Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 19 BCRP BFA
The DoD Breast Cancer Breakthrough Fellowship Award is a postdoctoral-level funding opportunity from the Department of Defense (USAMRAA) designed to accelerate the careers of exceptionally promising early-stage scientists and physician-scientists while pushing forward bold, potentially transformative breast cancer research. It targets recent doctoral or medical graduates who are in, or about to begin, a postdoctoral fellowship and who can credibly be described as among the "best and brightest" in their peer group. The core idea is to pair a high-potential fellow with strong mentorship and a well-structured career development plan, so the fellow can generate impactful research outcomes and build the experience and track record needed to become an independent breast cancer investigator.
A central requirement of this award is impact. The program is not looking for incremental progress; it is looking for projects that could plausibly change the way breast cancer is understood, prevented, detected, or treated. The anticipated impact can be near-term or long-term, but the application must make a convincing case that the work could lead to a breakthrough or open a fundamentally better path than what is already approved or currently moving through the clinical development pipeline. Applicants are expected to be explicit about who ultimately benefits from the research, meaning they should clearly identify the breast cancer patient populations or at-risk groups that would be affected if the work succeeds.
The research strategy is expected to be innovative and appropriately ambitious, often fitting a high-risk/high-reward profile. Projects may be at an early conceptual stage or may be supported by preliminary data, but in either case the work must be positioned as having real potential to drive significant advances and, ideally, to move toward clinical translation over time. Even with innovative or exploratory projects, the program emphasizes strong scientific reasoning and rigor. Competitive applications are expected to lay out a clear rationale, logical approach, and a well-considered plan that includes experimental details, proper controls, a statistical plan, and thoughtful discussion of pitfalls and alternative approaches. In other words, novelty is valued, but it must be paired with credible execution.
A distinctive feature of the Breakthrough Fellowship Award is that the postdoctoral fellow is the Principal Investigator (PI) for the purposes of the application. The fellow is expected to take the lead in writing major components such as the project narrative and the researcher development plan, with guidance from the mentor. The PI does not necessarily need prior breast cancer-specific experience, but both the proposed project and the training and career development plan must be clearly centered on breast cancer. Reviewers will weigh the fellow's potential to become an independent breast cancer researcher by looking closely at qualifications and achievements, including first-author publications and strong letters of recommendation that demonstrate scientific talent, independence, and upward trajectory.
Mentorship is treated as a critical enabling factor rather than a formality. The mentor (or co-mentor) must have the expertise and experience necessary to support the fellow in breast cancer research and/or breast cancer patient care. The solicitation emphasizes evidence of active engagement in the field, such as recent publications and current peer-reviewed breast cancer funding, along with a clear commitment to guiding both the research and the fellow's development. If the primary mentor is not an established breast cancer researcher, the application must include a formal co-mentor who is. The program also acknowledges that not every strong scientist has an extensive history of mentoring trainees; in those cases, a particularly strong and well-justified researcher development plan can help offset a thinner mentoring record.
The researcher development plan is another major pillar of the award and must be individualized, breast cancer-focused, and tied directly to the fellow's path toward independence. Applications should describe the research environment and why it is well-suited for the proposed work and the fellow's growth, then lay out concrete development activities that build the skills, knowledge, and professional foundation needed for an independent career. Multidisciplinary training and research are encouraged, reflecting how modern breast cancer research often spans basic biology, engineering, data science, immunology, epidemiology, clinical insight, and other areas, but a multidisciplinary approach is not mandatory as long as the plan is coherent and compelling.
In terms of what research is allowed, the opportunity permits studies involving human subjects and human anatomical substances, but it explicitly does not allow clinical trials under this program announcement. That means applicants can propose human-relevant research (for example, analysis of patient samples, observational studies, or other non-trial human-subject work as permitted), but they cannot run an interventional clinical trial as part of this award.
Finally, the program requires relevance to military health. While the award supports breast cancer research that can benefit the broader American public, applicants must also articulate how the proposed work aligns with the healthcare needs of Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the public in ways consistent with Department of Defense priorities. Practically, this means the application should not treat military relevance as an afterthought; it should clearly connect the scientific aims and eventual impact to populations and health concerns that matter within the military health system context.
Administrative details in the posting indicate it was offered as a discretionary DoD funding opportunity (CFDA 12.420) using grant and/or cooperative agreement mechanisms, with an expected number of awards around 10 for that cycle. The listing shows an award ceiling of 0, which typically signals that applicants must refer to the full announcement for budget limits or that limits vary by category rather than being captured in the summary field. The opportunity number is W81XWH-19-BCRP-BFA, originally posted in January 2019 with a closing date in March 2019.Apply for W81XWH 19 BCRP BFA
- 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 Fellowship Award" 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 Jan 22, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 28, 2019. (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 10 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.
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DoD Breast Cancer Breakthrough Fellowship Award (BFA) - FAQs
What is the DoD Breast Cancer Breakthrough Fellowship Award?
The DoD Breast Cancer Breakthrough Fellowship Award is a postdoctoral-level funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Defense (USAMRAA) intended to accelerate the careers of exceptionally promising early-stage scientists and physician-scientists while supporting bold, potentially transformative breast cancer research.
Who is this fellowship designed for?
It targets recent doctoral or medical graduates who are in, or about to begin, a postdoctoral fellowship and who can credibly be described as among the "best and brightest" within their peer group.
What is the main purpose of the program?
The core concept is to pair a high-potential postdoctoral fellow with strong mentorship and a structured career development plan so the fellow can produce impactful research outcomes and build the track record needed to become an independent breast cancer investigator.
Is this award mainly about research, career development, or both?
Both. The award emphasizes high-impact breast cancer research and also treats the fellow's career development as a major pillar, requiring a well-structured, individualized researcher development plan aligned with a path toward independence.
