DoD Pancreatic Cancer Focused Pilot Award | HT9425 23 PCARP FPTA

Opportunity Information: Apply for HT9425 23 PCARP FPTA

The DoD Pancreatic Cancer Focused Pilot Award (PCARP FPTA; opportunity number HT9425-23-PCARP-FPTA) is a FY23 funding opportunity from the Department of Defense, Department of the Army (USAMRAA) under the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. Its purpose is to jump-start impactful, innovative, patient-centered pancreatic cancer research that can meaningfully improve the day-to-day lives of people living with pancreatic cancer, with an emphasis on generating strong preliminary evidence that can support larger future studies and real-world application. The award is structured to help investigators explore newer or underdeveloped ideas in areas that directly affect patients and caregivers, especially where the field needs better foundational data to guide clinical practice, supportive care, and survivorship-related decision-making.

The research supported under this mechanism is intentionally focused on quality of life and other patient-centered outcomes rather than basic laboratory or animal model work. Examples of suitable projects include studying behaviors and practical barriers that shape access to health care, examining how mental health relates to cancer outcomes and quality of life, developing strategies to address psychosocial challenges, and conducting behavioral research tied to decision-making, cognitive function, or other lived-experience outcomes. It also supports early development and pilot testing of nutritional interventions or educational programs, as well as symptom management approaches. In other words, the award is geared toward improving how patients feel and function, how they navigate care, and how supportive services can be designed to meet real needs, particularly in domains that have historically been understudied in pancreatic cancer compared with other cancers.

This is a pilot-style mechanism, so preliminary data are allowed but not required, which lowers the barrier for well-justified, high-potential concepts that may not yet have extensive supporting results. Even so, proposals are expected to be scientifically rigorous: each project should present a clear, testable hypothesis backed by a strong rationale, and the work should be designed to yield robust preliminary data by the end of the project period. The overarching expectation is that the outcome will be a credible platform for subsequent efforts, such as larger clinical studies, implementation research, or other real-world applications that can directly influence patient support and care delivery.

The scope includes clinical research, but it explicitly excludes interventional clinical trials. That means investigators can typically conduct observational studies, prospective or retrospective analyses, patient-reported outcomes work, feasibility and acceptability studies, or other clinical research activities that do not meet the definition of an interventional trial. At the same time, preclinical animal studies are not aligned with the intent of this particular award; investigators seeking support for animal-based or other preclinical research are directed to pursue other PCARP funding mechanisms instead. This boundary reinforces that the Focused Pilot Award is meant to drive near-term advances in patient-centered care knowledge and supportive interventions rather than earlier-stage mechanistic or therapeutic testing in animal systems.

Two major review themes are highlighted. The first is impact: applicants should make a compelling case that the proposed work will lay the scientific groundwork for improved outcomes and quality of life for people with pancreatic cancer. Importantly, the program asks researchers to articulate the anticipated effect on patient-centered research and care even if immediate clinical impact is not expected within the pilot timeline. The second is innovation: the program is looking for ideas that are genuinely creative, such as new paradigms, fresh perspectives on persistent problems, novel methods or technologies, or smart adaptations of existing approaches into new contexts. Proposals framed as incremental extensions of already published work are specifically discouraged, signaling that the funder is prioritizing originality and potential for outsized downstream benefit.

The opportunity also connects to broader federal priorities around advanced and recurrent cancer. A congressionally mandated Metastatic Cancer Task Force developed recommendations to accelerate clinical and translational research for advanced-stage and recurrent patients, and applicants are encouraged to review those recommendations and, where appropriate, align their ideas to them as long as the project remains within this award’s patient-centered focus areas and limitations. This is essentially an invitation to frame supportive care, access, psychosocial, symptom, and quality-of-life research in a way that also addresses the urgent needs of people facing advanced disease.

Collaboration is strongly encouraged, especially partnerships that bridge military or Veterans institutions with non-military organizations. The intent is to leverage complementary strengths such as specialized infrastructure, unique patient populations, and distinct operational experience, and to ensure the resulting knowledge is relevant to Service members, Veterans, military families, and the broader public. From an applicant strategy standpoint, this emphasis suggests that well-structured multi-institution teams, particularly those incorporating military or VA-related settings, may be viewed as especially responsive to program goals when they strengthen feasibility, access to participants, and real-world relevance.

Administratively, the program is listed as a discretionary opportunity and uses grants and cooperative agreements as potential funding instruments under CFDA 12.420, categorized under science and technology and other research and development. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any entity type), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement. The posting indicates an expected three awards, with an award ceiling not specified in the provided summary. The opportunity was created June 6, 2023, with an original closing date of October 5, 2023, which is useful context for timing but does not change the core aims and scope of the mechanism.

• 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 Pancreatic Cancer Focused Pilot 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 Jun 06, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 05, 2023. (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 3 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 HT9425 23 PCARP FPTA

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