DoD Breast Cancer Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2 | HT942525BCRPBTA12

Opportunity Information: Apply for HT942525BCRPBTA12

The DoD Breast Cancer Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2 is a discretionary research grant offered through the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA), under the Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP). It is designed to support promising breast cancer research that is positioned to produce clear, meaningful advances, particularly work with strong potential to lead to or directly make breakthroughs that substantially affect the field. The central expectation is that proposed projects are not incremental; they should be framed to create major impact and move the science toward clinical application.

A core requirement of this opportunity is alignment with the FY25 BCRP overarching challenges. Every application must address at least one of those challenges, unless the applicant provides a strong, well-reasoned justification for why an exception is warranted. Beyond simply naming a challenge, the proposal needs to show how the planned approach will tackle the challenge in a way that plausibly enables a breakthrough outcome. In practice, this means reviewers will be looking for a compelling argument that the project can shift understanding, practice, or outcomes in breast cancer, rather than producing narrow or purely descriptive results.

The Breakthrough Award mechanism includes three distinct funding levels overall, structured to support different stages on the pathway to clinical relevance, but this particular announcement covers only Funding Level 1 and Funding Level 2. These levels have defined scopes, which typically means applicants should select the level that matches both the maturity of the science and the scale of work needed to achieve the intended breakthrough. Funding Level 2 also includes a specific option for Population Science and Prevention Studies, signaling that the program is not limited to bench or clinical studies alone and that well-justified population-level or prevention-focused projects are explicitly welcomed at this level.

A notable flexibility in Level 2 is that, with compelling justification, population science and prevention studies may be allowed to request a higher amount of funding and an additional year of performance time. This feature is important for study types that often require larger cohorts, longer follow-up, complex data linkages, or broader implementation windows to generate meaningful, actionable results. The announcement implies that these exceptions are not automatic; applicants should be prepared to clearly explain why extra resources and time are essential for delivering the intended impact.

The award also allows either a single Principal Investigator model or a two-PI collaboration model called the Partnering PI Option (PPIO). Under PPIO, the two investigators are designated as the Initiating PI and the Partnering PI. The process is staged: only the Initiating PI submits the pre-application, but at the full application stage both the initiating and partnering applications must be submitted. The program is explicit that failure to submit both components by the full application deadline can lead to withdrawal, and the same risk applies if either the initiating or partnering application is administratively withdrawn. In other words, teams using the PPIO route need tight coordination and aligned institutional support so neither side becomes the weak link that jeopardizes the entire submission.

From an administrative and eligibility standpoint, the opportunity is listed as unrestricted for eligible applicants, categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and is associated with CFDA number 12.420. The funding instrument type is a grant. The funding opportunity number is HT942525BCRPBTA12, and the original closing date is June 27, 2025. The listing indicates an expectation of about 20 awards. The award ceiling is not specified in the provided source data, which typically means applicants must rely on the full program announcement for level-specific maximums, budget rules, and any caps tied to project type, performance period, or the population science/prevention exception mentioned for Level 2.

Overall, this solicitation is aimed at researchers who can make a strong case for why their project is poised to produce a substantial leap forward in breast cancer research or care, and who can clearly map their aims to at least one FY25 BCRP overarching challenge. It also encourages well-structured collaborations through the partnering PI pathway, while making it clear that the administrative requirements for coordinated submission are strict and can affect whether an application remains under consideration.

• The 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 2025-04-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-06-27. (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 20 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for HT942525BCRPBTA12

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