MRA General RFP

MRA Team Science Award

Supports collaborative melanoma science in the United States through consortium-style grants for cross-institution teams.

Eligibility · United States, United Kingdom, Israel

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) Team Science Award is the centerpiece of the MRA research funding portfolio, supporting multidisciplinary teams of Principal Investigators with complementary expertise pursuing collaborative melanoma research with potential for rapid clinical translation. Teams may be constituted within a single institution, across multiple institutions, or in international configurations. The 2025–2026 cycle was part of an $11.5 million funding envelope spanning all MRA General RFP award categories. Team Science Letters of Intent were due September 25, 2025; full proposals (by invitation only) were due January 8, 2026. A parallel RTFCCR-MRA track focused on melanoma early detection, diagnosis, and risk stratification carried a later full-application deadline of February 2, 2026. Funding decisions for the main track are expected April 2026, with projects starting June 1, 2026.

Eligibility is limited to nonprofit institutions, universities, and nonprofit research organizations — for-profit companies cannot serve as the lead applicant. Dedicated application tracks exist within the General RFP for teams based in the United Kingdom and teams based in Israel, in addition to the standard US-focused competition. Special sub-tracks support research specifically focused on acral melanoma and uveal melanoma within the Team Science, Young Investigator, and Pilot Award categories. Indirect cost rates, award durations, and per-project dollar amounts are published in each annual RFP document rather than on the overview page; the 2025–2026 cycle RFP was the authoritative source for those parameters.

All proposals are submitted through the proposalCENTRAL online application platform, with a hard deadline of 11:59 pm Eastern Time. The Team Science Award process is two-stage: a Letter of Intent is required before a full proposal invitation is issued, making early preparation critical. The 2025–2026 cycle is in post-submission review; the 2026–2027 cycle is expected to open in summer or fall 2026. Prospective applicants should contact MRA at science@curemelanoma.org to confirm the opening of the next annual cycle.