DoD Breast Cancer, Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Development Award

The Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Development Award is offered by the Defense Health Agency through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs as part of the Breast Cancer Research Program. This program was established by Congress to support innovative, high-impact research aimed at ending breast cancer for Service Members, Veterans, their families, and the broader public. Since its inception, the Breast Cancer Research Program has received substantial federal appropriations to advance scientific discovery, emphasizing collaboration, innovation, and clinical relevance in breast cancer research. The purpose of this specific development award is to provide investigators with the resources and time necessary to establish a multi-institutional consortium focused on transformative breast cancer research. Rather than funding full-scale research projects, this opportunity is designed to support early-stage consortium formation, including building collaborative teams, engaging breast cancer consumer advocates, and conducting preliminary research. The ultimate goal is to prepare recipients to compete for a future, larger Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Award. All proposed work must address at least one of the program’s overarching challenges related to breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or understanding disease progression. Funding under this opportunity is limited, with approximately $140,000 allocated to support a single award. The period of performance is capped at one year. Funds may be used for activities such as consortium planning meetings, development of collaborative infrastructure, acquisition of research resources, and generation of preliminary data. Clinical trials are not permitted, but research involving human data or specimens is allowed. The award emphasizes rigorous study design and adherence to established research standards to ensure reproducibility and translational potential. Eligibility is broad, allowing both domestic and international organizations, including for-profit and nonprofit entities, as well as public and private institutions. Independent investigators affiliated with eligible organizations may serve as Principal Investigators, regardless of citizenship status. However, individuals cannot simultaneously apply as Consortium Director for both this development award and the full consortium award in the same funding cycle. Cost sharing is not required, and awards are made to organizations rather than individuals. The application process consists of two required steps: a pre-application and a full application. The pre-application includes a Letter of Intent submitted through the Electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal. The full application is then submitted either through Grants.gov or eBRAP depending on the applicant’s organizational type. Required components include a project narrative, technical and lay abstracts, supporting documentation, and various compliance and planning documents. Applications must follow strict formatting and submission requirements, and failure to meet deadlines or include required components will result in rejection. Applications are evaluated through a two-tier review process. Peer review assesses scientific and technical merit based on criteria such as impact, consortium team strength, research design, and feasibility of preliminary work. Programmatic review then considers relevance to program priorities and overall portfolio balance. Reviewers also evaluate the potential for the proposed consortium to make a transformative impact on breast cancer outcomes and to accelerate progress toward ending the disease. Key deadlines include a pre-application submission due on June 24, 2026, and a full application deadline of July 8, 2026. Peer review is expected in September 2026, followed by programmatic review in November 2026. Awards are anticipated to be made by September 30, 2027. Applicants are encouraged to begin preparations early due to registration requirements and the complexity of the submission process. Support is available through the eBRAP Help Desk and Grants.gov for technical and submission-related inquiries.

Focus on demonstrating transformative impact and strong consortium collaboration; clearly align proposal with at least one overarching challenge; include active consumer advocate participation; emphasize feasibility and integration of preliminary research