FY17 BCRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on Grants.gov. 

As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency (DHA), J9 Research and Development Directorate manages the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation.  The managing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

Applications submitted to the FY17 BCRP must address one or more of the following overarching challenges:

• Prevent breast cancer (primary prevention)
• Identify determinants of breast cancer initiation, risk, or susceptibility
• Distinguish deadly from non-deadly breast cancers
• Conquer the problems of overdiagnosis and overtreatment
• Identify what drives breast cancer growth; determine how to stop it
• Identify why some breast cancers become metastatic
• Determine why/how breast cancer cells lay dormant for years and then re-emerge (recurrence); determine how to prevent recurrence
• Revolutionize treatment regimens by replacing them with ones that are more effective, less toxic, and impact survival
• Eliminate the mortality associated with metastatic breast cancer

Breakthrough Award – Letter of Intent for levels 1 & 2, November 21

• ·       Investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent)

• Senior postdoctoral fellows who do not meet the eligibility requirements of the Breakthrough Fellowship Award are encouraged to apply under Funding Levels 1 and 2
• Each investigator may submit only one Funding Level 1 application and one Funding Level 2 application as a PI or Initiating PI,
  Supports promising research that has the potential to lead to or make breakthroughs in breast cancer.

• ·       Potential impact of the research may be near-term or long-term, but it must be significant and go beyond an incremental advancement.
• ·       Partnering PI Option allows two Principal Investigators (PIs), termed Initiating and Partnering PIs, to collaborate on a single application.
• ·        It is the responsibility of the PI to select the funding level that is most appropriate for the research proposed.  The funding level should be selected based on the scope of the research project, rather than the amount of the budget.
• ·        There are no limitations on the number of applications for which an investigator may be named as a Partnering PI.  However, applicants are discouraged from submitting as a Partnering PI on multiple applications unless they are clearly unique, meaningful collaborations addressing distinct research questions.
• ·        Additional funds are available for applications submitted under the Partnering PI Option.
• ·        Clinical trials are not allowed.
• ·        Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.

Funding Level 1:

• ·       Maximum funding of $375,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
• ·       Maximum period of performance is 3 years

Funding Level 1 – Partnering PI Option:

• ·       Maximum funding of $600,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
• ·       Maximum period of performance is 3 years

Funding Level 2:

• ·       Maximum funding of $750,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
• ·       Maximum period of performance is 3 years

Funding Level 2 – Partnering PI Option:

• ·       Maximum funding of $1 million (M) for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
• ·       Maximum period of performance is 3 years

Breakthrough Award –Preproposal for levels 3 & 4 September 29

• ·       Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent) are eligible.
• ·       Each investigator may submit only one Funding Level 3 pre-application and one Funding Level 4 pre-application as a PI or Initiating PI
• ·       Supports promising research that has the potential to lead to or make breakthroughs in breast cancer.
• ·       Potential impact of the research may be near-term or ling-term, but it must be significant and go beyond an incremental advancement.
• ·       Partnering PI Option allows two PIs, termed Initiating and Partnering PIs, to collaborate on a single application.
• ·       Is it the responsibility of the PI to select the funding level that is most appropriate for the research proposed.  The funding level should be selected based on the scope of the research project, rather than the amount of the budget.
• ·       There are no limitations on the number of applications for which an investigator may be named as a Partnering PI.  However, applicants are discouraged from submitting as a Partnering PI on multiple applications unless they are clearly unique, meaningful collaborations addressing distinct research questions.
• ·       PI’s must include two or more breast cancer advocates on their research team.
• ·       Submission of a proposal is required: application submission is by invitation only.

