Funding Opportunities for the FY20 Melanoma Research Program Open for Application

April 23, 2020 – The MRF is pleased to announce that the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program’s Melanoma Research Program is now accepting pre-applications for the following awards –  Idea Award, Mid-Career Accelerator Award, Team Science Award, Technology Development Partnership Award and Translational Research Award. These awards range from $300,000 to $700,000 for up to three years of maximum funding.

Pre-Applications are required for each award type (the deadline is June 22, 2020), from which a select number of proposals will be invited to submit a full application. For those invited to move forward, applications will be due on September 24, 2020. More information can be found on the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) website.

The MRF recently partnered with the DoD to record the 2020 Melanoma Research Program Funding Opportunities: Tips for Success webinar. Donna Kimbark, PhD, outlines the application process, a variety of tips for success, and the importance of the pre-application submission deadline of June 22, 2020.

In March 2019, the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF), led a coalition of advocates to successfully secure $20 million in dedicated research funding for the Department of Defense (DoD) Melanoma Research Program (MRP), a $10 million increase from the previous year. This year, the coalition is urging lawmakers to increase the budget to $35 million.

This program supports critical research toward new breakthroughs in melanoma diagnosis and treatment that will benefit American service members, their family members and the general population.

Since 2009, melanoma has been eligible to receive Defense funding through the Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program. While conditions like breast cancer and lung cancer benefited from dedicated funding during this time, melanoma researchers were in competition with over a dozen other cancer types to secure a portion of PRCRP funding. The creation and expansion of the dedicated Melanoma Research Program reflects the critical need for melanoma research to be a national priority.

As one of the leading organizations funding cutting-edge melanoma science, the MRF applauds the continued bipartisan commitment to advance innovative melanoma research.

###

About Melanoma
Melanoma is one of the fastest growing cancers in the United States and can strike men and women of all ages, races and skin types. In 2020, approximately 100,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with Stage I-IV melanoma and another 96,000 will be diagnosed with melanoma in situ – totaling over 196,000 total diagnoses. Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25- to 29-years-old and the second most common cancer in adolescents and young adults 15- to 29-years-old. The majority of melanomas occur on the skin and melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. Melanoma can also occur in the eye (ocular, or uveal melanoma), in mucous membranes (mucosal melanoma), or even beneath fingernails and toenails.

About the Melanoma Research Foundation
The Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) is the largest independent organization devoted to melanoma. Committed to the support of medical research in finding effective treatments and eventually a cure for melanoma, the MRF also educates patients and physicians about prevention, diagnosis and the treatment of melanoma. The MRF is a committed advocate for the melanoma community, helping to raise awareness of this disease and the need for a cure. The MRF’s website (www.melanoma.org) is the premier source for melanoma information seekers. Find the MRF on Facebook and Twitter.