DoD Breast Cancer, Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2 | W81XWH 22 BCRP BTA12 2

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 22 BCRP BTA12 2

The DoD Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2 (Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-22-BCRP-BTA12-2) is designed to fund breast cancer research that is genuinely positioned to change the field, not just add incremental knowledge. The central idea is impact: proposed projects must have clear potential to accelerate progress toward ending breast cancer by enabling a fundamentally better approach than what is already approved or currently in clinical development. That impact can be near-term or long-term, but it must rise above a minor advancement. A key expectation is that applicants clearly identify who would ultimately benefit from the research, meaning the proposal should connect the science to specific breast cancer patient groups or populations at risk, rather than leaving the clinical relevance implied or vague.

This funding mechanism is part of a larger Breakthrough Award structure that includes four funding levels, each aligned to a different stage on the path toward clinical application. This particular opportunity covers only Levels 1 and 2, while Levels 3 and 4 are offered under separate announcements (W81XWH-22-BCRP-BTA3-2 and W81XWH-22-BCRP-BTA4-2). Applicants are responsible for choosing the correct level based on the defined scientific scope, not based on how much money they want to request. The program makes it clear that a mismatch between the project and the selected level is a dealbreaker: even a strong project can be declined if it does not fit the intent of the chosen level, even if it might have fit better under another level.

Funding Level 1 targets bold, innovative, high-risk/high-reward ideas that are still at the earliest point of development, including untested theories that tackle an important breast cancer problem. The point of Level 1 is to open new directions that could lead to breakthroughs, so preliminary data are not required. The expected outcome is proof of concept, meaning reviewers are looking for a well-reasoned, compelling approach that can demonstrate feasibility or validate a transformative idea, rather than a mature translational package ready for the clinic.

Funding Level 2 is meant for projects that are already supported by substantial preliminary or published data and that strongly justify clinical translation within a well-defined breast cancer context. In practice, this means the proposal should show a clearer line of sight to patient benefit than Level 1, grounded in convincing evidence that the underlying concept works and is positioned to move forward. Level 2 also explicitly accommodates population science and prevention studies, as long as they are similarly backed by substantial data and have a strong translational rationale (for example, studies that could realistically shift prevention strategies, screening approaches, risk stratification, or implementation of interventions). For these population science and prevention projects, the opportunity notes that, with compelling justification, applicants may request higher levels of funding and an additional year of performance, recognizing that human subjects research and the use of human biospecimens can require more time and resources.

A notable feature of this opportunity is the Partnering PI Option, which is intended to support truly integrated collaborations between two investigators. Under this structure, one person serves as the Initiating PI and handles most administrative submission responsibilities, while the other serves as the Partnering PI. The scientific expectation is that both PIs contribute meaningfully and comparably to the intellectual design of the project and to executing the statement of work, with similar and appropriate levels of effort. The application should make a clear case that the partnership itself strengthens the project by combining distinct expertise in a way that is essential to the strategy, and that the work is better done together than as separate, loosely connected efforts. The program also sets boundaries to prevent token or imbalanced collaborations: it discourages arrangements that look like simple resource sharing (for example, one PI mostly providing samples or models while the other performs nearly all experiments), and it states that mentor-trainee pairings (such as a mentor and their current postdoc or junior investigator) do not meet the intent of the option. If funded, each PI is named on an individual award within the recipient organization, reinforcing that the partnership is meant to be substantive and equitable rather than hierarchical.

From an administrative and eligibility standpoint, the opportunity is listed as discretionary and allows either grants or cooperative agreements under CFDA 12.420, administered by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, USAMRAA. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open broadly to entity types, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement). The posting indicates an anticipated total of about 15 awards, with an award ceiling listed as 0 in the summary fields (which typically signals that applicants must rely on the program announcement for level-specific budget guidance rather than a single universal cap shown in the database entry). Finally, the opportunity emphasizes staffing expectations: proposals should be supported by an appropriately robust research team with the needed breast cancer-relevant expertise to successfully complete the work, which aligns with the program’s focus on projects that are not only ambitious, but realistically executable and positioned to drive meaningful progress.

• 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 Jun 09, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 06, 2022. (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 15 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 22 BCRP BTA12 2

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