NIH Director's New Innovator Award Program (DP2 Clinical Trial Optional)
NIH's New Innovator Award encourages early-career scientists with creative, high-impact research ideas to apply for funding; preliminary data is not needed.
This grant is no longer accepting proposals
National Institutes of Health has archived this opportunity.
Funder: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Due Dates: August 19, 2025 (Full proposal)
Funding Amounts: Up to $475,000 in direct costs per year for 5 years (total up to $2,375,000 direct costs), plus applicable F&A. ~30 awards expected.
Summary: Supports exceptionally creative early stage investigators proposing bold, high-impact research relevant to the broad mission of NIH.
Key Information: Applicants must be Early Stage Investigators (ESI) in an independent research position by Sept 1, 2026; only single PI applications allowed.
Description
The NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2) is designed for early stage investigators (ESIs) of exceptional creativity who propose bold, innovative, and potentially high-impact research projects. The program seeks to support investigators at the beginning of their independent research careers, enabling them to pursue unconventional approaches that may not fare well in traditional peer review due to a lack of preliminary data.
This award is part of the NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research (HRHR) Program. Projects may be in any scientific area relevant to the NIH mission, including behavioral, social, biomedical, applied, and formal sciences, and may involve basic, translational, or clinical research. The emphasis is on innovation and the potential for unusually broad impact.
Applicants are encouraged to reflect the full diversity of the research workforce, including individuals from underrepresented groups and a wide range of institutions and geographic locations.
