DoD, Breast Cancer, Breakthrough Award Level 4 | W81XWH 20 BCRP BTA4 2

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 20 BCRP BTA4 2

The Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) Breakthrough Award Level 4 (Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-20-BCRP-BTA4-2) is a discretionary research funding opportunity from the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, administered through USAMRAA. It supports science and technology research and development intended to generate true breakthroughs in breast cancer, meaning advances that can change the field in a meaningful way rather than produce incremental improvements. Projects are expected to clearly identify which breast cancer patients, survivors, or at-risk populations would ultimately benefit, and to explain how the proposed work could accelerate progress toward better outcomes and, broadly, toward ending breast cancer.

A central feature of this mechanism is its emphasis on impact. The program is looking for research with the potential for major clinical or public health influence, whether in the near term or over a longer horizon, but in either case the work must aim beyond minor refinements of existing approaches. Applicants are expected to propose ideas that could lead to a fundamentally better clinical strategy than interventions already approved or currently moving through clinical development. In practice, that means the proposal should make a persuasive case that, if successful, it could shift clinical management and/or prevention in a way that is transformative.

The Breakthrough Award is structured into four funding levels, each aligned to a different stage or scope of translational progress on the path to clinical application. This specific announcement covers only Level 4; Levels 1 and 2 are offered under a separate announcement (W81XWH-20-BCRP-BTA12-2), and Level 3 under another (W81XWH-20-BCRP-BTA3-2). A key instruction is that investigators must choose the level that matches the scientific scope defined in the relevant program announcement, not the level that best matches a desired budget size. If a submission does not meet the Level 4 intent and scope, it will not be recommended for funding even if it might have fit one of the other levels.

Level 4 is reserved for large-scale projects intended to transform and revolutionize the clinical management and/or prevention of breast cancer, and it explicitly requires human clinical trials. The program expects the Principal Investigator to demonstrate readiness to run a complex clinical effort, including a track record of successfully leading large-scale projects, or a clear partnership with an experienced clinical investigator who is formally committed to executing the clinical components. Where applicable, the application also needs to show practical feasibility: access to the necessary datasets, biospecimens, cohorts, and/or critical reagents required to carry out the work at scale, rather than treating these elements as future aspirations.

For projects likely to involve the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the announcement stresses “project readiness” at the time of application. That includes evidence that the clinical reagent (such as a therapeutic or device) is available and meets regulatory compliance expectations, evidence of access to an appropriate participant population, and credible, validated projections for patient recruitment. When relevant, applicants are also expected to have submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) or Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) application to the FDA, underscoring that Level 4 is meant for programs that are poised to execute a real clinical trial rather than planning early groundwork.

Administratively, awards may be made as either grants or cooperative agreements, the CFDA number is 12.420, and eligibility is broadly unrestricted (open to any entity type, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications included in the full announcement). The opportunity was originally posted April 30, 2020, with an original closing date of October 6, 2020. The listing indicates an expected number of awards of 1, and the award ceiling is shown as 0 in the posted metadata (often a placeholder in summary listings, with actual limits and budget rules described in the full program announcement).

• 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 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 Apr 30, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 06, 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 1 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 BTA4 2

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