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DEPARTMENT OF WAR - CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS
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  5. 2026 Breast Cancer Research Program

Breast Cancer

NEWS RELEASE

Released: August 3, 2026

Department of Defense
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP)
Breast Cancer Research Program
Anticipated Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26)

The FY26 Defense Appropriations Act provides funding for the BCRP to support innovative, high-impact research with clinical relevance that will accelerate progress to end breast cancer for Service Members and their Families, Veterans and the general public. As part of the DHA R&D-MRDC, the CDMRP is the program office managing these anticipated FY26 funding opportunities.

The BCRP provides the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY26 funding opportunities. Investigators should not construe this pre-announcement as an obligation or promise by the government. The CDMRP will post FY26 BCRP funding opportunity announcements on the Grants.gov website. Once released, the funding opportunity announcements will include pre-application and application deadlines.

Applications submitted to the FY26 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 lie dormant for years and then re-emerge; determine how to prevent lethal recurrence
  • Revolutionize treatment regimens by replacing them with ones that do all of the following: improve survival, are more effective and are less toxic
  • Eliminate the mortality associated with metastatic breast cancer

Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding
Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2
Go to:
  • Program Announcement
  • General Application Instructions
Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Number:
HT942526BCRPBTA122 		Applications naming post-doctoral fellows are encouraged.

Each investigator may be named as a Principal Investigator (PI) or Initiating PI on one application and as Partnering PI on one additional application for Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2 funding opportunity.

Investigators named on an application submitted under HT942526BCRPBTA12 are not eligible to submit the same research project under HT942526BCRPBTA122.
  • Supports promising research with high potential to lead to or make breakthroughs in breast cancer.
  • Research must have the potential for a major impact and accelerate progress toward ending breast cancer.
  • Partnering PI Option: Supports meaningful and productive partnerships between two PIs.
The following are general descriptions of the research scope for each funding level:
  • Funding Level 1: Innovative, high-risk/high-reward research that is in the earliest stages of idea development. This level does not require preliminary data.
  • Funding Level 2: Research already supported by substantial preliminary or published data in breast cancer and strongly validates clinical translation.
  • Funding Level 2 – Population Science Studies: Studies analyzing human data and biospecimens that meet the above Funding Level 2 qualifications.
Additional Elements
  • Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.
 Maximum allowable total costs*:
  • Funding Level 1:
    • Single PI: $750,000
    • Partnering PI Option: $1.25 million (M)
  • The maximum period of performance is 3 years.
  • Funding Level 2:
    • Single PI: $1.65M
    • Partnering PI Option: $2.50M
  • The maximum period of performance is 3 years.
  • Funding Level 2 - Population Science Studies:
    • Single PI: $2.50M
    • Partnering PI Option: $3.35M
  • The maximum period of performance is 4 years.
Clinical Research Extension Award
Go to:
  • Program Announcement
  • General Application Instructions
Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Number:
HT942526BCRPCREA2 		Independent investigators

Each investigator may be named as a PI, Initiating PI, or Partnering PI on a single application for this Clinical Research Extension Award funding opportunity.

Investigators named on an application submitted under HT942526BCRPCREA are not eligible to submit the same research project under HT942526BCRPCREA2.
  • Supports projects entailing a deeper molecular analysis of clinical samples, initiation of new correlative studies, biomarker validation, or continuing clinical follow-up of patients enrolled in an open/ongoing or completed clinical trial or study.
  • Proposed research may be hypothesis-testing or generating or may be designed to generate experimental platforms.
  • Projects proposing initiation of new clinical trials or studies or increasing enrollment in existing studies do not meet the intent.
  • Partnering PI Option: Supports meaningful and productive partnerships between two PIs.
Additional Elements
  • Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.
  • Applications must include two or more breast cancer consumer advocates on the research team.
  • Maximum allowable total costs*:
    • Single PI: $7.0M
    • Partnering PI Option: $8.4M
The maximum period of performance is 4 years

Before full application submission, the CDMRP requires submission of a pre-application through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal, eBRAP, prior to the pre-application deadline. All applications must conform to the final funding opportunity announcements available for downloading from Grants.gov. To obtain a listing of all CDMRP funding opportunities on the Grants.gov website, perform a basic search using CFDA number 12.420.

To receive email notifications upon release of funding opportunity announcements, subscribe to program-specific news and updates under "Email Subscriptions" on the eBRAP homepage. For more information about the BCRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website.

Point of Contact:
CDMRP Public Affairs
301-619-7071
dha.detrick.cdmrp.mbx.public-affairs@health.mil


Last updated Monday, August 3, 2026