The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced today it is looking for scientists of exceptional creativity to apply for its new NIDA Avant-Garde Award for HIV/AIDS research. In a move to stimulate high-impact research into the link between drug abuse prevention and treatment and HIV/AIDS, NIDA will provide up to $500,000 per year for five years to two or three scientists of exceptional creativity who propose cutting edge — and possibly transformative — approaches to major challenges in biomedical and behavioral research on drug abuse and HIV/AIDS.

"Like the NIH Director's Pioneer Awards that have already brought many new ideas to the broad field of biomedical research, NIDA's Avant-Garde award promises to stimulate research in the intersection of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS," said Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni, NIH director. "This award provides investigators with the resources and flexibility needed to pursue potentially groundbreaking discoveries."

"We are looking for innovative thinkers who are willing to explore ideas that might be considered risky at their inception," added Dr. Nora. D. Volkow, NIDA director. "Applicants will have the intellectual and scientific freedom to pursue their ideas and follow them in expected or even unexpected directions."

Applicants will undergo a rigorous selection process to establish each proposal's potential for high-impact contributions to drug abuse research on HIV/AIDS research. Applications for the 2008 Avant-Garde Award will be accepted until March 26, 2008. For further information or to submit a nomination, visit the NIDA director's Avant-Garde Award Web site at http://www.nida.nih.gov/avgp.html.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports most of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to inform policy and improve practice. Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs of abuse and information on NIDA research and other activities can be found on the NIDA home page at www.drugabuse.gov.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.