RFA-RM-21-015: NIH Directors Pioneer Award Program (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional)
Closed
This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of National Institutes of Health notices from 2021.
National Institutes of Health offered grants of up to $700,000 to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. Applications closed on September 10, 2021.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed April 6, 2021. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award ceiling$700,000
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
About this NIH notice
- Activity codeDP1
- Clinical trialsOptional
- Funded byNLM, NIAID, NIMH
- Median yearly award$1.1 million
- Typical project length5 years
- DP1, NIH Director's Pioneer Award. Support for an exceptionally creative scientist's high-risk, high-impact ideas. Other open DP1 notices.
Projects funded under RFA-RM-21-015 were run by National Library of Medicine (NLM, 1 project), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID, 1 project), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 1 project) and National Institute on Aging (NIA, 1 project), and 4 more. Contact the program officer at the institute that fits your project before you apply; the notice lists them.
Application due dates, page limits and budget limits are set in the notice. Read RFA-RM-21-015 in the NIH Guide.
Other notices with this title
| Notice | Posted | Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| RFA-RM-25-001 | June 12, 2025 | Closed September 9, 2025 | Closed |
| RFA-RM-24-002 | March 21, 2024 | Closed September 9, 2024 | Closed |
| RFA-RM-23-004 | March 16, 2023 | Closed September 8, 2023 | Closed |
| RFA-RM-22-018 | April 13, 2022 | Closed September 9, 2022 | Closed |
Key dates
| Posted | April 6, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | September 10, 2021 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | October 16, 2021 |
Who can apply
This opportunity was open to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses.
All 15 applicant types the notice lists
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Independent school districts
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- For profit organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Other Eligible Applicants include the following: Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government; Faith-based or Community-based Organizations; Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized); Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations); Regional Organizations; Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) ; U.S. Territory or Possession; Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) 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.
Is this a realistic fit?
- Projects NIH funded under this notice had a median yearly award of $1.1 million; it allows up to $700,000 per award.
- Most of the program's money (72% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
The NIH Directors Pioneer Award Program supports individual scientists of exceptional creativity who propose highly innovative and potentially transformative research towards the ultimate goal of enhancing human health. For the program to support the best possible researchers and research, applications are sought which reflect the full diversity of the research workforce. Individuals from diverse backgrounds and from the full spectrum of eligible institutions in all geographic locations are strongly encouraged to apply to this Funding Opportunity Announcement. In addition, applications in all topics relevant to the broad mission of NIH are welcome, including, but not limited to, topics in the behavioral, social, biomedical, applied, and formal sciences and topics that may involve basic, translational, or clinical research. To be considered pioneering, the proposed research must reflect substantially different scientific directions from those already being pursued in the investigators research program or elsewhere. The NIH Directors Pioneer Award is a component of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program of the NIH Common Fund.
Funded under RFA-RM-21-015 so far
NIH funded 8 projects under RFA-RM-21-015 in fiscal 2022 to 2026, at 7 institutions. The median yearly award was $1.1 million.
| Project | Institution | Fiscal year | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Framework for the Impact of Algorithms in Health Care | Stanford University | 2026 | $1.1 million |
| Breaking the Barrier to an HIV Vaccine | University of Colorado | 2026 | $1.1 million |
| Precision editing of neural circuits using engineered electrical synapses | Duke University | 2026 | $1.1 million |
| Dynamic models of the cardiovascular system capturing years, rather than heartbeats | Duke University | 2026 | $1.1 million |
| Finding Sleeping Beauty: T Cell Biosensors for Dormant Cancer Detection | Georgia Institute of Technology | 2025 | $2.2 million |
| Mechanical Clocks During Fetal Development | Princeton University | 2025 | $2.3 million |
| Single cell analysis of the kinome | California Institute of Technology | 2025 | $2.4 million |
| Intracellular Electrophysiology: An electrochemical atlas of organelles | University of Chicago | 2025 | $2.3 million |
Who has won Trans-NIH Research Support grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Trans-NIH Research Support (93.310) awarded $5.9 billion across 4,433 grant awards, an average of $1.3 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke University | North Carolina | 66 | $219 million |
| The Leland Stanford Junior University | California | 104 | $176 million |
| University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education | Pennsylvania | 82 | $154 million |
| The Johns Hopkins University | Maryland | 95 | $152 million |
| Yale Univ | Connecticut | 85 | $149 million |
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is RFA-RM-21-015 still open?
No. It closed on September 10, 2021.
Who can apply for NIH Directors Pioneer Award Program (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional)?
National Institutes of Health accepted applications from nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.
What is the deadline for NIH Directors Pioneer Award Program (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional)?
Closed September 10, 2021. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
How much funding is available?
Awards of up to $700,000 each.
Who has been funded under RFA-RM-21-015?
NIH RePORTER lists 8 projects funded under RFA-RM-21-015 in fiscal 2022 to 2026, at 7 institutions. The most were at Duke University, Stanford University, University of Colorado.
Who has won Trans-NIH Research Support grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Duke University, The Leland Stanford Junior University, University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education. The program made 4,433 awards worth $5.9 billion in that time.
Similar open grants
- Change of Recipient Organization (Type 7 Parent Clinical Trial Optional)
- NIH Director's Pioneer Award (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional)
- Avant Garde/Avenir Awards for Investigators Conducting High Risk/High Reward Research on HIV and Substance Use (or Substance Use Disorders) (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional)
- Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)
- Single Source for the Continuation of the Caring for OutPatiEnts after Acute Kidney Injury (COPE-AKI) Scientific and Data Research Center (U01 Clinical Trial Required)
- Single Source for the Continuation of the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) Study Research Center (Collaborative U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)