The intent of the FY25 BCRP Breakthrough Award is to support promising research that has high potential to lead to or make breakthroughs in breast cancer.
The FY25 BCRP Breakthrough Award contains three different funding levels, each intended to support a defined research scope. It is the responsibility of the PI to select the level that aligns with the scope of the proposed research. The funding level selected should be based on the research scope defined in the program announcement and not on the amount of the budget. An application that does not meet the intent of the funding level selected will not be recommended for funding, even if it might meet the intent of a different funding level.
• 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. To foster research that yields new avenues of investigation, preliminary data are not required. Proof of concept is the anticipated outcome.
• Funding Level 2: Research that is already supported by substantial preliminary or published data in breast cancer and strongly validates clinical translation in a well-defined context within the breast cancer landscape.
• Funding Level 2: Population Science and Prevention Studies: The studies should focus on the analysis of human data and biospecimens. Research should be already supported by substantial preliminary or published data in breast cancer and strongly validate clinical translation in a well-defined context within the breast cancer landscape. With compelling justification, population science and prevention studies may request higher levels of funding and an additional year in the period of performance.
Deadlines:
• Required Pre-Application Deadline: June 13, 2025
• Application Submission Deadline: June 27, 2025
Considering the current breast cancer landscape and the program’s mission, the BCRP seeks to invest in research that addresses 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 are more effective, less toxic, and impact survival
• Eliminate the mortality associated with metastatic breast cancer
Investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent) are eligible to be named as a PI, Initiating PI, or Partnering PI on an application.
Applications are encouraged for postdoctoral fellows. A Mentorship Statement (Attachment 9) is required for applications submitted with a PI who is a postdoctoral fellow.
Each investigator may be named as a PI or Initiating PI on only one application per funding level for this Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2 program announcement.
There are no limitations on the number of applications for which an investigator may be named as a Partnering PI. To meet the intent of the Partnering PI Option, investigators are discouraged from being named as a Partnering PI on multiple Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2 applications unless they are clearly unique, meaningful partnerships addressing distinct research questions. Applications must include a brief description of all the applications in which the investigator is named as a PI, Initiating PI, Partnering PI, collaborator, or mentor under this Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2 program announcement.
Individuals affiliated with an eligible organization are eligible to be named as PI regardless of ethnicity, nationality, or citizenship status.
The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) expects to allot approximately $37.7 million (M) to fund approximately 20 Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2 applications with direct cost caps of $0.54M (single PI) or $0.9M (PPIO) for Funding Level 1, $1.2M (single PI) or $1.8M (PPIO) for Funding Level 2, or $1.8M (single PI) or $2.4M (PPIO) for Funding Level 2 - Population Science and Prevention Studies. The maximum period of performance is three years for Breakthrough Award Funding Levels 1 and 2 and four years for Breakthrough Award Level 2 – Population Science and Prevention Studies. It is anticipated that awards made from this FY25 funding opportunity will be funded with FY25 funds, which will expire for use on September 30, 2031. Awards supported with FY25 funds will be made no later than September 30, 2026.