DoD Breast Cancer, Breakthrough Award Levels 3 and 4 | W81XWH 18 BCRP BTA34

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 18 BCRP BTA34

The DoD Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) Breakthrough Award Levels 3 and 4 (Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-18-BCRP-BTA34) is a competitive Department of Defense research funding opportunity administered through the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). Its central purpose is to back ambitious, high-impact breast cancer research that has a real chance of producing a major leap forward, not just incremental progress. The program is designed for projects that could accelerate the path toward ending breast cancer by generating new approaches that are meaningfully better than what is already approved or currently being tested in clinical development. Applicants are expected to clearly define who the work is meant to help, meaning the proposal should identify the specific breast cancer patient population or at-risk group that would ultimately benefit if the research succeeds.

A key emphasis of this opportunity is "impact" in the strongest sense: the funded work needs to be positioned to change the field, either in the near term or the longer term, but in a way that goes beyond a modest improvement. Reviewers are looking for a credible case that the project can lead to a fundamentally improved intervention, management strategy, or prevention approach. In other words, the scientific idea can be bold, but the proposal still needs to connect the dots between what will be done, why it is different from current standards, and how it could translate into better outcomes for people affected by breast cancer.

The announcement covers two higher-tier funding levels that are differentiated by the scope and maturity of the research rather than by simply aiming for a certain budget size. Level 3 is intended for advanced translational research that is close enough to the clinic to support near-term clinical investigation. This includes studies that have already moved beyond early discovery and are now focused on translating findings toward human use; small-scale clinical trials are allowed at this level. Level 4 is aimed at large-scale efforts that are expected to transform or revolutionize the clinical management and/or prevention of breast cancer, with near-term clinical impact being a clear expectation. Level 4 proposals must include human clinical testing, and the principal investigator is expected to have a track record of successfully leading large, complex projects. An additional process requirement applies to Level 4: applicants must be prepared for an invited oral presentation as part of the application review process, which signals that DoD anticipates a more intensive evaluation of these big, practice-changing proposals.

Collaboration is strongly encouraged through an optional Partnering PI structure. Under this option, two principal investigators can apply together as an Initiating PI and a Partnering PI, and each PI receives a separate award while working on a single, integrated project. The program expects both PIs to play substantial roles across the core submission elements, including the project narrative and the statement of work, and it expects each PI to bring distinct expertise that strengthens the science. The application has to make a convincing case that the collaboration is truly necessary and that the work is better done as a unified team effort rather than as two separate projects. While new collaborations are welcomed, the arrangement is not meant to function as a traditional mentorship setup; proposals pairing a mentor with their current postdoc or junior investigator as the two PIs are explicitly described as not meeting the intent. The program also discourages applicants from serving as a Partnering PI on multiple submissions unless the applications clearly address different research questions, which is a way of preventing superficial or duplicative collaborations.

Team composition and project execution capacity are treated as serious considerations. The PI is expected to assemble a robust, appropriately skilled research team with the breast cancer-relevant expertise needed to deliver on the project goals, especially given the translational and clinical expectations at Levels 3 and 4. Importantly, the opportunity requires meaningful consumer advocate involvement, not as a token advisory role but as an integrated part of the research process. Each application must include at least two breast cancer consumer advocates who are engaged throughout planning and implementation. Their involvement should span activities like shaping the research question, contributing to the study design, participating in oversight, informing recruitment approaches, and helping evaluate the work and its relevance. The program is clear that consumer advocate engagement must be ongoing and well-integrated, rather than limited to occasional attendance at meetings.

The consumer advocate requirements are specific: advocates must be lay representatives who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and should be active in a breast cancer advocacy organization. They cannot be employees of any organization participating in the application, and their role must be independent of employment to help ensure objective input focused on patient impact. At the same time, they are expected to have a strong understanding of current breast cancer issues and enough background or training in breast cancer research to contribute effectively. This requirement reflects the program's broader goal of keeping the research tightly connected to real patient needs and practical clinical relevance.

From an eligibility and administrative standpoint, the opportunity is listed as open to a wide range of applicant organizations (unrestricted eligibility, subject to any specific clarifications in the full announcement). The funding instrument types include grants and cooperative agreements, under the Science and Technology / Research and Development activity category (CFDA 12.420). The posting indicates an expected number of awards of about four. The original posting dates show it was created March 27, 2018, with an original closing date of August 14, 2018. The notice also underscores that proposed research must be relevant to active duty Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the broader American public, aligning the scientific objectives with the DoD mission and the populations it serves.

Overall, this Breakthrough Award mechanism is built for serious translational and clinical efforts with a clear line of sight to meaningful change in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or management. Level 3 supports advanced translational work and smaller clinical studies poised for near-term clinical investigation, while Level 4 is reserved for large, clinically driven programs that include human testing and are expected to reshape clinical practice or prevention strategies in the near term, supported by experienced leadership, strong collaboration when appropriate, and deep, continuous patient advocate participation.

• 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 "DoD Breast Cancer, Breakthrough Award Levels 3 and 4" 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 27, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 14, 2018. (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 4 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.

Apply for W81XWH 18 BCRP BTA34

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