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National Institutes of Health · United States

NIH Director's Early Independence Award (DP5 Clinical Trial Optional)

Forecast — expected to open 15 Mar 2027

National Institutes of Health expects to make 10 awards of $350,000 each, from a total budget of $5.7 million. This is a forecast: the funder has announced the opportunity but it is not open yet; posting is expected around 15 Mar 2027 and the estimated deadline is 10 Sep 2027. Eligible applicant types include for profit organizations other than small businesses, 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 and 12 more.

About this call

The NIH Director's Early Independence Award supports outstanding early-career investigators who are ready to pursue independent research soon after completing their doctoral degree or post-graduate clinical training, without following the traditional postdoctoral path. The award is designed to accelerate the transition to an independent research career. Applications are welcome across all fields relevant to the NIH mission. The Early Independence Award is part of the NIH Common Fund's High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program .

Who can apply

• For profit organizations other than small businesses
• 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
• Private institutions of higher education
• Small businesses
• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• City or township governments
• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
• Special district governments
• State governments
• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
• Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
• County governments
• Independent school districts
• Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

Applicant categories are a starting point. The official call decides eligibility.

Topics

Health

How to apply

1. Read the full notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) linked from the official page: eligibility, cost sharing and evaluation criteria.
2. Make sure your organisation has an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID (UEI); registration can take several weeks.
3. For NIH: the organisation and the principal investigator also need eRA Commons accounts; applications are usually submitted through Grants.gov (for example with ASSIST).
4. Prepare the required forms, narrative, budget and attachments exactly as the NOFO specifies.
5. Submit before the deadline and keep the tracking number. Check for amendments before you submit.

From the call text

Who can apply

Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page

Company stage

Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page

Single applicant or consortium

Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page

Where applicants must be based

Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page

Where to apply

Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page

Contact

NIH Director's Early Independence Award Program · EarlyIndependence@od.nih.gov · Please contact via email.

Where these facts come from

Official sources

Official call page

Facts on this page come from the funder’s official data, taken on 15 Nov 2026. The funder's own documents, including later amendments, always take precedence.

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