NIH Rolls Out New Grant Program

NIH has unveiled its plans for an award program to support new investigators who want to pursue highly innovative research. The NIH Director's New Innovator Award Program will provide grants of up to $1.5 million in direct costs over five years to investigators who have not yet received an NIH research project grant (known as an R01) or similar grant.

"New investigators are the future of science, and innovative ideas are its lifeblood," says NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni. "This flagship program underscores NIH's commitment to supporting these two critical elements of the research enterprise," he adds.

The application window for the new awards will run from April 25 through May 22. Eligible applicants must hold an independent research position at a U.S. institution and have received a doctoral degree or have completed a medical internship and residency after 1997.

Funded through the NIH Roadmap Common Fund, the program is open to proposals from all scientific areas relevant to the agency's mission. The project description part of the proposal will be shorter than what's needed in R01s and should focus on why the applicant's work is significant, what makes his or her approach innovative, and how challenges and risks will be addressed. NIH expects to award at least 14 grants by September.