Funding Opportunities

Grants for melanoma and skin cancer clinical research

Melanoma and Skin Cancer Trials conducts investigator-initiated clinical trials and related research to improve how doctors prevent, diagnose and treat melanoma and skin cancer.

We have built an impressive reputation for delivering multicentre trials that improve melanoma and skin cancer outcomes across the world. Since 1999, we have delivered 29 clinical trials involving over 7,500 participants.

Melanoma and Skin Cancer Trials facilitates the development of competitive investigator-initiated proposals through our concept development pathway. For more information on how we can help you develop a research proposal and secure funding, contact us.

MRFF – Genomics Health Futures Mission – 2025 Genomics Health Futures Grant Opportunity – GO7833

Open Date

13 August 2025

Closing Date

4 February 2026

Grant amount

$10,000,000 AUD (Total amount: $48,800,000 AUD)

Application website

MRFF – Genomics Health Futures Mission – 2025 Genomics Health Futures Grant Opportunity

About

The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) – Genomics Health Futures Mission (GHFM) – 2025 Genomics Health Futures Grant Opportunity will provide grants of financial assistance to support medical research and medical innovation projects that:

Stream 1 (Targeted Call for Research): develop and implement pharmacogenomic approaches to identify new medicines and enhance medication efficacy.

Funding under Stream 1 is available as follows:

Topic A: Cancer therapies

Topic B: Antimicrobials

Topic C: Medicines for other infectious or chronic diseases

Stream 2 (Targeted Call for Research): conduct genomics research to optimise the diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and prevention of high-priority and high-burden diseases among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The intended outcome of the research funded by this grant opportunity is to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians by:

– Stream 1: improving precision medicine to enhance medication efficacy and safety

– Stream 2: targeting genomic solutions to diseases prevalent among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

Applicants to this grant opportunity must propose to conduct research that delivers against the above objectives and those of the Mission as described in the Roadmap and Implementation Plan. Applicants are encouraged to propose novel and/or innovative research and describe how the outcomes of the research will be translated into health benefits for Australians.

This grant opportunity is being administered by NHMRC on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.

Further information on the Medical Research Future Fund is available from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s website

A list of Eligible Organisations can be found on the NHMRC List of MRFF Eligible Organisations webpage.

MRFF – Clinical Trials Activity Initiative – 2025 International Clinical Trial Collaborations Grant Opportunity – GO7555

Open Date

20 February 2025

Closing Date

4 February 2026

Grant amount

$3,000,000 AUD (Total amount: $13,000,000 AUD)

Application website

MRFF – Clinical Trials Activity Initiative – 2025 International Clinical Trial Collaborations Grant Opportunity

About

The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Clinical Trials Activity Initiative (the Initiative) aims to increase clinical trial activity in Australia in order to improve the evidence base supporting clinical care and to help patients access trials relevant to their health circumstances, and enable researchers to bring international trials to Australian patients.

The objective of this grant opportunity is to provide grants of financial assistance to support medical research and medical innovation projects that:

Promote Australian involvement in international collaborative investigator-initiated clinical trials research through the establishment and co-ordination of clinical trial site/s in Australia.
Provide high-quality evidence of the effectiveness of novel health treatments, drugs or devices in ‘usual care’ settings, which will support a decision on whether to deliver the intervention in an Australian setting.

The intended outcome of the research is to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians by investing in new clinical trials that support increased access to high-quality, evidence-based and effective health care.

Applications must propose a clinical trial in Australia in collaboration with international counterparts. The clinical trial should not have commenced recruitment at the Australian trial site/s.

This grant opportunity is being administered by NHMRC on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.

Further information on the Medical Research Future Fund is available from the Department of Health and Aged Care’s website.

A list of Eligible Organisations can be found on the NHMRC List of MRFF Eligible Organisations webpage.

Other Instructions:
Minimum Data closes at 5:00pm (ACT Local Time) on:

Round 1: 2 July 2025

Round 2: 10 December 2025

Questions should be submitted no later than 1:00pm (ACT Local Time) on:

Round 1: 23 July 2025

Round 2: 28 January 2026

MRFF 2022 Frontier Health and Medical Research Grant Opportunity – GO5855

Open Date

13 February 2023

Closing Date

31 March 2026

Grant amount

$25,000,000 AUD (Total amount: $400,000,000 AUD)

Application website

MRFF 2022 Frontier Health and Medical Research Grant Opportunity

About

This grant opportunity offers funding to support medical research and medical innovation programs of research that deliver a ‘moonshot’ by creating a treatment for a currently serious and incurable health condition, through a series of linked projects. The program of research can propose to develop novel health technologies and/or re-purpose existing health technologies in a novel way.

MRFF – CTA Initiative - 2025 Clinical Trials Activity Grant Opportunity - GO7923

Open Date

24 September 2025

Closing Date

1 April 2026

Grant amount

$5,000,000 AUD (Total amount: $61,000,000 AUD)

Application website

MRFF – CTA Initiative – 2025 Clinical Trials Activity Grant Opportunity

About

The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Clinical Trials Activity Initiative aims to:

improve the evidence base supporting clinical care
help patients access trials relevant to their health circumstances
enable researchers to bring international trials to Australian patients.

