NIH announces DP2 mechanism to support new researchers

NIH announces DP2 mechanism to support new researchers

On Friday, March 9th, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a special program for new investigators, called the NIH Director's New Innovator Award, intended to encourage highly innovative research by early-career investigators. The code term – analogous to R01 or K23 – is DP2.

The new mechanism offers grants of up to $1.5 million in direct costs over five years. It is aimed at investigators who hold an independent research position at a domestic institution, received their most recent doctoral degree or completed their medical internship and residency in 1997 or later, and have not yet obtained an NIH R01 or similar independent award. Applicants may submit or have an R01 grant application pending concurrently with the applying for a New Innovator Award.

The proposed research need not be in a conventional biomedical or behavioral discipline, but must be relevant to the mission of NIH. This proposed research should qualify as original, innovative research, and having potential for exceptionally high impact on biomedical problems. Awardees are required to commit at least 30% of their research effort to the project supported by the New Innovator Award. There are no citizenship or residency requirements.

The application period opens on April 25 and closes on May 22. The NIH expects to make at least 14 awards in September. For more information regarding this announcement please visit the following link: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/new_investigators/innovator_award/. (Please note that the March 30 NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts contains a "Notice of Clarification" regarding the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award; also see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-RM-07-007.html.)