DoW Melanoma Research Program Idea Award

The DoW Melanoma Research Program Idea Award supports innovative, exploratory, high-risk/potentially high-reward research in melanoma. The program aims to prevent melanoma initiation and progression, and reduce hardship. The award mechanism is open to eligible organizations, including extramural and intramural U.S. Department of War organizations, foreign and domestic organizations, for-profit and nonprofit organizations, and public or private entities. The application process involves a two-step process, with a pre-application due on July 13, 2026, and a full application due on October 14, 2026. The award will support research that addresses at least one of the FY26 MRP Focus Areas, including prevention and interception, rare melanomas, and survivorship. • The award will provide a maximum of $0.56M per award for a period of 2 years. • The program encourages innovative and impactful research that advances studies in preservation of function, quality of life improvement, symptom management, treatment outcomes, and support for psychological and social issues related to melanoma diagnosis, treatment, and life post-treatment. • The program also encourages the use of existing, well-characterized data and specimens, such as those available through the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Patient-Derived Models Repository (PDMR).