NIH Directors Early Independence Awards (DP5 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA RM 20 014

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 20 014

The NIH Director's Early Independence Award (DP5, clinical trial optional) is a competitive NIH grant designed for a small number of outstanding early career scientists who are ready to launch an independent research program immediately after finishing a terminal doctoral degree (for example, PhD) or completing postgraduate clinical training. The central idea is to let unusually prepared researchers skip the traditional postdoctoral period and move straight into an independent position where they can build and lead their own research agenda. As part of NIH's High-Risk, High-Reward Research program under the NIH Common Fund, the award emphasizes bold, potentially transformative work and prioritizes investigators with the talent and preparedness to thrive with early independence.

The program is intentionally broad in scientific scope. NIH welcomes proposals across the full range of topics that align with its mission, including behavioral, social, biomedical, applied, and formal sciences. Projects can be basic, translational, or clinical in nature, and the "clinical trial optional" label means applicants may propose research that includes a clinical trial, but a clinical trial is not required. This flexibility is meant to support diverse research paths, from fundamental discovery work to patient-oriented studies, as long as the application fits within NIH's overall health-related mission.

A major theme of the opportunity is strengthening and diversifying the research workforce. The announcement explicitly encourages applications that reflect the full diversity of the scientific community and invites candidates from diverse backgrounds, institutions, and geographic regions. It also signals openness to applications from a wide spectrum of eligible organizations, including institutions that serve groups historically underrepresented in biomedical research and organizations rooted in local communities. Examples called out include Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations and certain eligible federal agencies.

In terms of who can apply as an organization, eligibility is broad and spans many applicant types: public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status, other than higher education institutions), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), along with independent school districts and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. Federally recognized tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations are also listed as eligible. The funding opportunity is administered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), falls under the health funding activity category, and is associated with CFDA number 93.310.

The announcement also clarifies boundaries around foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. However, "foreign components" are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which typically means portions of the research may be conducted outside the U.S. under specific rules and justification, even though the primary applicant organization must be eligible and not a foreign institution.

Administrative details from the source listing include the funding opportunity title "NIH Director's Early Independence Awards (DP5 Clinical Trial Optional)," funding opportunity number RFA-RM-20-014, and a discretionary grant funding instrument. The original closing date shown is September 4, 2020, and the posting lists a creation date of May 21, 2020. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided text.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIH Directors Early Independence Awards (DP5 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-05-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-09-04. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: 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.

Apply for RFA RM 20 014

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