U.S. CDMRP – Breast Cancer Research Program | Research Funding

Through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP), the Department of Defense is announcing the 2024 Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) Awards. Several award programs are available:

• The Breakthrough Awards supports promising research that has high potential to lead to or make breakthroughs in breast cancer. The Breakthrough Award is structured with four different funding levels. Each level has a defined research scope :
  • Funding Level 1: Innovative, high-risk/high-reward research that is in the earliest stages of idea development or is an untested theory that addresses an important problem.
  • Funding Level 2: Research that is already supported by substantial preliminary or published data and strongly validates clinical translation in a well-defined context within the breast cancer landscape.
  • Funding Level 3: Advanced translational studies with a high degree of project readiness.
  • Funding Level 4: Large-scale projects that will transform and revolutionize the clinical management and/or prevention of breast cancer. Human clinical trials are required.
     
• The Clinical Research Extension Award aims to extend the data collection, follow-up, and analysis of breast cancer clinical research studies. Proposed research may entail a deeper molecular analysis of clinical samples, initiation of new correlative studies, biomarker validation, or continuing clinical follow-up of patients currently/previously enrolled in an open/ongoing or completed clinical trial.
   
• The Era of Hope Scholar Award supports individuals early in their careers who have demonstrated significant potential to effect meaningful change in breast cancer. These individuals should be exceptionally talented scientists who have shown that they are the “best and brightest” in their field(s).
   
• The Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Award is designed to support collaborations and ideas that will transform the lives of individuals with, and/or at risk for, breast cancer and will significantly accelerate progress toward ending breast cancer. Applicants must bring together different perspectives to develop new paradigms that will solve fundamental yet overarching problems in breast cancer. This award requires a team-based approach by a consortium of exceptional researchers and advocates, whose collaborative efforts will make a transformative impact in breast cancer. The transformation intended by the consortium must be in people’s lives, and not in the healthcare or research system.
   
• The Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Development Award is intended to provide successful applicants the time and resources needed to bring investigators and breast cancer advocates together to establish a consortium framework and conduct preliminary research to support application to a future, full Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Award (pending availability of funds). This is a development award and is a separate mechanism from the full consortium award. Recipients of the FY24 Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Development Award are expected to submit an application to compete for the full Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Award anticipated to be offered in a future fiscal year(s).

• Breakthrough 1: $450K - $750K
• Breakthrough 2: $1M - $1.5M
• Breakthrough 3: $4M - $5M
• Breakthrough 4: max. $15M
• Clinical Research Extension: $5M - $6M
• Era of Hope: max. $3.5M
• Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Award: max. $25M
• Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Development Award: max. $100,000

• Breakthrough 1: 3 years
• Breakthrough 2: 3-4 years
• Breakthrough 3: 4 years
• Breakthrough 4: 4 years
• Clinical Research Extension: 4 years
• Era of Hope: 4 years
• Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Award: 4 years
• Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Development Award: 1 year

• 14 May 2024, 5:00 p.m. Eastern time
  • Breakthrough Award Level 3
  • Breakthrough Award Level 4
  • Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Award
• 16 May 2024, 5:00 p.m. Eastern time
  • Breakthrough Award Level 1-2
  • Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Development Award
• 23 May 2024, 5:00 p.m. Eastern time
  • Clinical Research Extension Award
  • Era of Hope Scholar Award

• 30 May 2024, 5:00 p.m. Eastern time
  • Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Award
  • Breakthrough Award Level 1-2
  • Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Development Award

• 04 June 2024, 5:00 p.m. Eastern time
  • Clinical Research Extension Award
  • Era of Hope Scholar Award
• 06 August 2024, 11:59 p.m Eastern Time
  • Breakthrough Award Level 3
  • Breakthrough Award Level 4

• To find the full program announcements and to start your pre-application see here
• A useful summary of each call can be found here
• For questions about the eBRAP or Grants.gov platforms, contact the Research Office.
• Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Numbers:
  • Breakthrough 1: HT942524BCRPBTA12
  • Breakthrough 2: HT942524BCRPBTA12
  • Breakthrough 3: HT942524BCRPBTA3
  • Breakthrough 4: HT942524BCRPBTA4
  • Clinical Research Extension: HT942524BCRPCREA
  • Era of Hope: HT942524BCRPEOHS
  • Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Award: HT942524BCRPTBCCA
  • Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Development Award: HT942524BCRPTBCCDA

• 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 lie dormant for years and then re-emerge; determine how to prevent lethal 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