ForecastedResearch announcementOpportunity RFA-RM-28-001

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

National Institutes of Health · Department of Health and Human Services

At a glance

NIH Director's Pioneer Award (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional) is a forecasted federal grant opportunity from the National Institutes of Health (Department of Health and Human Services). The agency's forecast estimates an application due date of September 9, 2027; forecast dates can change. Individual awards are listed as $700K, with about 7 awards expected and $8.2M 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

Sep 3, 2026Forecast posted
Mar 15, 2027 (est.)Full notice expectednext date
Sep 9, 2027 (est.)Application deadline
Aug 30, 2028 (est.)Est. award date

Posted: Sep 3, 2026
Est. close date: Sep 9, 2027
Est. award date: Aug 30, 2028
Award floor: $700,000
Award ceiling: $700,000
Est. total funding: $8,200,000
Expected awards: 7
Cost sharing: Not required
Funding instrument: Grant
Opportunity category: Discretionary
Fiscal year: FY2028

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)

Other Eligible ApplicantsIndian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized);Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government;U.S. Territory or Possession;Faith-based or Community-based Organizations;Regional Organizations;Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions).

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 Pioneer Award supports exceptionally creative scientists pursuing bold, innovative research with the potential to transform important areas of science relevant to the NIH mission. Proposed projects must explore new scientific directions that differ substantially from the investigator's current research and from existing work in the field. Applications are welcome across all areas relevant to NIH. The Pioneer Award is part of the NIH Common Fund's High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program.

How to apply

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Read the full announcement (NOFO)Eligibility, evaluation criteria, page limits and required attachments are in the full notice on Grants.gov. Open ↗
Confirm eligibility and fitCheck your organization type above; no cost sharing is required.
Register (or renew) in SAM.gov and get a UEIFree. New registrations can take several weeks; registrations must be renewed every year. Open ↗
Set up Grants.gov accessCreate a Grants.gov account and make sure someone has the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) role. Open ↗
Watch for the full noticeThe agency estimates posting it around March 15, 2027. Save this grant to track changes.
Prepare narrative, budget and attachmentsFollow the notice's format exactly — page limits and required forms are common reasons applications are rejected.
Ask the agency contact any questions earlyNIH Director's Pioneer Award Program · PioneerAwards@mail.nih.gov Open ↗
Submit before September 9, 2027Submit a few days early and keep your Grants.gov confirmation and validation emails.

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)

NIH Director's Pioneer Award Program
PioneerAwards@mail.nih.gov
Please contact via e-mail.

Quick answers

Is “NIH Director's Pioneer Award (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional)” open for applications yet?

Not yet. It is a forecast — an agency's advance notice of an expected opportunity. The agency estimates posting the full notice around March 15, 2027. Forecast details and dates can change.

Who is eligible to apply for “NIH Director's Pioneer Award (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional)”?

The official notice names 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 Pioneer Award (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional)”?

Per the notice, individual awards are listed as $700k, total estimated program funding is $8,200,000 and the agency expects to make about 7 awards.

How do I apply for “NIH Director's Pioneer Award (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional)”?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity RFA-RM-28-001), 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