The NIH R35 Activity Code belongs to a category of research projects awarded to outstanding investigators. An R35 award is intended to provide recipients with long-term support for any research in their laboratory instead of a specific project, as long as it’s in keeping with the awarding IC’s mission. The reasoning is that the funding and flexibility will allow researchers to pursue more high-risk, adventurous research and pivot to follow developing research directions. This can lead to increased scientific productivity and the chances for important breakthroughs. R35 applications must be single PI only, and an investigator must dedicate a required minimum amount of effort, noted in the NOFO.
Currently, only NIGMS and NHLBI issue R35 awards, and each one varies slightly. We summarize some of the requirements of each award below, but each NOFO has very specific details. We encourage you to carefully read any NOFO in which you may be interested.
Please be aware that each IC’s R35 submission deadline is not on the standard NIH due date cycle. Check the NOFO for the deadline.
NIGMS
NIGMS’ R35 is called the Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA). NIGMS has MIRA NOFOs for (1) Early-Stage Investigators (ESI), and (2) Established Investigators (EI)/New Investigators (NI). The ESI NOFO was scheduled to be released March 1 but has not yet been posted. The EI/NI NOFO is currently active. (**Please note that the information below has been confirmed for the EI/NI MIRA but not the ESI MIRA, as the new ESI MIRA has not yet been released**)
The NIGMS MIRAs represent over 60% of NIGMS’ R01-equivalent awards. NIH highlights the following benefits of MIRA awards:
- Typically have longer grant periods than NIGMS R01s
- Allow flexibility in changing research directions
- Have significantly higher renewal rates compared to other NIGMS R01s
- Require reduced administrative burden by consolidating multiple current or prospective NIGMS research grants into a single award with a longer project period
Funding Levels
ESI: Historically, ESI awards have been $250,000 in direct costs per year for 5 years.
EI/NI: Awards for New Investigators who have previously been funded through NIGMS R01-equivalent awards are $275,000 per year (excluding equipment) for a maximum of 5 years. Investigators with existing NIGMS research grants may request up to $750,000 direct costs annually.
Other Requirements
- PDs/PIs whose only NIGMS research grant(s) is a multi-PD/PI grant(s) are not eligible to apply for a MIRA.
- A PD/PI may not have a MIRA application and another NIGMS research project grant application (e.g., R01, R15, R21, and R37) pending review at the same time.
- All current NIGMS research grants (minus exceptions in Section I of the NOFO) will be terminated once the MIRA grant is issued.
NIGMS MIRAs have some unique requirements. Here are a few:
- MIRA award levels are based on an investigator’s current funding support.
- There are no Specific Aims, thus supporting a broader range of research instead of project-specific research.
- Submission deadlines differ from the standard NIH due dates. Check the NOFO.
- MIRAS require that at least 45% of an investigator’s research effort be dedicated to the MIRA. For example, if an investigator has 50% dedicated research time, effort on the MIRA must be 25%.
NHLBI
NHLBI awards two types of R35: the Outstanding Investigator Award (OIA) and the Emerging Investigator Award (EIA). The main difference between the two awards is that the OIA is meant to support PD/PIs who currently have at least two NHLBI R01-equivalent awards or are in the 6th or 7th year of support of an NHLBI R35 award. The EIA supports investigators who are PD/PIs on at least two NHLBI R01-equivalent awards, one of which must be an NHLBI-funded NIH Early Stage Investigator R01 award.
Investigators must dedicate a minimum of 50% effort to an OIA or EIA award. NHLBI R35s have 7-year periods of performance and both the OIA and EIA provide up to $700,000 direct costs. Like the NIGMS MIRAs, the NHLBI R35s have deadlines that differ from the NIH Standard Due Dates so be sure to read the NOFO carefully. Additionally, NHLBI has a very detailed Q&A page for the R35s, complete with information regarding eligibility, application, submission, application, review and more.