How important is "impact" in this opportunity?
Impact is a central requirement. The program is not looking for incremental progress; it is looking for projects that could plausibly change how breast cancer is understood, prevented, detected, or treated. The anticipated impact can be near-term or long-term, but the application must convincingly argue the work could lead to a breakthrough or open a fundamentally better path than what is already approved or currently in the clinical development pipeline.
Do applicants need to identify who benefits from the research?
Yes. Applicants are expected to be explicit about who ultimately benefits from the research by clearly identifying the breast cancer patient populations or at-risk groups that would be affected if the work succeeds.
Are high-risk/high-reward projects appropriate for this award?
Yes. The research strategy is expected to be innovative and appropriately ambitious, often fitting a high-risk/high-reward profile, as long as it is supported by strong scientific reasoning and a rigorous plan.
Is preliminary data required?
The opportunity allows projects that are at an early conceptual stage or supported by preliminary data. Regardless of project maturity, the application must position the work as having real potential to drive significant advances and ideally move toward clinical translation over time.
What does the program expect in terms of scientific rigor and study design?
Competitive applications are expected to present a clear rationale, a logical approach, and a well-considered plan with experimental details, proper controls, a statistical plan, and thoughtful discussion of pitfalls and alternative approaches. Novelty is valued, but it must be paired with credible execution.
Who is listed as the Principal Investigator (PI) on the application?
A distinctive feature of this award is that the postdoctoral fellow is the Principal Investigator (PI) for purposes of the application.
What role does the fellow play in writing the application?
The fellow is expected to take the lead in writing major components such as the project narrative and the researcher development plan, with guidance from the mentor.
Do applicants need prior breast cancer-specific experience?
Not necessarily. The PI does not need prior breast cancer-specific experience, but both the proposed project and the training and career development plan must be clearly centered on breast cancer.
How will reviewers evaluate the fellow's potential?
Reviewers will weigh the fellow's potential to become an independent breast cancer researcher by examining qualifications and achievements, including first-author publications and strong letters of recommendation demonstrating scientific talent, independence, and an upward trajectory.
How important is mentorship in this award?
Mentorship is treated as a critical enabling factor rather than a formality. The mentor (or co-mentor) must have the expertise and experience needed to support the fellow in breast cancer research and/or breast cancer patient care, and must demonstrate commitment to guiding both the research and the fellow's development.
What mentor qualifications are emphasized in the solicitation?
The solicitation emphasizes evidence of active engagement in the field, such as recent publications and current peer-reviewed breast cancer funding, along with a clear commitment to mentorship and trainee development.
What if the primary mentor is not an established breast cancer researcher?
If the primary mentor is not an established breast cancer researcher, the application must include a formal co-mentor who is.
Can a strong development plan offset a mentor with a limited mentoring track record?
Yes. The program acknowledges that not every strong scientist has an extensive history of mentoring trainees; in such cases, a particularly strong and well-justified researcher development plan can help offset a thinner mentoring record.
What is the researcher development plan, and how central is it?
The researcher development plan is a major pillar of the award. It must be individualized, breast cancer-focused, and directly tied to the fellow's path toward independence. It should describe the research environment and why it is well-suited for the proposed work and the fellow's growth, and then lay out concrete development activities that build the needed skills and professional foundation.
Is multidisciplinary research required?
No. Multidisciplinary training and research are encouraged, reflecting modern breast cancer research spanning areas such as basic biology, engineering, data science, immunology, epidemiology, and clinical insight, but multidisciplinary work is not mandatory if the plan is coherent and compelling.
Are human subjects and human specimens allowed?
Yes. The opportunity permits studies involving human subjects and human anatomical substances.
Are clinical trials allowed under this program announcement?
No. The program explicitly does not allow clinical trials under this program announcement, meaning interventional clinical trials cannot be proposed as part of this award.
What does "no clinical trials" mean in practice for human-related research?
Applicants may propose human-relevant, non-trial research (for example, analysis of patient samples or observational human-subject work as permitted), but they cannot conduct an interventional clinical trial within this award.
Is military health relevance required?
Yes. The application must articulate how the work aligns with healthcare needs of Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the public in ways consistent with DoD priorities. Military relevance should be clearly integrated into the rationale and impact rather than treated as an afterthought.
Can the research still benefit the broader public?
Yes. While the program requires relevance to military health, it also supports breast cancer research that can benefit the broader American public.
What is the opportunity number for this funding announcement?
The opportunity number listed is W81XWH-19-BCRP-BFA.
What agency is associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with the Department of Defense, administered through USAMRAA as described in the posting.
What funding mechanisms are referenced?
The posting indicates the opportunity used grant and/or cooperative agreement mechanisms.
What is the CFDA number mentioned in the posting?
The posting references CFDA 12.420.
How many awards were expected for that cycle?
The listing indicates an expected number of awards around 10 for that cycle.
What does it mean that the award ceiling is shown as 0?
The listing shows an award ceiling of 0, which typically signals that applicants must refer to the full announcement for budget limits or that limits vary by category rather than being captured in the summary field.
When was this opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was originally posted in January 2019 with a closing date in March 2019.
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| DoD Breast Cancer, Era of Hope Scholar Award Apply for W81XWH 19 BCRP EOHS Funding Number: W81XWH 19 BCRP EOHS Agency: Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| DoD Breast Cancer, Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2 Apply for W81XWH 19 BCRP BTA12 Funding Number: W81XWH 19 BCRP BTA12 Agency: Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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| DoD Breast Cancer, Breakthrough Award Level 4 Apply for W81XWH 19 BCRP BTA4 Funding Number: W81XWH 19 BCRP BTA4 Agency: Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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