Grant✓ Small businesses may apply
NIH Director’s Pioneer Award (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health
Award ceiling
$700,000
Award floor
$700,000
Program funding
$8,000,000
- Opportunity #
- RFA-RM-27-001
- Agency
- National Institutes of Health
- ALN (CFDA)
- 93.310
- Status
- posted
- Posted
- Jun 29, 2026
- Closes
- Sep 9, 2026
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Category
- Health
- Cost sharing required
- No
Who can apply
- •Private institutions of higher education
- •Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- •Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
- •Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- •Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- •Special district governments
- •Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- •Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- •City or township governments
- •For profit organizations other than small businesses
- •State governments
- •Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- •County governments
- •Small businesses
- •Independent school districts
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.
Synopsis
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.
Contact
National Institutes of Health · PioneerAwards@mail.nih.gov