The NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2 mechanism), established in 2007, supports highly innovative research from promising Early Stage Investigators (defined as those within 10 years of completing their terminal research degree or postgraduate clinical training and who have not yet received substantial NIH support). No detailed experimental plan or preliminary data are required. The major component of the application is a 10-page essay describing (1) the significance of the problem/challenge being addressed; (2) the general approach to be taken to address the problem/challenge; (3) why the project is unusually innovative; and (4) the qualities and experiences of the investigator that make him/her especially well-suited to pursue such research.

The NIH Director’s New Innovator Award is part of the Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, which was created to accelerate the pace of biomedical, behavioral and social science discoveries by supporting exceptionally creative scientists with highly innovative research. The program seeks to identify scientists with high-impact ideas that may be risky or at a stage too early to fare well in the traditional peer review process. The program encourages creative, outside-the-box thinkers to pursue exciting and innovative ideas in any area of biomedical, behavioral or social science research relevant to the NIH mission. The program houses three additional awards – the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award, and NIH Director’s Early Independence Award  – and is managed by the Office of the Director in partnership with other component NIH Institutes and Centers.