Posted by: Francis Koster Published: June 20, 2024

National Institutes of Health Transformative Research Awards (Opens July 23; Expires September 3, 2026)

Purpose

The NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award supports individual scientists or groups of scientists proposing bold, groundbreaking, exceptionally innovative, original, and/or unconventional research with the potential to create new scientific paradigms, establish entirely new and improved clinical approaches, or develop transformative technologies. Applications in any area within the biomedical sciences are welcome. No preliminary data are required. Projects must clearly demonstrate, based on the strength of the logic, a compelling potential to produce a major impact in a broad area of relevance to the NIH. The NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award is a component of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research (HRHR) Program of the NIH Common Fund.

Eligible Entities

The following types of organizations are eligible to apply:

  • Independent school districts
  • Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • Special district governments
  • County governments
  • City or township governments
  • Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS
  • Faith-based or Community-based organizations
  • Regional organizations
  • Small businesses
  • For profit organizations other than small businesses and
  • Native American tribal organizations (with or without federal recognition).

Eligible Activities

To be announced.

Award

Fiscal Year:  2027

Estimated Total Program Funding:  $8,000,000

Expected Number of Awards:  7

Important Dates

Forecasting Date:  January 06, 2026

Estimated Open Date:  July 03, 2026

Estimated Application Due Date:  September 03, 2026

Estimated Award Date:  August 30, 2027

Estimated Project Start Date:  September 30, 2027

Next Steps

Follow the links provided above, or contact the program via e-mail at Transformative_Awards@mail.nih.gov.
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