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ClosedOpportunity RFA-RM-27-002

NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2 Clinical Trial Optional)

National Institutes of Health · Department of Health and Human Services

At a glance

NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2 Clinical Trial Optional) is a closed federal grant opportunity from the National Institutes of Health (Department of Health and Human Services). The application deadline was August 17, 2026. Individual awards are listed as $475K, with about 30 awards expected and $23M in total estimated funding. Applicant types listed as eligible include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts and 10 more. Cost sharing is not required. It is funded under Assistance Listing 93.310 (Trans-NIH Research Support).

Summary assembled from the official notice's fields. The official notice governs.

Key facts

Posted
Jun 26, 2026
Close date
Aug 17, 2026
Archive date
Oct 17, 2026
Est. award date
Aug 30, 2026
Award floor
$475,000
Award ceiling
$475,000
Est. total funding
$23,000,000
Expected awards
30
Cost sharing
Not required
Funding instrument
Grant
Opportunity category
Discretionary

Who can apply

  • State governments
  • County governments
  • City or township governments
  • Special district governments
  • Independent school districts
  • Public colleges & universities
  • Federally recognized tribal governments
  • Public & Indian housing authorities
  • Native American tribal organizations
  • 501(c)(3) nonprofits
  • Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status
  • Private colleges & universities
  • For-profit organizations (not small businesses)
  • Small businesses
  • Others (see notice)

Additional information on eligibility (from the notice)

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.

Based on the published notice. Review the official notice for complete eligibility requirements.

What it funds

Official synopsis as published by the agency, formatted for readability.

The NIH Director"s New Innovator Award supports early-stage investigators 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. Applications in any area within the biomedical sciences are welcome; topics may involve basic, translational, or clinical research. The NIH Director's New Innovator Award complements other ongoing efforts by NIH and its Institutes and Centers to fund early-stage investigators. The NIH Director"s New Innovator Award is a component of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research (HRHR) program of the NIH Common Fund.

Assistance Listing

What is an ALN?

Reported obligations under ALN 93.310

Historical data · not a prediction
FY24$1.17B
FY25$1.06B
FY26$28.1M est.
Source: SAM.gov Assistance Listing 93.310. Program-wide totals, not awards from this specific opportunity.

Agency contact (as published)

National Institutes of Health
NewInnovatorAwards@mail.nih.gov
301-402-2541

Quick answers

Who is eligible to apply for “NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2 Clinical Trial Optional)”?

The official notice lists these applicant types as eligible: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public colleges & universities, Federally recognized tribal governments, Public & Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, Private colleges & universities and 3 more. Additional restrictions may apply; review the full notice.

How much funding is available through “NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2 Clinical Trial Optional)”?

Per the notice, individual awards are listed as $475k, total estimated program funding is $23,000,000 and the agency expects to make about 30 awards.

How do I apply for “NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2 Clinical Trial Optional)”?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity RFA-RM-27-002), and review the full announcement and application package. Organizations applying through Grants.gov generally need an active SAM.gov registration and a Grants.gov account, which can take several weeks to set up.

Matched on shared Assistance Listings, agency, categories and eligible applicant types.