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Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity - DHACA · Department of Defense

DoW Pancreatic Cancer Research Program, Idea Development Award

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Key facts

Deadline
Due today (Oct 7, 2026)
Award size
Not stated: see the official notice
Total available
$9.9M · about 12 awards
Match ?
Not required · Work out your budget and match
Who can apply
Anyone (unrestricted)
Where
Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee

How this fits you

  • Available in Gibson County (nationwide program)
  • No match required
  • Due today — apply now
  • Past Tennessee awards on file: 115

Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.

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More from Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity - DHACA

About this grant

Summary: The fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Pancreatic Cancer Research Program (PCARP) Idea Development Award supports the development of innovative, high-risk/high-reward research that could lead to critical discoveries or major advancements that will accelerate progress in improving outcomes for individuals with pancreatic cancer. This award mechanism supports innovative ideas with the potential to yield impactful data and new avenues of investigation. All applications must address at least one of the FY26 PCARP Focus Areas. Distinctive Features: • This award mechanism requires preliminary data relevant to the proposed project. Applications can support clinical research studies; however, this mechanism does not allow clinical trials. • Partnering Principal Investigator (PI) Option for Early-Career Investigator: This funding mechanism offers a higher level of funding for applications that propose to partner an experienced PI (i.e., Initiating PI, who will serve as the mentor) with an Early-Career Investigator (i.e., Partnering PI) wishing to pursue a career in pancreatic cancer research. For this option, only the Initiating PI will submit a pre-application, but both PIs will need to submit at the full application stage. The partnering PI’s application is an abbreviated package specific to their distinct portion of the research project. Be advised, all associated applications for a research project may be withdrawn if the initiating or partnering application is rejected or administratively withdrawn.

Ask a partner for a letter

Your schedule, working back from the deadline

  1. Oct7
    Check that your SAM.gov registration is active (or start it now)
    Grants.gov: allow up to 10 business days for SAM registration, weeks or months if information isn't verified. It must be renewed every year. Grants.gov
  2. Sep16
    Ask partners for letters of support or commitment (already past: do it now)
    Suggested: partners need about three weeks to write and sign letters.
  3. Sep30
    Finish a complete draft for a final review (already past: do it now)
    Suggested: leave about a week for someone else to read the draft.
  4. Oct5
    Submit (already past: do it now)
    Grants.gov: submit at least 24–48 hours before the deadline: uploads fail, systems slow down, errors need fixing. Grants.gov blog
  5. Oct7
    Deadline
    From the funder.

Save this grant to put these dates in My grants and your private calendar.

Writing the need statement? Gibson County facts with citations.

What the official notice requires

Pulled from the official notice HT942526PCARPIDA_GG.pdf (35 pages) so you can see the requirements at a glance. Each item shows the notice's own words. Open the page to read it in context.

Award size and project length

  • Project period: 3 years · p. 4
    “The maximum period of performance is 3 years.” Open page 4
  • Award amounts here are for the whole project · p. 8
    “The application’s total costs budgeted for the entire period of performance should not exceed $0.70M.” Open page 8

Registrations you need first (2)

  • SAM.gov, Grants.gov · p. 3
    “Active SAM.gov, eBRAP.org and Grants.gov registrations are required for application submission.” Open page 3
  • Unique Entity ID (UEI) · p. 20
    “Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management The applicant organization must be registered as an entity in the System for Award Management (SAM), SAM.gov, and receive confirmation of an “Active” status before submitting an application through…” Open page 20

The deadline is today. If your registration isn't already active, it may not be ready in time, so check it today. Get-ready checklist

Steps before the deadline

  • Pre-application · p. 10
    “Pre-Application Components The Initiating PI must submit the following pre-application components.” Open page 10
  • Pre-application · p. 11
    “The items to be included as supporting documentation for the pre-application must be uploaded as individual files and are limited to the following: ○ References Cited (one-page limit):” Open page 11
  • Pre-application · p. 21
    “Pre-Application Submission All pre-application components must be submitted by the PI or Initiating PI through eBRAP including the submission of contact information for the Partnering PI if selecting the Partnering PI Option for Early-Career Investigator.” Open page 21
  • Pre-application · p. 21
    “The Partnering PI must follow the instructions provided in the email to associate the partnering pre-application with their eBRAP account.” Open page 21

