Press release
Tuesday, October 4, 2022
The 2022 NIH Director’s Awards enable exceptionally creative scientists to push the boundaries of biomedical science.
The High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program, supported by the National Institutes of Health Joint Fund, has awarded 103 new research grants to support highly innovative scientists who are proposing visionary and broadly impactful meritorious behavioral and biomedical research projects . The rewards include the impact that exposure to hydraulic fracturing could have on pregnancy and conception; how brain mechanisms influence memory performance; the neural basis of social prejudice and association using the female songbird as a model; tissue regeneration using the uterus as a model; a mixed-methods examination of skin tone and health among African Americans across the United States; and a new model organism to lead the development of an HIV vaccine. The 103 awards total approximately $285 million in support of NIH institutes, centers, and offices over five years beginning in 2022, pending availability of funds.
“The science advanced by these researchers is poised to open new avenues of discovery in human health,” said Lawrence A. Tabak, DDS, Ph.D., who serves as NIH director. . “This unique cohort of scientists will transform what is known in the biological and behavioral world. We are privileged to support this innovative science.
The High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program supports researchers at every stage of their career who are proposing innovative research that, because of its inherent risk, may encounter difficulties in the traditional NIH peer review process. despite their transformative potential. Researchers seeking program support are encouraged to think beyond traditional boundaries and pursue innovative ideas in any area of research relevant to NIH’s mission to advance knowledge and improve health.
The Common Fund oversees programs that pursue major scientific opportunities and gaps across the research enterprise, are of significant importance to NIH, and require collaborations across the agency to be successful. The High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program operates four fellowships, including two fellowships specifically for early-career researchers. These four prizes include:
- The NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, established in 2004, challenges researchers at all career levels to pursue new directions of research and develop high-impact, breakthrough approaches in a broad area of biomedical, behavioral, or social science.
- The NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, established in 2007, supports exceptionally innovative research by early career investigators who are within 10 years of their final degree or clinical residency and who have not yet received a grant NIH R01 or equivalent.
- The NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award, established in 2009, promotes cross-cutting and interdisciplinary approaches and is open to individuals and teams of researchers who propose research that has the potential to create or challenge existing paradigms.
- The NIH Director’s Early Independence Award, established in 2011, offers the opportunity to help outstanding junior scientists who have recently earned their doctorate or completed their medical residency to skip traditional postgraduate training and gain immediate access to independent research positions.
The NIH awarded eight Pioneer Awards, 72 New Innovator Awards, nine Transformative Research Awards, and 14 Early Independence Awards for 2022. Funding for the awards comes from the NIH Common Fund, National Institute on Aging, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Mental Health, and National Cancer Institute.
About the NIH Pooled Fund: The NIH Common Fund encourages collaboration and supports a range of exceptionally high-impact trans-NIH programs. Pooled Fund programs are managed by the Office of Strategic Coordination of the Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives Division of the Office of the Director of NIH in partnership with NIH institutes, centers, and offices. More information is available on the Common Fund website: https://commonfund.nih.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):The NIH, the country’s medical research agency, comprises 27 institutes and centers and is part of the US Department of Health and Human Services. The NIH is the primary federal agency that conducts and supports basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and studies the causes, treatments, and cures for common and rare diseases. For more information about the NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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