Ovarian Cancer Academy – Early-Career Investigator Award | W81XWH 22 OCRP OCA

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 22 OCRP OCA

The Ovarian Cancer Academy (OCA) Early-Career Investigator Award is a Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program (OCRP) funding opportunity designed to accelerate the careers of junior faculty working in ovarian cancer research through a structured, highly interactive mentoring and networking model. Originally launched in FY09, the OCA functions as a virtual academy rather than a conventional standalone career development grant. Its central purpose is to cultivate a cohort of early-career ovarian cancer researchers who become successful, highly productive investigators by placing them in a collaborative environment that blends research planning, career guidance, community engagement, and long-term professional networking.

A defining feature of this award is that it operates as a training and career development platform built around people and ongoing participation, not just a funded project. Each selected Early-Career Investigator (ECI) is integrated into an academy structure that includes a Designated Mentor plus leadership from an Academy Dean and Assistant Dean. Awardees are expected to be active members of this community, including participation in monthly webinars and annual workshops. The academy model emphasizes consistent communication and collaboration across the cohort, encouraging ECIs to work closely not only with their mentor and academy leadership but also with other ECIs and with the ovarian cancer advocacy community. In practical terms, the opportunity is meant to create a strong peer network and to help early-career researchers build collaborations, gain visibility, and develop the professional habits and connections that can sustain a long research career.

The program description highlights that ECIs historically have gone beyond internal academy activities and have taken on visible roles within the broader ovarian cancer research ecosystem. Past participants have presented at and chaired sessions for ovarian cancer-focused symposia, served on symposium review committees, and contributed as peer reviewers for the DOD OCRP and other funding organizations. This signals that the academy is designed to prepare investigators not only to conduct research, but also to function as leaders and contributors in the field through service, peer review experience, and participation in scientific convenings.

Administratively, this opportunity is offered by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, through USAMRAA. The funding opportunity number is W81XWH 22 OCRP OCA. It is listed under CFDA 12.420 and categorized under science and technology and other research and development. The funding instruments include cooperative agreements and grants, reflecting an expectation of engagement and coordination consistent with an academy-style model. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), with the caveat that applicants must follow any additional eligibility details provided in the full announcement. The opportunity was created March 18, 2022, with an original closing date of August 5, 2022, and it anticipated making about three awards. The published award ceiling is listed as 0, which typically indicates that the maximum dollar amount was not captured in the summary field and would need to be confirmed in the full funding announcement or related program guidance.

Overall, the OCA Early-Career Investigator Award is best understood as a cohort-based professional development and research training experience funded by the DOD, built to provide intensive mentoring, national-level networking, and a structured schedule of academy activities. It aims to help early-career faculty in ovarian cancer research mature into independent, collaborative investigators who are positioned to contribute to the field through both their science and their participation in the wider research and advocacy community.

• 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 "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 Mar 18, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 05, 2022. (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.

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