The objective of this grant opportunity is to provide grants of financial assistance to support medical research and medical innovation projects that:

Stream 1 (Incubator): conduct a pilot study to assess the feasibility of a new clinical trial for one or more treatments and/or management strategies for a rare cancer, rare disease and/or unmet need.
Stream 2 (Targeted Call for Research): conduct a clinical trial of one or more treatments and/or management-based interventions for rare cancers, rare diseases and/or unmet need.
Stream 3 (Targeted Call for Research): conduct a clinical trial that supports the delivery of effective and high value care by targeting evidence gaps of value to health technology assessment processes in Australia.
Stream 4 (Targeted Call for Research): conduct a prevention clinical trial aimed at reducing the risk, onset or progression of disease through early intervention strategies.

Applicants to this grant opportunity must propose research that addresses one of the four Streams of research.

This grant opportunity is being administered by NHMRC on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.

Further information on the Medical Research Future Fund is available fromthe Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s website.

A list of Eligible Organisations can be found on the NHMRC List of MRFF Eligible Organisations webpage.

Other Instructions:

Minimum Data closes at 5:00pm (ACT Local Time) on 4 March 2026. Questions should be submitted no later than 1:00pm (ACT Local Time) on 25 March 2026.

International Grant Opportunities:

Cancer Prevention and Control Clinical Trials Grant Program (R01 Clinical Trial Required) - PAR-25-167

Open Date

05 January 2025

Closing Date

5 February 2026, 5 June 2026 and 5 October 2026

Grant amount

Application budgets are not limited but need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.

Application website

Cancer Prevention and Control Clinical Trials Grant Program

About

This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) invites applications of investigator-initiated clinical trials (Phase 0-IV) that have the potential to reduce the burden of cancer through improvements in early detection, screening, prevention and interception, healthcare delivery, quality of life, and/or survivorship related to cancer; with such attributes, the proposed studies should also have the potential to improve clinical practice and/or public health. This NOFO does not and will not support clinical trials for studies of cancer diagnosis and/or oncologic therapy in patients.

Examples of relevant areas of research include but are not limited to:

Cancer prevention and interception: development and testing of interventions (including diet, nutritional compounds, drugs, small molecules, vaccine and biologics) and approaches (including physical activity, medical devices, cancer preventive surgery, risk-reducing surgery, and non-surgical ablative techniques) to block, reverse, or delay the early stages of cancer (including treatment of preneoplastic lesions and presurgical trials in early stage cancer with the intent of developing an agent/intervention for cancer prevention). This also includes studies examining mechanism and surrogate biomarkers of efficacy;
Cancer screening: studies of operating characteristics and clinical impact (harms as well as benefits) of cancer early detection technologies and practices, such as imaging and molecular biomarker approaches;
Early detection: studies for identification, development, and validation of biological markers for early cancer detection and cancer risk assessment;
Behavioral research in cancer prevention and control: development and testing of interventions addressing risk behaviors such as: tobacco use, energy balance, alcohol use, or sun exposure; vaccine uptake; immune function; screening behavior; treatment adherence; biopsychosocial processes of cancer-related behavior; communication, decision science, environmental modifications and policy changes aimed at altering cancer-related health behaviors and/or preventing or improving cancer-related risks and outcomes;
Susceptibility to cancer and cancer-related outcomes: strategies to translate clinical, environmental and genomic/genetic determinants of cancer occurrence and outcomes into evidence-based interventions for clinical and public health practice;
Implementation science: strategies to promote the adoption, implementation, and sustainability of evidence-based intervention into routine healthcare and public health settings or the deimplementation of ineffective interventions;
Healthcare delivery: single and multi-level interventions addressing the organization and/or delivery of cancer care (e.g., team-based care; novel use of electronic health records; new organizational mechanisms/staffing such as patient navigation; new models of specialized services such as palliative care or survivorship programs);
Cancer survivorship: interventions addressing the physical, psychological, social, and financial burden of cancer and its treatment among survivors of cancer and their families (e.g., mental health, social functioning, caregiver well-being and adaptation);
Supportive and palliative care: development and testing of interventions (including diet, nutritional compounds, drugs, small molecules, vaccine and biologics) and approaches for the prevention or treatment of acute and chronic symptoms and morbidities related to cancer and its treatment including those experienced by patients with metastatic cancer; and/or
Quality of Life (QOL): studies to improve the QOL of patients.

