DoW Kidney Cancer, Concept Award

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Summary: The fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP) Concept Award supports highly innovative, untested, potentially groundbreaking concepts, theories, paradigms and/or basic kidney cancer research. This award mechanism supports high-risk studies that have the potential to reveal entirely new avenues for investigation in kidney cancer. Applications must describe how the new concept will be innovative and present a novel course of investigation in the field of kidney cancer. Distinctive Features: • Preliminary data are not allowed. • This is a blinded funding mechanism. Applications to this funding opportunity will undergo a double-blinded peer review. Applications must not include any materials that may identify the Principal Investigator (PI), a collaborator, or the organization of the PI or collaborator. • Due to the blinded nature of the review process, identifying or making references to the PI, collaborator(s), or their organization(s) in the proposal (Project Narrative, List of Abbreviations, Acronyms, Symbols, Statement of Work, Impact Statement and Innovation Statement) is prohibited and will result in administrative rejection of the application.

The DoW Kidney Cancer, Concept Award is designed for researchers pursuing innovative and untested ideas in kidney cancer research. This funding mechanism supports high-risk, potentially groundbreaking concepts that could open entirely new avenues of investigation in the field. Unlike traditional grants, this award does not require preliminary data, making it ideal for researchers with novel theories, paradigms, or basic research approaches that challenge conventional thinking in kidney cancer science. The program is particularly suited for investigators who have identified a creative concept or innovative research direction but lack existing preliminary findings. By supporting exploratory and conceptual work, this award enables researchers to develop bold ideas that could fundamentally advance kidney cancer understanding and treatment. Researchers applying should clearly articulate how their proposed concept represents a departure from existing research directions and demonstrate the potential transformative impact of their approach. The blinded peer review process ensures that evaluations focus solely on the merit and innovation of the scientific concept itself, rather than the reputation or affiliation of the research team.

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