable to many CDMRP programs, not just the KCRP. Investigators are encouraged to consider addressing these areas in their applications if doing so is appropriate for their line of research, addresses the FY24 KCRP strategic priorities and/focus areas described in Section II.A.1 and Section II.A.2. Nuclear Medicine: Innovative research involving nuclear medicine and related techniques to support early diagnosis, more effective treatment, and improved health outcomes of active-duty Service Members and their Families is encouraged. Such research could improve diagnostic and targeted treatment capabilities through noninvasive techniques and may drive the development of precision imaging and advanced targeted therapies. Womens Health: CDMRP encourages research on health areas and conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, or differently from men, including studies analyzing sex as a biological variable. Such research should relate anticipated project findings to improvements in womens health outcomes and/or advancing knowledge for womens health. Metastatic Cancer Task Force: A congressionally mandated Metastatic Cancer Task Force was formed with the purpose of identifying ways to help accelerate clinical and translational research aimed at extending the lives of advanced state and recurrent patients. As a member of the Metastatic Cancer Task Force, CDMRP encourages applicants to review the recommendations (https://health.mil/Reference-Center/Congressional-Testimonies/2018/05/03/Metastatic-Cancer-Research) and submit research ideas to address these recommendations provided they are within the limitations of this funding opportunity and fit within the FY24 KCRP priorities. Rigorous Study Design: All projects should adhere to a core set of standards for rigorous study design and reporting to maximize the reproducibility and translational potential of clinical and preclinical research. The standards are described in SC Landis et al., 2012, A call for transparent reporting to optimize the predictive value of preclinical research, Nature 490:187-191 (https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v490/n7419/full/nature11556.html). While these standards are written for preclinical studies, the basic principles of randomization, blinding, sample-size estimation, and data handling derive from well-established best practices in clinical studies. Military Service Involvement: Applications from investigators within the military services and applications involving multidisciplinary collaborations among academia, industry, the military services, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and other federal government agencies are highly encouraged. These relationships can leverage knowledge, infrastructure, and access to unique clinical populations that the collaborators bring to the research effort, ultimately advancing research that is of significance to Service Members, Veterans, and/or their Families. If the proposed research relies on access to unique resources or databases, the application must describe the access at the time of submission and include a plan for maintaining access as needed throughout the proposed research. Clinical trials are not allowed under this funding opportunity. A clinical trial is defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 45, Part 46.102 (45 CFR 46.102) as a research study in which one or more human subjects are prospectively assigned to one or more interventions (which may include a placebo or another control) to evaluate the effects of the interventions on biomedical or behavioral health-related outcomes. Studies that do not seek to measure safety, effectiveness, and/or efficacy outcome(s) of an intervention are not considered clinical trials. For the purposes of this funding opportunity, research that meets the definition of a clinical trial is distinct from clinical research. Clinical research encompasses research with human data, human specimens, and/or interaction with human subjects. Clinical research is observational in nature and includes: (1) Research conducted with human subjects and/or material of human origin such as data, specimens, and cognitive phenomena for which an investigator (or co-investigator) does not seek to assess the safety, effectiveness, and/or efficacy outcomes of an intervention. Research meeting this definition may include but is not limited to: (a) mechanisms of human disease, (b) diagnostic or detection studies (e.g., biomarker or imaging), (c) health disparity studies, and (d) development of new technologies. (2) Epidemiologic and behavioral studies that do not seek to assess the safety, effectiveness, and/or efficacy outcomes of an intervention. (3) Outcomes research and health services research that do not fit under the definition of clinical trial. Excluded from the definition of clinical research are in vitro studies that utilize human data or specimens that cannot be linked to a living individual and meet the requirements for exemption under 46.104(d)(4) of the Common Rule. The funding instrument for awards made under the program announcement will be cooperative agreements (31 USC 6305). Substantial CDMRP programmatic involvement with recipients is anticipated during the performance of award activities. Substantial involvement means that, after award, CDMRP staff will assist, guide, coordinate, or participate in project activities including but not limited to: Participating in the Steering Committee that oversees study conduct. Make recommendations for continued funding based on (a) overall study progress, including sufficient patient and/or data accrual; (b) cooperation in carrying out the research (e.g., attendance at Steering Committee meetings, implementation of group decisions, compliance with the terms of award and reporting requirements); and/or (c) maintenance of a high quality of research. The anticipated combined direct costs budgeted for the entire period of performance for a FY24 KCRP AKCI LA should not exceed $1,500,000. Refer to Section II.D.5, Funding Restrictions, for detailed funding information. Awards supported with FY24 funds will be made no later than September 30, 2025. The CDMRP expects to allot approximately $2.4M to fund approximately one KCRP Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigator Leadership Award application (consisting of an Initiating PI application and a Partnering PI application). Funding of applications received is contingent upon the availability of federal funds for this program, the number of applications received, the quality and merit of the applications as evaluated by peer and programmatic review, and the requirements of the government. Funds to be obligated on any award resulting from this funding opportunity will be available for use for a limited time period based on the fiscal year of the funds. It is anticipated that awards made from this FY24 funding opportunity will be funded with FY24 and FY26 funds, which will expire for use on September 30, 2030, and September 30, 2032, respectively.