Funding Level 3:

• ·       Maximum funding of $2.5M in direct costs (plus indirect costs)
• ·       Maximum period of performance is 4 years

Funding Level 3 – Partnering PI Option:

• ·       Maximum funding of $4M for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
• ·       Maximum period of performance is 4 years

Funding Level 4 and Funding Level 4 – Partnering PI Option:

• ·       Maximum funding of $10M for direct costs (plus indirect costs)

Maximum period of performance is 4 years

Breakthrough Fellowship Award – Letter of Intent due November 21

As of the application submission deadline, all eligible PIs must have:

• Successfully completed the requirements for a doctoral or medical degree, and
• Been in the laboratory or clinical research setting in which the proposed research is to be performed for no more than 2 years, and

·       A total of less than 4 years experience in a postdoctoral fellowship or mentored clinical research training program (excludes any clinical residency or fellowship training)

Mentor

Must have breast cancer research experience, including current funding and recent publications

• ·       Supports exceptionally talented, “best and brightest” recent doctoral or medical graduates in pursuit of promising research that has the potential to lead to or make breakthroughs in breast cancer.
• ·       Potential impact of the research may be near-term or long-term, but it must be significant and go beyond an incremental advancement.
• ·       Individualized researcher development plan and mentorship should prepare the PI for an independent career at the forefront of breast cancer research or patient care.
• ·       The PI is not required to have previous experience in breast cancer research.
• ·       Preliminary data are allowed, but not required.
• ·       Maximum funding of $300,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)

• Maximum period of performance is 3 years

Era of Hope Scholar Award – Letter of Intent due November 21

Must be an independent, non-mentored investigators within 6 years of their last training position (e.g., postdoctoral fellowship, medical residency, clinical fellowship) as of the application submission deadline

• ·       Supports exceptionally talented, creative early-career scientists who have demonstrated that they are the “best and brightest” in their fields.
• ·       PIs should articulate a vision that challenges current dogma and demonstrates an ability to look beyond tradition and convention.
• ·       PIs must exhibit strong potential for leadership in breast cancer.
• ·       Experience in breast cancer is not required: however, the application must focus on breast cancer, and the PI must maintain a 50% dedication of his/her full-time professional effort during the award period to breast cancer research.

• PIs must include breast cancer advocates on their research team.
• Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.

• ·        Maximum funding of $2.5M for direct costs (plus indirect costs)

• Maximum period of performance is 4 years

Innovator Award – Pre-application due September 29

Must be an Associate Professor or above (or equivalent).

• ·       Supports visionary individuals who have demonstrated creativity, innovative work, and leadership in any field.
• ·       Provides opportunity to pursue novel, visionary, high-risk ideas that will accelerate progress toward ending breast cancer.
• ·       Experience in breast cancer research is not required: however, the application must focus on breast cancer, and the PI must maintain a 50% dedication of his/her full-time professional effort during the award period to breast cancer.
• ·       PIs must include breast cancer advocates on their research team.

• Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.

• ·        Maximum funding of $5M for direct costs (plus indirect costs).

• Maximum period of performance is 4 years.

Distinguished Investigator Award – Pre-application due September 29

PIs must be at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) and more than 6 years beyond the PI’s last training position as of the application submission deadline

• ·       Supports established visionary leaders from any filed to pursue innovative ideas that could accelerate progress toward ending breast cancer.
• ·       The PI must propose research that is a fundamental shift from his/her track record of research.
• ·       Does not support continuation of or incremental change from the PI’s published line of research.
• ·       If the PI is an established breast cancer researcher, he/she must clearly articulate a motivation and commitment for proposing a fundamental shift in his/her research and must include at least one collaborator with breast cancer expertise.
• ·       High-risk/high-reward projects pursuing innovative new paradigms are encouraged, but not required.
• ·       PIs must include two or more breast cancer advocates on their research team.

• Submission of a preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.

• ·        Maximum funding of $3M for direct costs (plus indirect costs)

• Maximum period of performance is 4 years

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) at https://eBRAP.org prior to the pre-application deadline.  All applications must conform to the final Program Announcements and General Application Instructions that will be available for electronic downloading from the Grants.gov website.  The application package containing the required forms for each award mechanism will also be found on Grants.gov.  A listing of all CDMRP funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420. 

Applications must be submitted through the federal government’s single-entry portal, Grants.gov.  For email notification when Program Announcements are released, subscribe to program-specific news and updates under “Email Subscriptions” on the eBRAP homepage at https://eBRAP.org.  For more information about the BCRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (http://cdmrp.army.mil).

Point of Contact:

CDMRP Help Desk
301-682-5507
help@eBrap.org