DoD Breast Cancer, Breakthrough Award Level 3 | HT9425 23 BCRP BTA3

Opportunity Information: Apply for HT9425 23 BCRP BTA3

The DoD Breast Cancer Breakthrough Award Level 3 (Funding Opportunity Number HT9425-23-BCRP-BTA3) is a discretionary research funding opportunity from the Department of Defense (Department of the Army, USAMRAA) designed to push breast cancer research past incremental gains and toward work that can genuinely change the landscape of prevention, detection, or treatment. The central expectation is impact: proposed projects must have strong potential to accelerate progress toward ending breast cancer by enabling a major advance, either in the near term or the longer term, but in a way that goes beyond small improvements to existing approaches. Applicants are expected to clearly identify the breast cancer patient groups, or at-risk individuals, who would ultimately benefit if the research succeeds, so the proposal stays anchored to real-world clinical or public health outcomes rather than remaining purely theoretical.

This award sits within a four-level Breakthrough Award structure, where each level maps to a different stage on the path to clinical application. Level 3 specifically targets advanced translational research with a high degree of readiness, meaning the work should be mature enough that it can credibly move toward clinical investigation on a realistic timeline. Importantly, applicants are expected to choose the level that matches the scope of their science, not the size of the budget, and the announcement makes clear that a strong idea placed into the wrong level will not be recommended for funding even if it might have been competitive under another level. Levels 1 and 2 are offered under a separate announcement (HT9425-23-BCRP-BTA12), and Level 4 is offered under another (HT9425-23-BCRP-BTA4), so applicants need to align their project with Level 3 expectations rather than trying to force earlier-stage or later-stage work into this mechanism.

For Level 3, the program emphasizes proof of readiness and access. When relevant, applicants must provide evidence that they already have access to the critical ingredients needed to execute the project without speculative delays, such as necessary datasets, human biospecimens, cohorts, and key reagents. If the project is likely to require involvement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the application must also demonstrate availability of and access to clinical-grade reagents, such as therapeutic molecules, as well as access to appropriate patient populations. This is meant to ensure that funded projects are positioned to move quickly into near-term clinical investigation. In fact, the scope explicitly allows for small-scale clinical trials when appropriate, including first-in-human studies or Phase 1/1b efforts, reflecting the program’s focus on translation and real clinical momentum rather than exploratory work alone.

A notable feature of this opportunity is the Partnering PI Option, which supports applications led by two principal investigators working as true intellectual partners. Under this structure, one PI serves as the Initiating PI and typically handles most submission and administrative responsibilities, while the Partnering PI shares substantive responsibility for the scientific direction and execution. The program is explicit that both PIs should contribute meaningfully to the project narrative, the statement of work, and core application components, and that each PI must bring distinct, necessary expertise to the research strategy. Proposals need to make a persuasive case that the collaboration is essential and that the work is stronger together than it would be if done as separate, loosely connected efforts. The intent is not to fund arrangements where one PI mainly provides materials, models, or an agent while the other conducts most experiments and analyses; that kind of imbalance does not satisfy the partnership expectation. Funding is expected to be balanced between the two PIs unless there is a well-justified reason otherwise, and if the application is selected, each PI will be named on an individual award within the recipient organization.

The opportunity also places strong emphasis on having the right people around the table. Applicants are expected to assemble a robust research team with the collective expertise needed to deliver on demanding translational goals in breast cancer. Beyond scientific personnel, consumer advocate participation is a required element rather than an optional add-on. Each application must include two or more breast cancer consumer advocates who are integrated throughout planning and implementation, with meaningful roles in shaping the research question, project design, oversight, recruitment, evaluation, and other major project activities. The program sets clear boundaries to preserve independence and authentic patient-centered input: consumer advocates must be individuals diagnosed with breast cancer, active in a breast cancer advocacy organization, and they cannot be employees of any participating organization. The expectation is ongoing, well-integrated collaboration with the research team, not limited participation such as occasional attendance at seminars or periodic meetings. Advocates should also have enough knowledge of current breast cancer issues and sufficient background or training in research to contribute effectively and credibly.

Administratively, this opportunity is offered as a grant and/or cooperative agreement under CFDA 12.420, categorized as science and technology and other research and development. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of entity types may apply, subject to any eligibility clarifications in the full announcement. The posting indicates an expected number of awards of two, and the original closing date listed is June 28, 2023, with a creation date of February 6, 2023. The award ceiling is shown as 0 in the source data, which typically signals that the ceiling is defined elsewhere in the full program announcement or may depend on level-specific limits and budgeting rules rather than being captured in that particular field.

Overall, the Breakthrough Award Level 3 is aimed at teams that are ready to translate a compelling, high-impact breast cancer concept into a concrete path toward clinical testing, supported by real access to the needed samples, cohorts, reagents, and patient populations. Competitive applications will read less like a promise to build capacity and more like a credible plan to execute: a clear clinical or patient need, a fundamentally meaningful leap beyond the current state of the art, a realistic near-term timeline to clinical investigation where appropriate, and a team structure that includes both strong scientific leadership (potentially through a true two-PI partnership) and deeply integrated consumer advocates to keep the work aligned with patient priorities and real-world impact.

• The Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DoD Breast Cancer, Breakthrough Award Level 3" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.420.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 06, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 28, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for HT9425 23 BCRP BTA3

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