CDMRP Ovarian Cancer Research Program Ovarian Cancer Academy – Early-Career Investigator Award | W81XWH 20 OCRP OCA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 20 OCRP OCA

The CDMRP Ovarian Cancer Research Program (OCRP) Ovarian Cancer Academy (OCA) Early-Career Investigator Award is a Department of Defense funding opportunity run through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) that focuses on building the next generation of ovarian cancer research leaders. First established in FY2009, this mechanism is designed less like a standard standalone research or career development grant and more like a structured, cohort-based academy. Its central purpose is to accelerate the growth of junior faculty into independent, highly productive ovarian cancer investigators by surrounding them with intensive mentoring, a national network, and an ongoing collaborative training environment.

A defining feature of this award is the “virtual academy” model. Early-Career Investigators (ECIs) are placed into an organized program that includes designated mentors from different institutions, along with an Academy Dean and Assistant Dean who help guide the overall direction and professional development of the cohort. Rather than simply providing funding for an individual project with periodic reporting, the program expects active participation and engagement as a member of the Academy community. ECIs are expected to attend regular monthly webinars and take part in annual workshops, creating recurring touchpoints for scientific exchange, skill-building, and career guidance. The structure is meant to create both accountability and momentum, with ECIs learning from leadership, mentors, peers, and the broader ovarian cancer community over the course of the program.

Collaboration and professional visibility are core expectations. Awardees are expected to communicate and collaborate not only with their own mentors but also with other ECIs and Academy leadership, and to engage with the advocacy community as part of the program’s culture. The opportunity emphasizes that this is not a traditional career development award; success is tied to participation in the Academy ecosystem and to building a durable professional network that supports long-term impact in ovarian cancer research. Historically, the Academy model has helped ECIs take on prominent roles in the field, including presenting at and chairing sessions at ovarian cancer-focused symposia, serving on symposium review committees, and acting as peer reviewers for the DoD OCRP and other funding organizations. In practical terms, the program aims to cultivate investigators who are not only producing strong science, but also becoming visible contributors to the research community and its funding and dissemination pipelines.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH 20 OCRP OCA) is categorized as discretionary and supports science and technology and other research and development activities under CFDA 12.420. The listed funding instruments include cooperative agreements and grants, indicating that award management may involve a higher degree of programmatic involvement than a typical investigator-initiated grant, depending on the specific award structure used. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to applicant organizations, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may appear in the full announcement. The posting date was February 27, 2020, with an original closing date of July 30, 2020, and the opportunity anticipated making about two awards. The award ceiling is shown as 0 in the source data, which usually signals that applicants must rely on the full announcement for the actual budget limits and cost parameters rather than interpreting that field as a true funding cap.

Overall, the Ovarian Cancer Academy Early-Career Investigator Award is best understood as a mentored, network-driven career acceleration program embedded within a funded research context, with clear expectations that awardees will regularly participate, collaborate, and grow into leadership roles in ovarian cancer research and related professional service.

• 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 "CDMRP Ovarian Cancer Research Program Ovarian Cancer Academy – Early-Career Investigator 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 Feb 27, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 30, 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.

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