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Grants / Department of Health and Human Services / National Institutes of Health

RFA-RM-21-016: NIH Directors New Innovator Award Program (DP2 Clinical Trial Optional)

Closed Closed August 20, 2021 Opportunity RFA-RM-21-016

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 to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. Applications closed on August 20, 2021.

From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed May 20, 2021. Checked November 7, 2026.

About this NIH notice

Projects funded under RFA-RM-21-016 were run by National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS, 20 projects), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID, 9 projects), National Cancer Institute (NCI, 8 projects) and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS, 7 projects), and 12 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-21-016 in the NIH Guide.

Other notices with this title

National Institutes of Health has posted this title under other numbers: earlier or later rounds, or the same competition for another area. Each has its own dates and may change its rules.

NoticePostedDeadlineStatus
RFA-RM-25-002June 12, 2025Closed August 19, 2025Closed
RFA-RM-24-003March 19, 2024Closed August 19, 2024Closed
RFA-RM-23-005March 28, 2023Closed August 18, 2023Closed
RFA-RM-22-019April 7, 2022Closed August 19, 2022Closed

Key dates

PostedMay 20, 2021
DeadlineAugust 20, 2021
Archived by Grants.govSeptember 25, 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

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.

More grants for nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses, businesses.

Is this a realistic fit?

What the grant funds

The NIH Directors New Innovator Award Program supports early stage investigators of exceptional creativity who propose highly innovative research projects with the potential to produce a major impact on broad, important problems relevant to the mission of NIH. 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. The NIH Director's New Innovator Award Program complements ongoing efforts by NIH and its Institutes and Centers to fund early stage investigators through R01 grants, which continue to be the major sources of NIH support for early stage investigators. The NIH Directors New Innovator Award Program is a component of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program of the NIH Common Fund.

Category: Health.

Funded under RFA-RM-21-016 so far

NIH funded 73 projects under RFA-RM-21-016 in fiscal 2022 to 2026, at 49 institutions. The median yearly award was $1.1 million.

Most projects: University of California-Irvine (California), 4, Massachusetts General Hospital (Massachusetts), 3, University of California, San Diego (California), 3, Yale University (Connecticut), 3, Columbia University Health Sciences (New York), 3.

From NIH RePORTER, which lists each project once per fiscal year it was funded. Amounts are the yearly award.

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.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
Duke UniversityNorth Carolina66$219 million
The Leland Stanford Junior UniversityCalifornia104$176 million
University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher EducationPennsylvania82$154 million
The Johns Hopkins UniversityMaryland95$152 million
Yale UnivConnecticut85$149 million

Top states: California ($992 million), Massachusetts ($571 million), New York ($548 million), Pennsylvania ($445 million), North Carolina ($387 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-21-016 still open?

No. It closed on August 20, 2021.

Who can apply for NIH Directors New Innovator Award Program (DP2 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 New Innovator Award Program (DP2 Clinical Trial Optional)?

Closed August 20, 2021. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

Who has been funded under RFA-RM-21-016?

NIH RePORTER lists 73 projects funded under RFA-RM-21-016 in fiscal 2022 to 2026, at 49 institutions. The most were at University of California-Irvine, Massachusetts General Hospital, University of California, San Diego.

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.

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