DoD Peer Reviewed Cancer Research, Behavioral Health Science Award | W81XWH 20 PRCRP BHSA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 20 PRCRP BHSA

The DoD Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP) Behavioral Health Science Award (BHSA) is a Department of Defense funding opportunity designed to push forward innovative, high-reward research in behavioral health science as it relates to cancer. The core emphasis is on survivorship and the behavioral, psychological, and social factors that shape outcomes for people affected by cancer, including patients and, where relevant, family members and caregivers. The program is looking for studies that can meaningfully fill gaps in what is known about survivorship and translate that knowledge into better support, better care experiences, and improved outcomes.

A central requirement is that proposed projects align with at least one of the FY20 PRCRP Topic Areas and focus on one or more stages of survivorship as defined by the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO): acute, extended, and/or permanent survivorship. In practice, this means applicants should clearly situate their research within the survivorship timeline, whether they are studying needs and interventions during or immediately after treatment (acute), the period of transition and monitoring following primary treatment (extended), or the long-term phase where late effects, ongoing functioning, and life after cancer become dominant issues (permanent). The intent is to ensure that projects are grounded in real survivorship challenges and produce insights or tools that can be applied to survivorship care.

The scope of supported research spans prevention, quality of life, symptom management, resilience, and psychosocial issues linked to cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. Competitive applications may explore how behavioral and social functioning relate to cancer initiation, progression, detection, treatment, and rehabilitation, which leaves room for both mechanistic and applied work. Examples of encouraged directions include quality-of-life research, decision-making studies (such as treatment choices or adherence behaviors), cognitive function research (for instance, cancer-related cognitive impairment), development and testing of educational interventions, and symptom management research. Symptom management can include treatment toxicities, palliative care needs, psychological distress, anxiety, and other mental health burdens that often accompany cancer and its therapies. Applicants may also focus on building evidence-based practices, designing and evaluating behavioral health interventions, establishing surveillance approaches for behavioral or psychosocial outcomes, and identifying psychosocial outcomes that matter to patients.

The opportunity also highlights a broader federal priority around metastatic and recurrent cancers. It references the Congressionally mandated Metastatic Cancer Task Force and encourages applicants to review and respond to the Task Force recommendations when appropriate, as long as the proposal remains within the limits of the BHSA and fits the FY20 PRCRP priorities. This is essentially an invitation to align behavioral health science questions with the urgent needs of people living with advanced disease, including the ways psychosocial support, symptom control, decision support, and resilience-focused interventions could improve both quality of life and other cancer-related outcomes in these populations.

From an administrative standpoint, this funding opportunity is offered by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). The opportunity number is W81XWH-20-PRCRP-BHSA. The funding mechanisms listed include grants and cooperative agreements under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category (CFDA 12.420). Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to applicant organizations, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement. The posting indicates an expected two awards, with an award ceiling listed as 0 in the summary data (which typically signals that applicants need to rely on the full announcement for budget constraints or that limits may be defined elsewhere in the solicitation). The opportunity was created March 23, 2020, with an original closing date of August 27, 2020.

• The Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DoD Peer Reviewed Cancer Research, Behavioral Health Science 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 Mar 23, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 27, 2020. (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 (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for W81XWH 20 PRCRP BHSA

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: