The NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (activity code DP2) supports Early-Stage Investigators (ESIs) who are pursuing highly innovative research that has the potential to have a major impact on areas relevant to NIH mission. Applications in any biomedical science area can be basic, translational, or clinical in nature. Clinical trials are optional.
Applicants must be ESIs, which is defined as investigators who have completed doctoral degree or postgraduate clinical training within the last 10 years and have never been a Principal Investigator on an R01 or equivalent research award.
There is a single deadline each year, this year on August 17.
Awardees must dedicate a minimum of 25% research effort to the project. Preliminary data are not required. Instead, the focus should be on innovation and creativity. The award provides funding of $475,000 direct costs per year for up to 5 years, making the time and budget similar to a standard R01.
Funding is competitive. It’s always a good idea to speak with a Program Officer to determine whether your project aligns best with the DP2 or another mechanism.
The NIH Director’s New Innovator Award application has an unusual structure. There is no Specific Aims page, and a 10-page essay instead of the standard 6- or 12-page Research Strategy. The NOFO lays out specific subheaders for the essay. Read the NOFO carefully and follow the instructions exactly. In addition, there is a wealth of information on the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award page, including a slideshow, webinar FAQs, and much more. It might also be helpful to ask your pre-award support office if they have a sample of a DP2 application that a past PI might be willing to share with you.
The NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2) is one of four High-Risk, High-Reward (HRHR) research grants issued by the NIH Office of the Director out of the NIH Common Fund, which means they are not sponsored by a specific IC. The other three are:
- NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award (deadline September 3)
- NIH Director’s Pioneer Award (deadline September 9)
- NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (deadline September 10)
If you’re interested in seeing some information about funded DP2s, use NIH RePORTer’s Advanced Search feature. Under Project Number/Application ID, enter “DP2” as the Activity Code. The projects that list the funding IC as “OD” (Office of the Director) are the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award.
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