DoD Breast Cancer, Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2 | W81XWH 20 BCRP BTA12

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 20 BCRP BTA12

The DoD Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2 opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-20-BCRP-BTA12) is designed to push forward breast cancer research that has a real chance of changing the landscape, not just adding incremental knowledge. The central emphasis is impact: funded projects are expected to have strong potential to accelerate progress toward ending breast cancer, whether that impact is realized in the near term or further down the road. What matters is that the work aims beyond a minor advance and is positioned to enable a substantially better approach than what is already approved for patients or currently moving through clinical development. Applicants are also expected to clearly identify which breast cancer patient groups, or which at-risk individuals, would ultimately benefit if the project succeeds, keeping the research tightly connected to human need and eventual use.

This award mechanism is part of a larger four-level Breakthrough Award structure, with each level meant to support distinct stages on the path to clinical application. A key point for applicants is that the funding level must be chosen based on the scientific scope defined in the program announcement, not simply on the desired budget size. The government also notes that it may choose to fund a submitted project at a lower level than requested if the work aligns better with a different scope. This particular announcement covers Levels 1 and 2 only; Levels 3 and 4 are offered under separate program announcements, and applicants are encouraged to compare the scopes across levels before submitting a pre-application so that the project is matched to the right mechanism.

Funding Level 1 is aimed at innovative, high-risk/high-reward ideas that are still at the earliest stages, including untested theories that tackle an important problem in breast cancer. The goal at this level is to open new directions and create fresh avenues for investigation, so preliminary data are not required. The expected deliverable is typically proof of concept, meaning the project should demonstrate the underlying idea can work and merits further development, even if it is not yet ready for full preclinical translation.

Funding Level 2 is intended for more mature preclinical research that already has substantial preliminary or published data behind it. At this level, the expectation is that the evidence base strongly supports clinical translation within a well-defined breast cancer context. In other words, Level 2 is for projects that are no longer speculative: they should already be well supported scientifically and positioned to move toward clinical relevance. The announcement also highlights population science and prevention studies as a special case within Level 2. With strong justification, these studies may request a higher amount of funding and an additional year of performance, recognizing that human subjects involvement and/or the use of human biospecimens can increase cost, logistical complexity, and timeline needs.

Collaboration is encouraged through a Partnering PI Option, which allows two principal investigators to apply together in a structured way. One PI is designated as the Initiating PI and takes the lead on most administrative responsibilities for submission, while the other is designated as the Partnering PI. Even though their submission requirements differ, both PIs are expected to substantially contribute to the intellectual development of the project, including core components like the project narrative and the statement of work. If the project is funded, each PI is named on an individual award within the recipient organization, reflecting a true partnership rather than a single-PI project with minor support.

The program makes clear what it is looking for in these partnerships: each PI should bring distinct, meaningful contributions, whether their expertise is in the same field or complementary disciplines. Applications should explain why the collaboration makes the science stronger and why the work should be done jointly instead of as two separate efforts. While new collaborations are welcomed, they are not mandatory. At the same time, the program discourages arrangements that do not reflect a genuine partnership model, such as pairing a mentor with their current postdoctoral fellow or junior investigator as the two PIs, since that does not meet the intent of this option. The program also discourages applicants from serving as a Partnering PI on multiple Level 1 or 2 applications unless the projects clearly address distinct research questions, to avoid superficial or stretched collaborations.

Across all applications, the opportunity expects an appropriately staffed and credible research team with the combined expertise needed to successfully execute the proposed work, particularly breast cancer-relevant experience aligned with the project goals. From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary Department of Defense opportunity administered by the Department of the Army (USAMRAA). The funding instruments include grants and cooperative agreements, and eligibility is broadly open (unrestricted) unless otherwise clarified in the full announcement. The CFDA listing is 12.420. The opportunity was posted December 23, 2019, with an original closing date of March 26, 2020, and it indicated an expectation of 29 awards; the listing shows an award ceiling of 0, which typically signals that exact caps are specified in the detailed program announcement by level or are otherwise structured outside the generic grants.gov ceiling field.

• 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 1 and 2" 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 Dec 23, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 26, 2020. (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 29 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 20 BCRP BTA12

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