What to submit

  • Resumes or bios of key staff · p. 11
    “Provide a list of abbreviations, acronyms and symbols used in the Preproposal Narrative. ○ Key Personnel Biographical Sketches:” Open page 11
  • Form SF-424 · p. 11
    “(a) SF424 Research & Related Application for Federal Assistance Form (Grants.gov submissions only):” Open page 11
  • Letters of support or commitment · p. 12
    “If applicable, provide appropriate letters of support provided as part of the application’s Supporting Documentation (Attachment 2).” Open page 12
  • Data management plan · p. 14
    “Do not submit a copy of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Data Management and Sharing Plan or duplicate the Data Management Plan which will be requested only after a recommendation for funding is made.” Open page 14

Dates in the notice

  • July 7, 2026 · p. 1
    “July 7, 2026 Application Due:” Open page 1
  • September 30, 2027 · p. 4
    “Awards supported with FY26 funds will be made no later than September 30, 2027.” Open page 4

Mistakes that get applications rejected (2)

  • Extra or uninvited material: Uninvited full application submissions will be rejected. · p. 11
    “Uninvited full application submissions will be rejected.” Open page 11
  • Extra or uninvited material: Extra items will not be reviewed. · p. 13
    “Extra items will not be reviewed.” Open page 13

Who in Tennessee has won this program

30 awards to Tennessee groups in 2 counties since 2016 · 0 in Gibson County. Largest shown:

Past Tennessee winners
Past winnerWhereAmountFiscal year
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$12.7M spent that year2025
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$9.3M2018
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$5.7M2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$4.7M2019
University of TennesseeMemphis, Shelby County$4M2017
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$3.6M2025
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$3.5M2022
Idbiologics IncNashville, Davidson County$3.2M2019
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$3.1M2023
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$2.9M2017
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$2.7M2023
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$2.6M2020

Source: Federal Audit Clearinghouse, USAspending.gov. Past awards show who this program funds. They don't guarantee future awards.

Tennessee groups that got this money through Tennessee Department of Education

This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. In Tennessee, Tennessee Department of Education passes it on: watch that agency for applications, not the federal agency. 85 pass-through grants on file · 0 in Gibson County. Largest shown:

Tennessee pass-through grant winners
Past winnerWhereThroughAmountFiscal year
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson CountyUniversity of Rochester$2.6M2024
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson CountyUniversity of Rochester$2.5M2023
University of MemphisMemphis, Shelby CountyOhio State University, the$2.1M2023
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyRegents of the University of Michigan$1.5M2023
State of TennesseeNashvilleUniversity of Arkansas, Little Rock$730K spent that year2024
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson CountyCivil-Military Innovation Institute, Inc$677K spent that year2025
State of TennesseeNashvilleThe Ohio State University$651K spent that year2025
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson CountyThe General Hospital Corporation$446K2025
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson CountyMassachusetts General Hospital$439K spent that year2025
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson CountyThe General Hospital Corporation$420K2025
State of TennesseeNashvilleUniversity of Arkansas at Little Rock$390K spent that year2023
State of TennesseeNashvilleUniversity of Pittsburgh$373K spent that year2025

Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).

About the federal program

Military Medical Research and Development
Program number 12.420 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency (DHA) · Cooperative agreement (a grant with close agency involvement), project grant

How applications are judged

All applications are reviewed for technical merit and relevance to the mission of the DHA and its programs. Also, additional specific evaluation criteria will be included in each funding opportunity announcement.

Match

None required (federal program listing).

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal year 2017: No Current Data Available. Fiscal year 2018: Gulf War Illness Research Program Fiscal year 2020: Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program Fiscal year 2021: Hearing Restoration Research Program Fiscal year 2022: Combat Readiness-Medical Research Program Fiscal year 2023: Spinal Cord Injury Research Program - Clinical trial, clinical translational research, translational research, and investigator-initiated research projects Fiscal year 2025: Military Burn Research Program - Patient-centered research, technology/therapeutic development, and clinical translational research projects

This program on SAM.gov

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Source: Federal grants from Grants.gov · the official federal record. Last checked by GrantMe Oct 7, 2026.

Reference numbers: official notice number HT942526PCARPIDA · program number 12.420