NIH Director’s New Innovator Award Program (DP2 Clinical Trial Optional)
Funding Agency:
- National Institutes of Health
The NIH Director's New Innovator Award addresses two important goals: stimulating highly innovative research and supporting promising Early Stage Investigators. Early Stage Investigators may have exceptionally innovative research ideas, but not the preliminary data required to fare well in the traditional NIH peer review system. As part of NIH's commitment to increasing opportunities for Early Stage Investigators, it has created the NIH Director's New Innovator Award to support exceptionally creative Early Stage Investigators who propose highly innovative research projects with the potential for unusually high impact. This award complements ongoing efforts by the NIH and its Institutes and Centers to fund Early Stage Investigators through R01 grants and other mechanisms. The definition of Early Stage Investigator is provided here.
The NIH Director's New Innovator Award is different from traditional NIH grants in several aspects. It is designed specifically to support unusually creative investigators with highly innovative research ideas at an early stage of their career when they may lack the preliminary data required for a conventional R01 grant application. The emphasis is on innovation and creativity; preliminary data are not required but may be included. The review process emphasizes the individual’s creativity, the innovativeness of the research approaches, and the potential of the project, if successful, to have a significant impact on an important biomedical or behavioral research problem. Given the highly innovative nature of the research, New Innovator Awardees are given unusual flexibility to pivot research direction as they see fit to maximize research impact.
In order to support the most innovative and impactful research, the NIH recognizes the need to foster a diverse research workforce across the nation. Applications to this award program should reflect the full diversity of potential PD/PIs, applicant institutions, and research areas relevant to the broad mission of NIH. Researchers from diverse backgrounds (see NOT-OD-20-031), including individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, and women are strongly encouraged to work with their institutions to develop applications for this Funding Opportunity Announcement. Since rigorous research with transformative potential is conducted at a broad spectrum of institutions, it benefits the national scientific enterprise to support exceptionally innovative and impactful science that represents this breadth. Therefore, this Funding Opportunity Announcement encourages applications from the full range of eligible institutions, including minority serving institutions and those serving primarily underserved groups, those that may be less research-intensive, and from all domestic geographic locations. Applications are welcome in all research areas broadly relevant to the mission of NIH. These areas include, but are not limited to, the behavioral, medical, natural, social, applied, and formal sciences. Research may be basic, translational, or clinical. The primary requirements are that the research be highly innovative and have the potential for unusually broad impact.
New Innovator Awards are for five years and will be issued in two multi-year funded segments with a three-year award followed by a two-year award. A PHS 2590 Non-Competing Continuation Progress Report (a “Type 4,” 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 provided in this FOA.
Awards will be in two multi-year segments, the first of three years followed by one of two years. The three-year segment will have an award budget up to $900,000 in direct costs. The two-year segment will have an award budget up to $600,000 in direct costs.
August 18, 2023
Patricia Labosky, Ph.D., Office of the Director (OD)
Email: NewInnovatorAwards@mail.nih.gov