ClosedResearch announcementOpportunity RFA-RM-27-004

NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (DP5 Clinical Trial Optional)

National Institutes of Health · Department of Health and Human Services

At a glance

NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (DP5 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 September 10, 2026. Individual awards are listed as $350K, with about 10 awards expected and $5.7M 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

Jun 26, 2026Posted
Sep 10, 2026Application deadline
Sep 15, 2026 (est.)Est. award date
Nov 10, 2026Archivednext date

Posted: Jun 26, 2026
Close date: Sep 10, 2026
Archive date: Nov 10, 2026
Est. award date: Sep 15, 2026
Award floor: $350,000
Award ceiling: $350,000
Est. total funding: $5,700,000
Expected awards: 10
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.

Can your organization apply?

A quick check against the listed applicant types — other requirements in the notice still apply.

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 Early Independence Award helps talented new researchers begin their own independent research program soon after finishing their doctoral degree or clinical training, without first doing postdoctoral training.The award accepts applications on any topic fitting the NIH mission. It is part of the NIH Common Fund's High-Risk, High-Reward Research program.

Full announcement & documents

The full announcement has the complete rules — page limits, required attachments, evaluation criteria and any letter-of-intent dates. Files download directly from Grants.gov.

RFA-RM-27-004-Full-Announcement.htmlFull Announcement · RFA-RM-27-004-Full-Announcement.htmlHTML · 145 KB

Assistance Listing

What is an ALN?

93.310Trans-NIH Research SupportProgram →

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
EarlyIndependence@od.nih.gov
301-402-2541

Quick answers

Who is eligible to apply for “NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (DP5 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 Early Independence Award (DP5 Clinical Trial Optional)”?

Per the notice, individual awards are listed as $350k, total estimated program funding is $5,700,000 and the agency expects to make about 10 awards.

How do I apply for “NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (DP5 Clinical Trial Optional)”?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity RFA-RM-27-004), 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.

ForecastedResearchALN 93.310