§ Federal grant opportunity · RFA-RM-27-001

    NIH Director’s Pioneer Award (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional)

    National Institutes of Health is accepting applications for NIH Director’s Pioneer Award (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional). The deadline is September 9, 2026 and the published award range is $700K.

    Key facts

    Funder
    National Institutes of Health
    Application deadline
    September 9, 2026
    Award range
    $700K
    Eligibility
    Refer to Section III. Eligibility Information in the NOFO for additional information on eligibility.Foreign Organizations/International Collaborations:Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
    Geography
    United States
    Focus areas
    Health
    Opportunity number
    RFA-RM-27-001

    Program overview

    The NIH Director"s Pioneer Award supports individual scientists of exceptional creativity who propose bold and highly innovative research projects with the potential to produce a major impact on broad, important areas relevant to the mission of NIH. To be considered pioneering, the proposed research must reflect substantially different scientific directions from those already being pursued in the investigator"s research program or elsewhere. Applications in all topics relevant to the broad mission of NIH are welcome. Research may involve basic, translational, or clinical research. The NIH Director"s Pioneer Award is a component of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research (HRHR) program of the NIH Common Fund.

    How to apply

    1. Confirm your organization meets the eligibility criteria above.
    2. Read the full funding opportunity announcement from National Institutes of Health.
    3. Draft your narrative against the funder's stated priorities and review criteria.
    4. Submit before September 9, 2026, allowing time for registration and validation.

    View the official funding announcement

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