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

The NIH Director's Pioneer Award (RFA-RM-27-001) is a grant opportunity provided by the National Institutes of Health under the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program of the NIH Common Fund. This award supports exceptionally creative individual scientists proposing bold, highly innovative research projects that represent a substantial change in research direction and have the potential to significantly impact broad areas relevant to the NIH mission. The scope encompasses basic, translational, or clinical research, and applications are evaluated based on scientific merit, the investigator's capability for innovation, and the project's potential to exert a sustained influence on the research field. The award provides 700,000 dollars in annual direct costs over a five-year project period, totaling 3.5 million dollars in direct costs, with applicable indirect costs determined at the time of award. Eligible applicants include small businesses and other for-profit organizations, provided they maintain active registrations in the System for Award Management and eRA Commons, and the PD/PI is registered with ORCID. The application process requires a research strategy structured as an essay, a biographical sketch for the PD/PI, and a data management and sharing plan. Notably, the award does not require preliminary data or specific aims, but the recipient must commit at least 51 percent of their research effort to the project. Applications are due by September 9, 2026.