DoW Breast Cancer, Clinical Research Extension Award

The FY26 Breast Cancer Research Program Clinical Research Extension Award is offered through the Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity as part of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs Breast Cancer Research Program. The funding opportunity supports research efforts intended to extend the value and impact of previously conducted or ongoing breast cancer clinical studies by continuing follow-up activities, expanding data analysis, improving specimen analysis, and maximizing the scientific utility of previously collected patient data and biospecimens. The Breast Cancer Research Program was established by Congress in fiscal year 1992 and has received more than $4.52 billion in appropriations through fiscal year 2025. The program’s mission is to end breast cancer for Service Members, Veterans, their families, and the general public by accelerating high-impact and clinically relevant research. The FY26 appropriation for the Breast Cancer Research Program is $145 million. The Clinical Research Extension Award specifically supports projects that extend clinical studies that have already enrolled patients rather than initiating entirely new clinical trials. The funding mechanism is designed to address scientific opportunities lost because of limited follow-up periods, incomplete biomarker analysis, insufficient sample characterization, or early trial closure. Supported activities may include deeper molecular characterization of existing clinical specimens, biomarker validation, development of clinically annotated experimental platforms, additional correlative analyses, or long-term follow-up of patients from completed or ongoing studies. Applications proposing new clinical trial enrollment or the initiation of new clinical studies are specifically prohibited. All projects must address at least one of the FY26 Breast Cancer Research Program overarching challenges, such as preventing breast cancer, identifying drivers of metastasis, reducing overtreatment, improving survival while lowering toxicity, or eliminating mortality associated with metastatic breast cancer. The program expects to allocate approximately $15.4 million to support approximately two awards. Single Principal Investigator applications may request up to $7 million in total costs over a maximum four-year period of performance. Applications submitted through the Partnering Principal Investigator Option may request a combined total cost budget of up to $8.4 million. The award mechanism allows indirect costs according to negotiated institutional rates, and subaward indirect costs must be included in the direct cost calculations of the primary award. Allowable expenses include travel for scientific collaboration, support for patient participation costs, and travel for up to three investigators to attend one scientific or technical meeting annually for project dissemination purposes. Cost sharing is not required. Funding cannot be used to initiate new patient enrollment in clinical studies. Eligible applicants include domestic and foreign organizations, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, public and private entities, intramural and extramural Department of War organizations, and independent investigators affiliated with eligible institutions regardless of nationality or citizenship status. Applications must include at least two breast cancer consumer advocates who are breast cancer survivors actively involved in advocacy organizations and capable of providing independent patient-centered input into the research process. The funding mechanism also encourages collaborative leadership through the Partnering Principal Investigator Option, where two investigators contribute equally to the project design and execution. The application must demonstrate feasibility through preliminary data, appropriate statistical design, access to clinical samples or patient cohorts, and plans for sharing resulting data and resources with the scientific community. The submission process includes a mandatory pre-application Letter of Intent submitted through the Electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal. The pre-application deadline is June 24, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Full applications are due July 8, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, followed by an application verification deadline of July 13, 2026. Extramural applicants must submit full applications through Grants.gov, while intramural Department of War organizations must submit through eBRAP. Required application components include a Project Narrative, Technical Abstract, Lay Abstract, Statement of Work, Research Team Statement, Inclusion of Women and Minorities plan, Research Sharing Plan, Supporting Documentation, budgets, biosketches, and additional forms depending on submission type. Applications under the Partnering Principal Investigator Option require separate submissions from both investigators. Applications will undergo a two-tier review process consisting of peer review and programmatic review. Peer review criteria include impact, research strategy and feasibility, personnel qualifications, integration of consumer advocates, partnership quality for collaborative applications, and adequacy of the research sharing plan. Programmatic review additionally considers portfolio balance, relevance to Breast Cancer Research Program priorities, and alignment with the intent of the funding opportunity. Peer review is anticipated in September 2026, with programmatic review expected in November 2026. Awards are expected to be issued no later than September 30, 2027 using FY26 funds. Successful applicants will receive reporting obligations including annual technical reports, inclusion enrollment reporting for clinical research, and a final transition plan at award completion. Technical assistance is available through the eBRAP Help Desk at help@eBRAP.org and Grants.gov support channels for registration and submission questions.

Align the proposal clearly with at least one FY26 Breast Cancer Research Program overarching challenge. Demonstrate strong feasibility through preliminary data and detailed statistical methods. Emphasize how the project extends the impact of an existing clinical study rather than initiating a new trial. Integrate consumer advocates meaningfully into planning and evaluation activities. Provide a robust data sharing plan and clearly document access to specimens cohorts and research resources.