DoD Breast Cancer, Clinical Research Extension Award

The Department of Defense (DoD), through its Defense Health Program and Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), has issued the FY25 Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) Clinical Research Extension Award under Funding Opportunity Number HT942525BCRPCREA2. The CDMRP was initiated by Congress in 1992 to fund high-impact biomedical research that benefits Service Members, Veterans, and the general public. Since its inception, the BCRP has received more than $4.39 billion in appropriations, with a new $130 million allocated for FY25. The overarching mission of this program is to end breast cancer by accelerating clinical research and fostering innovation and collaboration across sectors. The purpose of this specific award mechanism is to extend or expand the data collection, follow-up, and analysis associated with breast cancer clinical studies. It seeks to recover lost knowledge from prematurely terminated trials, incomplete patient follow-up, or insufficient data/sample analysis. This funding opportunity supports additional research and evaluation efforts that build on already completed or ongoing clinical trials but explicitly excludes funding for initiating new clinical trials. Potential projects include correlative studies, biomarker validations, or in-depth analysis of existing patient-derived models or datasets. A key requirement for this grant is the inclusion of at least two breast cancer consumer advocates in the research team. These individuals must be independent from participating institutions and affiliated with advocacy organizations. Furthermore, applicants may apply individually or collaboratively under the Partnering Principal Investigator Option (PPIO), where each PI contributes distinct expertise. The PPIO allows for a higher award ceiling and encourages balanced partnerships across organizations or institutions. This grant provides a total of approximately $8.4 million in funding. Single PI applications may request up to $7 million, while applications submitted under the PPIO may request up to $8.4 million. Awards can span a maximum of four years, with FY25 funds available for obligation through September 30, 2031, and final awards issued by September 30, 2026. Funding may be requested for research-related travel, subject compensation, and data dissemination, but not for initiating new clinical trials. Eligible applicants include both domestic and foreign organizations, encompassing academic institutions, nonprofit and for-profit entities, and public or private organizations. Independent investigators of any academic rank are welcome to apply, and there are no restrictions on the number of submissions per investigator, provided each application addresses distinct research questions. The application process consists of two stages: a required pre-application (Letter of Intent) submitted through eBRAP by August 27, 2025, followed by a full application due via Grants.gov or eBRAP by September 10, 2025. Applications undergo a two-tier review process comprising peer and programmatic review. Peer reviewers evaluate impact, research strategy and feasibility, personnel qualifications, and the inclusion of consumer advocates. Programmatic review assesses alignment with BCRP priorities, adherence to the award's intent, and portfolio diversity. For assistance, applicants can contact the eBRAP Help Desk at help@eBRAP.org or call 301-682-5507 for pre-application support. Questions regarding Grants.gov submissions should be directed to support@grants.gov or 800-518-4726. Applicants must also ensure active registration in SAM.gov, eBRAP.org, and Grants.gov before submission.

Ensure inclusion of two consumer advocates and do not propose initiation of a new clinical trial.