Foreign Organizations

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply.
Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

National Cancer Institute's Investigator-Initiated Early Phase Clinical Trials for Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (R01 Clinical Trial Required) - PAR-25-081

Open Date

05 January 2025

Closing Date

5 February 2026, 5 June 2026 and 5 October 2026

Grant amount

The total direct costs available is up to: $2,499,995 USD

Application website

National Cancer Institute’s Investigator-Initiated Early Phase Clinical Trials for Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis

About

This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is applicable to a broad range of early phase (Phase 0, I, and II) investigator-initiated clinical trial evaluations that improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in areas of common and unmet need. Potential areas of research may include, but are not limited to, the clinical evaluation of new or improved anticancer drugs and biologics, including immunotherapies, new or improved imaging technologies and surgical interventions, novel approaches to radiation therapy, and incorporation of complementary and alternative medicine approaches to treatment. The research component may include the development of therapeutics, diagnostics, and devices in combination with standard care therapies including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, or any combination of these modalities. Additional research aims can be proposed as part of the overall research plan provided it includes at least 1 clinical trial to be completed within the project period.

Note that Phase III clinical trials will not be accepted through this NOFO.

Description of the type of clinical trials that can be supported include:

Single-site clinical trial(s): Early phase trials where the protocol is implemented by one investigational site that conducts and coordinates the protocol. While a single-site clinical trial may enroll participants from multiple locations/clinics within a geographic area, those participants will receive an intervention or undergo outcome assessments under the direction and oversight of one research team at one investigational site.
Multi-site clinical trial(s): Early phase trials that recruit study subjects from two or more geographically distinct enrollment sites, or centers. The sites are usually distinct in other characteristics (e.g., demographic, socioeconomic, or clinical). Study protocols are followed at these sites.
Mechanistic clinical trial(s): Hypothesis-driven interventional studies (i.e., early phase trials) focused on basic and/or translational, discovery research on the biology and pathophysiology of cancer or the mechanism of action of an intervention.
Feasibility clinical trial(s): Early phase trials that propose to break new ground and/or extend previous discoveries toward new directions and/or applications.
Pragmatic trial(s): Early phase trials that test an intervention under the usual clinical conditions in which it will be applied, while explanatory trials do so under more idealized circumstances.
Ancillary clinical trial(s): Early phase trials that address research questions related to ongoing trials but are distinct from the primary/secondary objectives of the parent study. An ancillary clinical trial is an independent trial that includes an additional intervention prospectively assigned to patients or a subpopulation of patients within a larger trial. For helpful examples, see case studies 42b and 42c.
Pharmacodynamic trial(s): Early phase trials that link outcomes to measurements on pre- and post-treatment specimens to test hypotheses about therapeutic mechanisms based on pre-clinical data.
Biomarker-driven trial(s): Early phase trials that test predictive or prognostic biomarker findings obtained from pilot trials.
Co-clinical trial(s): Early phase trials that involve patients and in parallel (or sequentially) animal or human-in-animal models of cancer that mirror the genetics and biology of the patients’ malignancies or pre-cancerous lesions. The co-clinical trial should include either a therapeutic goal (e.g., the prediction, staging, and/or measurement of tumor response to therapies) or an early diagnostic goal.

Foreign Organizations

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply.
Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

Clinical Studies of Orphan Products Addressing Unmet Needs of Rare Diseases (R01 Clinical Trials Required) - RFA-FD-25-020

Open Date

22 August 2025

Closing Date

20 October 2026 and 19 October 2027

Grant amount

The total funds available is up to: $2,600,000 USD

Application website

Clinical Studies of Orphan Products Addressing Unmet Needs of Rare Diseases

About

This grant is intended to support clinical trials of orphan products in all phases of product development (phase 1, 2 and/or 3) for rare diseases with unmet medical needs. These clinical trials should evaluate safety and/or efficacy of medical products in support of a new indication or a change in labeling. Depending on the phase of development, these trials may need to include an appropriate comparator, such as a placebo, a concurrent external control, or a historical control. Applicants are encouraged to refer to “Rare Diseases: Considerations for the Development of Drugs and Biological Products” for guidance on conducting more efficient and successful drug development programs. Applicants are also encouraged to refer to Guidance Documents for Rare Disease Drug Development for selected guidances relevant to rare disease drug development and information on the Orphan Products Grants Program website before applying for this opportunity.

To facilitate efficient product development, the use of shared, established infrastructure and resources and collaborative efforts between stakeholders in industry, academia, and patient organizations are highly encouraged under this grant. Additionally, patients living with a rare disease, or their caregivers have experiences and knowledge that contribute to important considerations in product development, such as with trial feasibility, thus early and ongoing patient engagement is also highly encouraged.

Innovative and Efficient Trial Approaches:
FDA is interested in supporting innovative and efficient trial designs and will allow for additional funding with justification for applications proposing the use of one or more of the following:

Innovative trial designs such as seamless and adaptive trial designs, which compress the phases of a trial into one continuous trial, as well as basket, umbrella and platform trials, which allow for testing of multiple drugs and/or multiple diseases using a common infrastructure.
Innovative methods using data simulations and modeling toward the study of safety and efficacy of a product.

These approaches may hold significant promise for the advancement of therapeutic treatments for rare diseases through all phases of product development. Early engagement with FDA review divisions to discuss the use of these innovative approaches is highly recommended prior to submitting a grant application (e.g., preIND, INTERACT, other meetings).

Foreign Organizations

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply.
Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.