The NIH Stephen I. Katz R01 empowers Early Stage Investigators to launch bold, innovative research in a brand-new direction with no preliminary data. Open across multiple NIH Institutes and Centers, this program backs high-impact ideas that depart from an investigator’s prior work, accelerating discovery across biomedicine while fostering transformative approaches from ESIs.
Eligibility Criteria:
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Eligible applicant organizations: U.S. higher education institutions (public/private), nonprofits (with/without 501(c)(3)), small businesses, other for-profits, state/county/city/township/special district governments, independent school districts, public housing authorities, tribal governments/organizations, faith- and community-based, regional organizations, U.S. territories.
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Ineligible: Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities; non-domestic components of U.S. organizations; foreign components not allowed.
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Eligible individuals: PD/PI must be an NIH-designated Early Stage Investigator (ESI); for MPIs, all PD/PIs must be ESIs and the project must be a change in direction for each.
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Special requirement: Applications must include a one-page “New Research Direction” attachment describing how the work departs from prior research; no preliminary (unpublished) data allowed.
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Required registrations: SAM (UEI), eRA Commons (with PD/PI Commons ID), Grants.gov.
Funding Details:
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Activity code: R01 (clinical trial not allowed).
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Budget: Not limited; must reflect actual project needs (requests ≥500,000 USD in direct costs in any year require prior contact per NIH policy).
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Project period: Up to 5 years.
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Application types: New; Resubmission.
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Participating NIH components: Multiple ICs (e.g., NCI, NIA, NIAID, NHLBI, NIGMS and others listed in FOA).
Deadline:
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September 26, 2025 (Scientific Review: March 2026; Council: May 2026; Earliest Start: July 2026)/
Where to Go for Further Information:
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General grants questions: [email protected]