NIH Directors Transformative Research Award (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA RM 18 009

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 18 009

The NIH Directors Transformative Research Award (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional), Funding Opportunity Number RFA-RM-18-009, is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant designed to back research ideas that are genuinely bold and unconventional, where the payoff could be a major leap forward for biomedicine or behavioral science. It is part of the NIH Common Fund High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, which is specifically meant to support work that might be too novel, too early, or too paradigm-challenging to fare well in more traditional funding mechanisms. The core emphasis is on proposals that could reshape how a field thinks, open up entirely new areas of inquiry, create transformative technologies, or lead to dramatically improved clinical approaches. The "clinical trial optional" label means applicants may propose studies that include clinical trials, but a clinical trial is not required.

A defining feature of this opportunity is its explicit encouragement of exceptionally innovative and original research, including projects that might seem unconventional by standard peer review expectations. NIH signals that little or no preliminary data are expected, which is important because it lowers the barrier for pursuing high-risk concepts that have not yet accumulated extensive proof-of-concept evidence. That said, applicants still need to make a convincing case that the idea is scientifically sound in its rationale and, most importantly, that it has clear potential for major, broad impact. In other words, the program is not simply funding speculative ideas; it is funding ideas that, if they work, would change the landscape in a meaningful way across a broad area of biomedical or behavioral research.

The award uses the R01 grant mechanism (a standard NIH research project grant), but the spirit and selection criteria are aligned with transformative, high-impact outcomes rather than incremental advances. NIH welcomes applications from individual investigators as well as groups of scientists, and it is open to any topic that fits within the broad NIH mission. The opportunity also explicitly welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds, reinforcing that NIH is looking for a wide range of perspectives and approaches, which often fuels the kind of creative thinking this program is meant to reward.

In terms of eligibility, the program is broadly accessible across many organization types. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and certain tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other applicants as allowed under NIH policy (with the notice indicating to consult the funding announcement text for any special clarifications). The sponsoring agency is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health.

Key administrative details from the posted opportunity include a creation date of May 23, 2018, and an original closing date of September 21, 2018. The listing indicates an expected number of awards of 7. The "Award Ceiling: 0" entry typically reflects that a single fixed cap is not stated in that field in the source record rather than implying no funds are available; applicants normally need to rely on the full funding announcement and NIH budget policies for allowable budgets and project periods. Overall, the program is best understood as a competitive, prestige-oriented NIH mechanism aimed at enabling researchers to pursue potentially field-changing ideas that could be too risky or unconventional for standard grant pathways, with success measured by the magnitude and breadth of the potential scientific or clinical transformation.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIH Directors Transformative Research Award (R01 - 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 May 23, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 21, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 7 candidate(s).
• 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for RFA RM 18 009

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