The NIH Common Fund announces FY2024 funding opportunities for the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, Transformative Research Award, and Early Independence Award in the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program. The program provides unique opportunities for exceptionally creative scientists to pursue highly innovative approaches to address major challenges in biomedical or behavioral research. Any research topic relevant to the broad mission of NIH is welcome.
NIH strongly encourages applications from women and members of groups that are underrepresented in NIH-funded research and from individuals from diverse backgrounds and from the full spectrum of eligible institutions in all geographic locations. In addition, applications in all topics relevant to the broad mission of NIH are welcome, including, but not limited to, topics in the behavioral, social, biomedical, applied, and formal sciences and topics that may involve basic, translational, or clinical research.
NIH Director's New Innovator Award (DP2 - Clinical Trial Optional)RFA-RM-23-005
The New Innovator Award supports exceptionally creative early career scientists proposing unusually innovative and high-impact projects. The New Innovator Award has the following characteristics:
- Single-PI applications only
- PI must have Early Stage Investigator status
- No preliminary data required
- $1.5 million in direct costs disbursed in two multi-year-funded segments of three-years and two-years
- PHS 2590 Non-Competing Continuation Progress Report (not a Multi-Year Funded Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR)) must be submitted in year three for funding the second award segment
- Detailed Budget pages must be completed according to the special instructions in the funding opportunity announcement
- Applications due August 18, 2023
NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional): RFA RM-23-006
The Transformative Research Award supports individuals or teams proposing unusually innovative research projects that are inherently risky and untested but have the potential to create or overturn fundamental paradigms. The Transformative Research Award has the following characteristics:
- Open to all career stages
- Accepts single-PI or multi-PI applications
- No preliminary data or detailed experimental plan required
- Anonymized Specific Aims page and Research Strategy section
- Flexible budget
- Application deadline: September 1, 2023
The Transformative Research Award initiative is piloting an anonymized review process. Applicants should carefully read and follow the instructions in the funding opportunity to ensure responsiveness.
See the Transformative Research Award website for more information, including FAQs and an application guide with sample application. Prospective applicants are invited to a pre-application webinar on June 27, 2023, from 2:00-3:30 PM EDT. NIH staff will discuss the initiative and answer questions about the application and review process. Questions for the webinar should be submitted ahead of time to Transformative_Awards@mail.nih.gov by 11:59 PM local time on June 23, 2023. Additional questions may be taken during the webinar if time allows. Register for the webinar and join on Webex. The webinar will be recorded and posted on the Transformative Research Award website.
NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (DP5 - Clinical Trial Optional): Trial Optional): RFA RM-23-007
The Early Independence Award enables outstanding junior scientists with the intellect, scientific creativity, drive, and maturity to bypass the traditional postdoctoral training period and launch an independent research career. Applicants must have recently completed or will soon complete their doctoral degree or clinical training and have the support and guarantee of an independent research position from a host institution.
- Single-PI applications only
- Complete doctoral degree or clinical training between June 1, 2022, and September 30, 2024
- In non-independent research position at time of application
- Cannot have served in a postdoctoral position for more than 12 months before completion of terminal doctoral degree or clinical training
- Requires significant institutional commitment
- Limited to two applications per institution
- No preliminary data required
- Up to $250,000 direct costs per year for up to 5 years
- Application deadline: September 6, 2023
See the Early Independence Award website for more information, including FAQs, an application guide with a sample application. Prospective applicants are invited to a pre-application webinar on June 22, 2023, from 1:00-2:30 PM EDT. NIH staff will discuss the initiative and answer questions about the application and review process. Questions for the webinar should be submitted ahead of time to EarlyIndependence@od.nih.gov by 11:59 PM local time on June 20, 2023. Additional questions may be taken during the webinar if time allows. Register for the webinar and join on Webex. The webinar will be recorded and posted on the Early Independence Award website.
The High-Risk, High-Reward Research program provides unique opportunities for exceptionally creative scientists to pursue highly innovative approaches to address major challenges in biomedical or behavioral research. Any research topic relevant to the broad mission of NIH is welcome.
The High-Risk High-Reward Research program and other Common Fund programs are managed by the Office of Strategic Coordination, Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives in the NIH Office of the Director, in partnership with the component NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices. The NIH Common Fund encourages collaboration and supports a series of exceptionally high impact, trans-NIH programs.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) – “The Nation's Medical Research Agency” – includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit the NIH website.