Opportunity Information: Apply for W81XWH 18 BCRP INNOV
The DoD Breast Cancer, Innovator Award (Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-18-BCRP-INNOV) is a Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) funding mechanism designed to back a person more than a single, tightly defined project. Its purpose is to identify and empower unusually creative, high-impact leaders who have a track record of challenging conventional thinking and producing work that shifts the direction of a field. While the research must ultimately be focused on breast cancer, the program is explicitly looking for investigators whose ideas are bold, unconventional, and potentially transformative, even if they come with higher scientific risk. The underlying goal is to accelerate progress toward ending breast cancer by giving exceptional innovators the resources and flexibility to pursue their most visionary concepts.
A central theme of this opportunity is that the Principal Investigator (PI) is the primary asset being evaluated. Reviewers are meant to assess the PI as a paradigm-shifting innovator: someone established in their discipline, recognized for changing how people think or act in research or patient care, and able to articulate a forward-looking vision that goes beyond current dogma. The award is intended for rare individuals who not only produce creative ideas, but also demonstrate the leadership needed to build momentum around those ideas through partnerships, collaborations, and team science. The expectation is that the PI can assemble and lead a research team with the right expertise to execute ambitious goals, while keeping the broader mission of meaningful breast cancer impact at the center.
The opportunity welcomes applicants from any field, including those without prior breast cancer research experience, as long as the proposed work is clearly centered on breast cancer. In fact, the solicitation encourages people from other disciplines to bring fresh concepts, methods, and perspectives into breast cancer research. At the same time, the PI must demonstrate a serious commitment to the breast cancer focus during the award period by devoting at least 50 percent of their full-time professional effort to breast cancer research. That effort can be met through a combination of this award and other active support, but the requirement signals that the PI is expected to prioritize breast cancer as a major component of their professional work during the funded term.
Another defining requirement is the emphasis on community and patient-relevant perspective through formal involvement of breast cancer consumer advocates. The PI’s research team must include two or more consumer advocates who are breast cancer survivors (individuals diagnosed with breast cancer) and who are actively engaged in a breast cancer advocacy organization. These advocates must serve as lay representatives whose role is independent of their employment, and they cannot be employees of any organization participating in the application. The intent is to ensure objective, real-world input on the research direction and the likely impact for people living with breast cancer or at risk for the disease. The solicitation also notes that advocates should be knowledgeable about current breast cancer issues and have sufficient background or training to contribute meaningfully to the research discussion, not merely provide symbolic participation.
In addition to supporting senior, visionary leadership, the Innovator Award also builds in a workforce-development element by requiring mentoring of promising junior investigators. This requirement is meant to spread innovative thinking and help cultivate the next generation of researchers who can generate novel ideas and push the field forward. In practice, this means applications should describe how the PI will guide and develop early-career scientists in ways that meaningfully contribute to the innovative aims of the program.
From an eligibility and administrative standpoint, the opportunity is listed as discretionary funding, using either a cooperative agreement or a grant as the instrument type, under the Department of Defense (Department of the Army, USAMRAA). The CFDA number associated with the program is 12.420. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may appear in the full announcement. The solicitation indicates an expected number of awards of one. The listing shows an award ceiling of 0, which typically indicates that the ceiling is not specified in the summary field and would need to be confirmed in the full funding announcement or associated program documents. The opportunity record provided indicates a creation date of March 27, 2018, and an original closing date of August 14, 2018.
Finally, the proposed research must be relevant not only in a general public health sense but specifically to active duty Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the broader American public. This relevance requirement reflects the DoD context of the program and its interest in ensuring that supported research can plausibly contribute to outcomes that matter for military-connected populations as well as civilians. Overall, the Innovator Award is positioned as a rare, prestige-style research investment: it seeks to fund an established, highly original leader with the freedom to pursue bold, high-risk ideas in breast cancer, grounded in collaboration, meaningful patient-advocate engagement, and mentorship of junior talent.Apply for W81XWH 18 BCRP INNOV
- 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, Innovator 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 Mar 27, 2018.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 14, 2018. (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 1 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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FAQs: DoD Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) Innovator Award (W81XWH-18-BCRP-INNOV)
What is the DoD Breast Cancer, Innovator Award?
The Innovator Award (Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-18-BCRP-INNOV) is a Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program funding mechanism designed to support an individual investigator as the central focus, rather than funding only a single, narrowly defined project. It is meant to provide resources and flexibility to unusually creative, high-impact leaders pursuing bold, potentially transformative ideas that ultimately focus on breast cancer.
What is the main purpose of this award?
The main purpose is to accelerate progress toward ending breast cancer by empowering exceptional innovators to pursue visionary concepts, including unconventional approaches that may carry higher scientific risk but offer potentially outsized impact.
Is the Principal Investigator (PI) the primary focus of the review?
Yes. A central theme is that the PI is the primary asset being evaluated. Reviewers are intended to assess the PI as a paradigm-shifting innovator with a track record of challenging conventional thinking and producing field-shaping work, as well as the leadership ability to drive momentum through partnerships, collaborations, and team science.
What kind of investigator is this opportunity seeking?
The opportunity is positioned for rare, established leaders who are recognized for changing how people think or act in research or patient care, and who can articulate a forward-looking vision that goes beyond current dogma. The PI is expected to be able to assemble and lead a team capable of executing ambitious goals while keeping meaningful breast cancer impact at the center.
Does the proposed research have to be related to breast cancer?
Yes. While the program welcomes bold and unconventional ideas, the research must ultimately be focused on breast cancer.
Can applicants apply from fields outside of breast cancer research?
Yes. Applicants from any field are welcomed, including those without prior breast cancer research experience, as long as the proposed work is clearly centered on breast cancer. The solicitation explicitly encourages bringing fresh concepts, methods, and perspectives from other disciplines into breast cancer research.
How much professional effort must the PI commit to breast cancer research?
The PI must devote at least 50 percent of their full-time professional effort to breast cancer research during the award period. This requirement can be met through a combination of this award and other active support, but it signals that breast cancer must be a major professional priority during the funded term.
Does the award require involvement of consumer advocates?
Yes. The PI’s research team must include two or more breast cancer consumer advocates who are breast cancer survivors and actively engaged in a breast cancer advocacy organization. Their involvement is meant to provide objective, real-world input on the research direction and patient-relevant impact.
Who qualifies as a required consumer advocate for this award?
Based on the opportunity description, required consumer advocates must be: (1) breast cancer survivors (individuals diagnosed with breast cancer), and (2) actively engaged in a breast cancer advocacy organization.
Are there independence requirements for consumer advocates?
Yes. The advocates must serve as lay representatives whose role is independent of their employment, and they cannot be employees of any organization participating in the application. This structure is intended to support objective, patient-relevant perspectives rather than symbolic participation.
Does the solicitation describe what advocates should contribute?
Yes. The solicitation indicates advocates should be knowledgeable about current breast cancer issues and have sufficient background or training to contribute meaningfully to research discussions. The intent is active, substantive engagement rather than nominal involvement.
Is mentoring of junior investigators required?
Yes. The award includes a workforce-development element requiring mentoring of promising junior investigators. Applications are expected to describe how the PI will guide and develop early-career scientists in ways that meaningfully contribute to the innovative aims of the program.
What kinds of collaborations or team structures are expected?
The opportunity emphasizes that the PI should demonstrate leadership to build momentum around visionary ideas through partnerships, collaborations, and team science. The PI is expected to assemble and lead a team with the expertise needed to execute ambitious goals.
What federal agency and program administer this opportunity?
The opportunity is offered under the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, USAMRAA, as part of the Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP).
What is the CFDA number associated with this program?
The CFDA number listed for the program is 12.420.
What type of funding mechanism is this listed as?
It is listed as discretionary funding, and the instrument type is described as either a cooperative agreement or a grant.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may appear in the full announcement.
How many awards are expected to be made?
The opportunity record indicates an expected number of awards of one.
Is there a stated maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The listing shows an award ceiling of 0, which typically indicates the ceiling is not specified in the summary field. The actual ceiling would need to be confirmed in the full funding announcement or associated program documents.
What populations should the research be relevant to?
The proposed research must be relevant not only broadly to public health, but specifically to active duty Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the broader American public. This reflects the DoD context and its interest in outcomes that matter for military-connected populations as well as civilians.
What are the key themes that differentiate this award from a typical project grant?
Based on the description provided, the differentiators include: (1) the PI as the primary asset under evaluation, (2) support for bold, unconventional, potentially high-risk ideas, (3) strong emphasis on leadership, partnerships, and team science, (4) required formal involvement of at least two qualified consumer advocates with independence constraints, (5) required mentoring of junior investigators, and (6) relevance to military-connected populations and/or the broader American public.
What are the posted creation date and closing date in the opportunity record?
The opportunity record indicates a creation date of March 27, 2018, and an original closing date of August 14, 2018.
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