The Era of Hope Scholar Award supports individuals early in their careers who have demonstrated significant potential to effect meaningful change in breast cancer. These individuals should be exceptionally talented scientists who have shown that they are the “best and brightest” in their field(s) through extraordinary creativity, vision, innovation, and productivity. They should have demonstrated experience in forming effective partnerships and collaborations and must exhibit strong potential for future leadership in breast cancer research.
As the intent of the Era of Hope Scholar Award is to recognize creative and innovative individuals rather than projects, the central features of the award are the demonstrated ability of the individual named as the Principal Investigator (PI) in the application to go beyond conventional thinking in their field and the innovative contribution that the PI can make toward ending breast cancer. The application should articulate a vision that challenges current dogma and demonstrates an ability to look beyond tradition and convention.
Experience in breast cancer research is not required; however, the application must focus on breast cancer, and the PI must commit a minimum of 25% level of time and effort during the period of performance to conduct breast cancer research under this award. Individuals from other disciplines who apply novel concepts to breast cancer are encouraged to submit.
The PI is encouraged to assemble a research team that will provide the necessary expertise and collaborative efforts toward accomplishing the research goals. The PI’s research team must include two or more breast cancer consumer advocates. As lay representatives, the consumer advocates must be individuals who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and are actively involved in a breast cancer advocacy organization. Their role should be independent of their employment, and they may not be employees of any organizations participating in the application. The consumer advocates should have a high level of knowledge of current breast cancer issues and the appropriate background and/or training in breast cancer research to contribute to the project. Their role should be focused on providing objective input throughout the research effort and its potential impact for individuals with, or at risk for, breast cancer.
A congressionally mandated Metastatic Cancer Task Force was formed with the purpose of identifying ways to help accelerate clinical and translational research aimed at extending the lives of advanced state and recurrent patients. As a member of the Metastatic Cancer Task Force, the CDMRP encourages applicants to review the recommendations (https://health.mil/Reference-Center/Congressional-Testimonies/2018/05/03/Metastatic-Cancer-Research) and submit research ideas to address these recommendations provided they are within the limitations of this funding opportunity and fit within the FY24 BCRP priorities.
Innovative research involving nuclear medicine and related techniques to support early diagnosis, more effective treatment, and improved health outcomes of active-duty Service Members and their Families is encouraged. Such research could improve diagnostic and targeted treatment capabilities through noninvasive techniques and may drive the development of precision imaging and advanced targeted therapies.
The CDMRP encourages research on health areas and conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, or differently from men, including studies analyzing sex as a biological variable. Such research should relate anticipated project findings to improvements in women's health outcomes and/or advancing knowledge for women's health.
The proposed research must be relevant to active-duty Service Members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the American public. Collaborations between researchers at military or Veteran institutions and non-military institutions are strongly encouraged. These relationships can leverage knowledge, infrastructure, and access to unique clinical populations that the partners bring to the research effort, ultimately advancing cancer research that is of significance to the Warfighter, military Families, and the American public.
Clinical trials are allowed. A clinical trial is defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 45, Part 46.102 (45 CFR 46.102) as a research study in which one or more human subjects are prospectively assigned to one or more interventions (which may include a placebo or another control) to evaluate the effects of the interventions on biomedical or behavioral health-related outcomes.
Studies that do not seek to measure safety, effectiveness, and/or efficacy outcome(s) of an intervention are not considered clinical trials.
For the purposes of this funding opportunity, research that meets the definition of a clinical trial is distinct from clinical research. Clinical research encompasses research with human data, human specimens, and/or interaction with human subjects. Clinical research is observational in nature and includes:
(1) Research conducted with human subjects and/or material of human origin such as data, specimens, and cognitive phenomena for which an investigator (or co-investigator) does not seek to assess the safety, effectiveness, and/or efficacy outcomes of an intervention. Research meeting this definition may include but is not limited to: (a) mechanisms of human disease, (b) diagnostic or detection studies (e.g., biomarker or imaging), (c) health disparity studies, and (d) development of new technologies.
(2) Epidemiologic and behavioral studies that do not seek to assess the safety, effectiveness, and/or efficacy outcomes of an intervention.
(3) Outcomes research and health services research that do not fit under the definition of clinical trial.
Excluded from the definition of clinical research are in vitro studies that utilize human data or specimens that cannot be linked to a living individual and meet the requirements for exemption under §46.104(d)(4) of the Common Rule.
The funding instrument for awards made under the program announcement will be grants (31 USC 6304).
The anticipated direct costs budgeted for the entire period of performance for an FY24 Era of Hope Scholar Award should not exceed $3.5M. Refer to Section II.D.5, Funding Restrictions, for detailed funding information.
Awards supported with FY24 funds will be made no later than September 30, 2025.
The CDMRP expects to allot approximately $5.4M to fund approximately one Era of Hope Scholar Award application. Funding of applications received is contingent upon the availability of federal funds for this program, the number of applications received, the quality and merit of the applications as evaluated by peer and programmatic review, and the requirements of the government. Funds to be obligated on any award resulting from this funding opportunity will be available for use for a limited time period based on the fiscal year of the funds. It is anticipated that awards made from this FY24 funding opportunity will be funded with FY24 funds, which will expire for use on September 30, 2030.
