Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: February 19, 2025 (New) | April 28, 2025 (AIDS) | February 19, 2026 (New) | April 28, 2026 (AIDS) | February 19, 2027 (New) | April 28, 2027 (AIDS)
Funding Amounts: Up to $700,000 direct costs per year for up to 7 years; up to 20 new awards per year; total program funding up to $20M/year (across this and companion NOFOs).
Summary: Long-term, flexible support for experienced investigators to advance innovative heart, lung, blood, and sleep research programs.
Key Information: Applicants must currently hold at least two NHLBI R01-equivalent awards (one as an NHLBI-funded ESI R01); EIA replaces most NHLBI individual research grants.
Description
The NHLBI Emerging Investigator Award (EIA) provides experienced Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PDs/PIs) with stable, long-term funding to support a research program—rather than a single project—within the mission of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The EIA is designed to foster scientific productivity and innovation by offering up to seven years of support, increased flexibility to pursue new research directions, and reduced administrative burden. The award is intended to be the primary, and in most cases sole, source of NHLBI funding for individual research grants during the project period.
The EIA supports research programs that make major contributions to heart, lung, blood, and sleep (HLBS) research. It allows investigators to take greater risks, pursue ambitious or long-term projects, and devote more time to research and mentoring.
Due Dates
- Letter of Intent: 30 days prior to each application due date (not required, but strongly encouraged)
- Application Deadlines:
- February 19, 2025 (New)
- April 28, 2025 (AIDS - New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision)
- February 19, 2026 (New)
- April 28, 2026 (AIDS - New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision)
- February 19, 2027 (New)
- April 28, 2027 (AIDS - New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision)
- Expiration Date: April 29, 2027
All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.
Funding Amount
- Award Budget: Up to $700,000 direct costs per year (well-justified budgets encouraged; final amount determined by NHLBI based on current support and program needs)
- Project Period: Up to 7 years
- Number of Awards: Up to 20 new R35 awards per year (across this and companion NOFOs)
- Total Program Funding: Up to $20 million per year for new awards in FY 2026–2028
Eligibility
Eligible Organizations
- Public/State controlled and private institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) IRS status (other than institutions of higher education)
- For-profit organizations (including small businesses)
- State, county, city, township, and special district governments
- Native American tribal governments (federally recognized and other)
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Independent school districts
- Faith-based or community-based organizations
- Regional organizations
- U.S. territories or possessions
- Eligible agencies of the federal government
Note: Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined by NIH policy, are allowed within U.S. applications.
Eligible Individuals
- Only single PD/PI applications are allowed (no multiple PD/PI applications).
- Applicants must currently be PD/PI on at least two NHLBI R01-equivalent (R01, DP1, or DP2) awards.
- At least one must be a single-PD/PI NHLBI-funded NIH Early Stage Investigator (ESI) R01 award (not in no-cost extension, and not a non-mechanistic clinical trial).
- The other qualifying R01-equivalent(s) can be multiple-PD/PI, in first NCE, or an NIH-defined clinical trial.
- The PD/PI must commit a minimum of six person months (50% effort on a full-year appointment) throughout the EIA duration.
Application Process
- Letter of Intent: Strongly encouraged, submitted 30 days before the application due date. Email to NHLBIChiefReviewBranch@nhlbi.nih.gov with copy to NHLBI_R35@mail.nih.gov.
- Application Submission: Use NIH ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace, or institutional S2S system.
- Required Registrations: SAM, eRA Commons, Grants.gov (allow 6+ weeks for completion).
- Application Components:
- No Specific Aims page required.
- Research Strategy should describe the overall vision, innovation, and potential impact of the research program.
- Biographical Sketch must demonstrate creativity, productivity, and mentoring experience.
- Letters of Support: Required from the institution’s Authorized Organization Representative (AOR), confirming eligibility, institutional commitment, and understanding of EIA terms.
- Data Management and Sharing Plan required.
- Review Criteria: Emphasis on past research productivity, potential for continued high-impact HLBS research, innovation, and institutional support.
Important: The EIA is intended to replace most NHLBI individual research grants. Existing NHLBI research project grants must be relinquished if the EIA is awarded (exceptions apply for certain resource, training, and center grants).
Additional Information
- Clinical Trials: Mechanistic and basic experimental studies with humans (BESH) are allowed; Phase I, II, III, and T4 non-mechanistic clinical trials are not permitted.
- Concurrent Applications: Applicants may submit R01 and EIA applications in parallel but may only accept one if both are selected for funding.
- Institutional Commitment: Must provide evidence of substantial support (e.g., salary, resources, protected time).
- Effort Requirement: Minimum of six person months per year on the EIA; effort on other grants must be adjusted accordingly.
- Award Transfers: Allowed only if the new institution agrees to all EIA terms; not transferable to foreign institutions.
External Links
Contact Information