DoD Breast Cancer, Breakthrough Award Level 3 | W81XWH 19 BCRP BTA3

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 19 BCRP BTA3

The DoD Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) Breakthrough Award Level 3 (Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-19-BCRP-BTA3) is a discretionary Department of Defense grant/cooperative agreement opportunity managed by the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). Its central purpose is to fund ambitious breast cancer research that is positioned to produce a true "breakthrough" rather than an incremental improvement. Projects are expected to have a clear line of sight to meaningful patient benefit, either in the near term or over a longer horizon, but in all cases the work must plausibly accelerate progress toward ending breast cancer and point toward approaches that could be fundamentally better than what is already approved or currently moving through clinical development. A strong application is expected to name the specific breast cancer patient populations or at-risk groups that would ultimately benefit, making the potential real-world impact explicit instead of leaving it implied.

This specific announcement covers Breakthrough Award Level 3, which is the program's lane for advanced translational studies that show a high degree of readiness to move toward clinical testing. In practice, that means the science should be beyond early discovery and should look like it is preparing to cross the bridge into human investigation. Applicants are expected to demonstrate they can actually execute the work as proposed by providing proof, where relevant, that they have access to the needed enabling resources such as datasets, human biospecimens, cohorts, and other critical reagents. If the project is of a type that would eventually require FDA involvement, the application is expected to show that key clinical-grade materials or reagents (for example, a therapeutic molecule) and access to appropriate patient populations are already available or realistically obtainable. The program also expects applicants to lay out a credible, concrete timeline that supports near-term clinical investigation, and it explicitly notes that small-scale clinical trials may fit the Level 3 scope, including first-in-human efforts and Phase I/Ib-style studies.

A notable structural feature is the optional Partnering PI mechanism, which is designed to support genuine collaborations between two principal investigators. Under this option, there is an Initiating PI and a Partnering PI, and each PI receives a separate award, with distinct submission requirements for each side. The intent is not simply to add a co-investigator, but to build a two-PI partnership where both leaders materially shape the Project Narrative, the Statement of Work, and other major components. The program allows collaborators to come from the same or different disciplines, but it expects each PI to bring distinct, non-overlapping strengths, and it expects the application to explain why the combined approach is more powerful than two separate efforts. While new collaborations are welcomed, they are not mandatory. At the same time, the announcement discourages applicants from serving as a Partnering PI on multiple Level 3 applications unless the projects clearly address different research questions, which is meant to prevent superficial or spread-thin partnering.

The opportunity also places heavy emphasis on having the right people and perspectives on the team. Applicants are expected to assemble a robust, appropriately experienced research group with strong breast cancer-related expertise matched to the demands of advanced translational work and potential early clinical testing. In addition, consumer advocate participation is not optional. Each application must include at least two breast cancer consumer advocates who are integrated throughout planning and execution, not added on as symbolic advisors. Their involvement is expected across major project activities such as shaping the research question, guiding study design, supporting oversight, contributing to recruitment approaches (when relevant), and participating in evaluation of progress and impact. These advocates must be individuals diagnosed with breast cancer who are active in advocacy organizations, and they must be independent lay representatives: they cannot be employees of any participating organization, and their role should not be tied to their employment. The program is also clear that advocates should be sufficiently knowledgeable about breast cancer issues and have enough research-related background or training to contribute meaningfully and consistently.

Finally, proposals must demonstrate relevance to military health, meaning the work should connect to the healthcare needs of Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the broader American public. Administrative details in the posting indicate the activity sits under Science and Technology/Research and Development (CFDA 12.420), is open to unrestricted applicant types (subject to any clarifications in the full announcement), and anticipated a small number of awards (listed as 2). The original posting dates show a creation date of January 22, 2019 and an original closing date of June 13, 2019. Although the listing shows an award ceiling of 0, that typically reflects that budgets and limits are controlled in the full program announcement rather than in the summary field, so applicants generally need to rely on the official announcement text for definitive budget constraints and submission requirements.

• 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 Level 3" 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 Jan 22, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 13, 2019. (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 2 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 19 BCRP BTA3

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: