NEWS RELEASE
Released: February 18, 2015
Defense Health Program
Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program
Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15)
The Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) Defense Appropriations Act provides $120 million (M) to the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) to support innovative, high-impact breast cancer research to accelerate progress toward ending breast cancer. As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency, Research, Development, and Acquisition (DHA RDA) Directorate manages and executes the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation. The executing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).
The BCRP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop applications. FY15 BCRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are anticipated to be posted on Grants.gov by early March 2015. Pre-application and application deadlines will be available when the Program Announcements are released. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the Government.
Applications submitted to the FY15 BCRP must address one or more of the following overarching challenges:
- Prevent breast cancer (primary prevention)
- Identify what makes the breast susceptible to cancer development
- Determine why some, but not all, women get breast cancer
- Distinguish aggressive breast cancer from indolent 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 life-threatening metastases
- 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 interventions that have life-threatening toxicities with ones that are safe and effective
- Eliminate the mortality associated with metastatic breast cancer
| Award Mechanism |
Principal Investigator (PI) Eligibility |
Key Mechanism Elements |
Funding |
| Era of Hope Scholar Award |
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 should exhibit strong potential for leadership in the breast cancer community.
- PIs must include breast cancer advocates on their research team.
|
- Anticipation is that budgets will not exceed $2.5M in direct costs.
- Period of performance not to exceed 5 years.
|
| Innovator Award |
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.
- PIs must include breast cancer advocates on their research team.
- Nomination is required; application submission is by invitation only.
|
- Anticipation is that budgets will not exceed $5M in direct costs.
- Period of performance not to exceed 5 years.
|
| Distinguished Investigator Award (New!) |
Assistant Professor or above (or equivalent) and more than 6 years beyond the PI's last mentored position as of the application submission deadline. |
- Seeks new paradigms in breast cancer research by supporting investigators who are established and recognized leaders in their field and who propose a fundamental shift or leap beyond their existing track record of research.
- Does not support continuation of or incremental change from the PI's published line of research.
- If the PI is not 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.
- PIs must include two or more breast cancer advocates on their research team.
- High-risk/high-reward proposals pursuing innovative new paradigms are encouraged, but not required.
- Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
|
- Anticipation is that budgets will not exceed $3M in direct costs.
- Period of performance not to exceed 5 years.
|
| Breakthrough Award |
- Investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent).
- Postdoctoral fellows are eligible and encouraged to apply under Funding Levels 1 and 2.
|
- 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 PIs, termed Initiating and Partnering PIs, to collaborate on a single application.
- Four different funding levels, based on the scope of research, are available. 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.
Funding Levels 1 and 2
- Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.
- Each PI may submit only one application as a PI or Initiating PI. 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.
Funding Levels 3 and 4
- Clinical trials are allowed.
- Each PI may submit only one application as a PI or Initiating PI. 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.
- PIs must include two or more breast cancer advocates on their research team.
- Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
|
The direct costs allowed and periods of performance are shown below.
Funding Level 1:
- Anticipation is that budgets will not exceed $375,000 in direct costs
- Period of performance not to exceed 3 years.
Funding Level 1 - Partnering PI Option:
- Anticipation is that budgets will not exceed $600,000 in direct costs.
- Period of performance not to exceed 3 years.
Funding Level 2:
- Anticipation is that budgets will not exceed $750,000 in direct costs.
- Period of performance not to exceed 3 years.
Funding Level 2 - Partnering PI Option:
- Anticipation is that budgets will not exceed $1M in direct costs.
- Period of performance not to exceed 3 years.
Funding Level 3 and Funding Level 3 - Partnering PI Option:
- Anticipation is that budgets will not exceed $2.5M in direct costs.
- Period of performance not to exceed 5 years.
Funding Level 4 and Funding Level 4 - Partnering PI Option:
- Anticipation is that budgets will not exceed $10M in direct costs.
- Period of performance not to exceed 5 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. Submission deadlines are not available until the Program Announcements are released. Requests for email notification of the Program Announcements release may be sent to help@eBRAP.org. For more information about the BCRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.army.mil).
Point of Contact:
CDMRP Public Affairs
301-619-9783
usarmy.detrick.medcom-cdmrp.mbx.cdmrp-public-affairs@mail.mil
