Another Opportunity for NIAID New Innovators Award Approaches

Funding News Edition:
See more articles in this edition

Did you know that NIAID sponsors an initiative to help early-stage scientists pursue compelling research projects without requiring extensive preliminary data? Through the initiative, our aim is to facilitate the movement of exceptional postdoctoral fellows into independent positions within an accelerated timeframe, and further support them as talented, newly independent faculty.

The next annual deadline for the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) NIAID New Innovators Awards (DP2, Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is October 14, 2022. If you’re interested in applying, now is the time to get started!

The Institute encourages applications that propose unexpected convergence of disciplines, new scientific directions, or novel methodologies. Propose novel, original, and insightful research concepts that are related to NIAID’s mission and have the potential to significantly impact important research areas, test scientific paradigms, or advance key concepts on broad, important problems in biomedical research.

As you develop your application, keep in mind that peer reviewers will assess your distinct contributions to past research, potential to move in new scientific directions, and originality of the proposed research. Be sure that your proposed approaches are insightful and based on strong premise.

Do You Meet the Requirements?

To be eligible, an applicant must be an early-stage investigator possessing exceptional creativity and capable of proposing highly innovative research. He or she must also be a postdoctoral investigator or newly independent faculty and hold a research doctoral degree or clinical doctoral degree.

In Section III. Eligibility Information, the FOA provides examples to help you distinguish independent from non-independent research positions. If you are a postdoctoral fellow who has not accepted a faculty position, your award will be activated only when you have obtained a faculty position at a U.S. institution.

NIAID encourages researchers to apply if they are from groups underrepresented in NIAID-research, such as women, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented racial and ethnic groups.

Budget, Project Period, and Application Help

Application budgets are limited to $300,000 in annual direct costs. While the scope of your project should determine the project period, five years is the maximum duration you may request.

Optional Letters of Intent are due 30 days before the application due date.  

Read Questions and Answers for PAR-20-259, NIAID New Innovators Awards (DP2, Clinical Trial Not Allowed), where we clarify common points of confusion about the initiative.

If you need additional guidance or have technical questions about the FOA or the review process, contact one of the scientific/research or peer review contacts listed in Section VII. Agency Contacts.

NIH’s Common Fund Also Awards Innovators

If you are ineligible for NIAID’s DP2 FOA or your research does not fit within the Institute’s scientific priorities, we recommend you consider the NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High Reward Research program. Similar to NIAID’s DP2 FOA, several Common Fund opportunities offer support to exceptionally creative scientists pursuing highly innovative research with the potential for broad impact in biomedical, behavioral, or social sciences.

Annual application deadlines for innovator awards through the Common Fund program are fast approaching—with due dates ranging from August 19 to September 9, 2022—so it is imperative you check immediately if you think the program may be right for you.

Contact Us

Email us at deaweb@niaid.nih.gov for help navigating NIAID’s grant and contract policies and procedures.

Content last reviewed on