[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 2, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9829-9830]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-4531]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


National Institutes of Health Director's Pioneer Award (NDPA)

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) provides notice of the 
establishment of the NIH Director's Pioneer Award (NDPA) program. The 
NIH is establishing the program to identify and fund investigators of 
exceptionally creative abilities and diligence for a significant term 
(5 years) to allow them to develop and test far-ranging ideas. Awardees 
are expected to commit the major portion of their effort to activities 
supported by the NDPA. The program is not intended to support ongoing 
research projects or simply expand the funding of persons who are 
already well supported. The only constraint on the research to be 
conducted with this award will be that it must be relevant to the NIH 
mission.

DATES: Nominations must be submitted by 12 midnight, April 1, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To learn more about the award online, 
please refer to the NIH Director's Pioneer Award Web site at http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/highrisk/initiatives/pioneer/index.asp, or e-mail 
your questions to [email protected]. The NIH Director's Pioneer Award is 
among several initiatives being undertaken as a part of the NIH Roadmap 
Activities, http://nihroadmap.nih.gov.

Background

    The NIH, in acknowledgment of the changing face of biomedical 
research,\1\ is announcing a new program, the NIH Director's Pioneer 
Award.
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    \1\ While the term biomedical research is used throughout this 
notice it should be broadly interpreted to include the scientific 
investigations of biomedical, behavioral, social, physical, 
chemical, and computer scientists, engineers, and mathematicians.
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    History suggests that leaps in knowledge frequently result from 
exceptional minds willing and able to explore ideas that were 
considered risky at their inception, especially in the absence of 
strong supportive data. Such individuals are more likely to take such 
risks when they are assured of adequate funds for a sufficient period 
of time and are free to set their own research agenda. The NIH 
Director's Pioneer Award (NDPA) program is being established to 
identify and fund investigators of exceptionally creative abilities and 
diligence for a sufficient term (five years) to allow them to develop 
and test far-ranging ideas. Awardees are expected to commit the major 
portion of their effort to activities supported by the NDPA. The 
program is not intended to support ongoing research projects or simply 
expand the funding of persons already well supported.
    The only constraint on the research to be done with this award will 
be that it must be relevant to the NIH mission.
    The spectacular advances made in the biological and medical 
sciences in the last few decades have opened doors to even greater 
opportunities in the 21st century. The NIH has been, and will continue 
to be, a major player in the support of this groundbreaking research. 
Much of the NIH success derives from its reliance on investigator-
initiated research proposals (the bedrock R01 award) and its dual 
system of peer review and advisory council oversight. However, there is 
evidence that some additional means may be necessary to further 
accelerate advances in medical science and the resulting gains in the 
health and well-being of the American people.
    The face of biomedical research is changing. Many of the new 
opportunities for research involve crossing traditional disciplinary 
lines and bringing forward different conceptual frameworks as well as 
methodologies. These developments appear to justify support for more 
aggressive risk-taking and innovation. While the current NIH funding 
system will continue to support groundbreaking research and innovation 
within the context of its traditional research grant mechanisms, 
additional avenues seem necessary to encourage high-risk/high-impact 
research in this new context.
    To address this issue, NIH convened a group of highly distinguished 
outside consultants with expertise in biomedical, behavioral and social 
sciences, and in physical sciences and engineering, and representing 
academia, foundations, business, and industry. This group proposed that 
NIH implement novel programs targeted specifically to identify, 
encourage, and support the people and projects that will produce 
tomorrow's conceptual and technological breakthroughs. These programs 
would complement the other NIH research grants programs and would 
provide additional opportunities to those afforded within the 
Institutes and Centers for research that contests the status quo across 
the breadth of the NIH mission. A first step in this process is the 
establishment of a new NIH program to support exceptionally creative 
individual scientists.

Summary of the Award Process

    The award process is summarized briefly below and in detail online 
at http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/highrisk/initiatives/pioneer/faq.asp.

Eligibility

    Nominees for the NDPA must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, 
or permanent residents who are currently engaged in research. The 
research need not be related to conventional biomedical or behavioral 
disciplines; if the individual's experience is in nonbiological areas 
there must be evidence of interest in exploring topics of biomedical 
relevance. If selected, individuals must show evidence of 
infrastructure support. Investigators at early stages of their career, 
as well as those who are established, will be eligible.

The Nomination Process

    In the first phase of the application process, nominations are to 
be submitted by mentors, colleagues, institutions, or by the 
individuals themselves. Only a single nomination package may be 
submitted for each person. The nomination package is to include a 
letter and the nominee's resume or curriculum vitae, each no more than 
two pages in length.
    The letter must explain why the nominee should be considered 
exceptional and therefore highly likely to pursue original avenues of 
inquiry directed at very challenging biomedical problems. Although 
creativity comes in many forms, aspects common to innovative people 
include an interest in, and the ability to integrate, diverse sources 
of information, an inclination to challenge paradigms and take 
intellectual risks, resilience in the face of failure, an ability to 
attract the right collaborators, and the diligence and concentration 
necessary to plan and execute effective strategies for accomplishing 
goals. The letter should also provide evidence of the nominee's 
interest in the types of biomedical problems that are particularly 
overdue for fresh approaches.
    Nominations should be submitted via the Internet to http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/highrisk/initiatives/pioneer/index.asp. The Web site 
will be open to receive nominations from March 1, 2004, through 
midnight April 1, 2004, eastern standard time.

The Selection Process

    All nominations will be evaluated by NIH staff for eligibility and 
by outside experts to identify promising candidates who will be invited 
formally to apply for the NDPA. In the second phase of

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this process, beginning mid-June, the candidates will be asked to 
provide an essay of 3-5 pages describing their views on the major 
challenges in biomedical and behavioral research to which they feel 
they can make seminal contributions. No detailed scientific plan should 
be provided since the research plan will be expected to evolve during 
the tenure of the grant. In addition, each candidate will submit a copy 
of his/her most significant publication or achievement and arrange for 
direct submission of letters of support from three individuals who may 
or may not have been nominators. A subset of the candidates will be 
interviewed in August-September 2004 by a panel of outside experts. 
Additional input will be provided by the Advisory Committee to the 
Director, NIH, and final selections will be completed and announced by 
the end of September 2004.

Awards

    To inaugurate this program, we have set aside sufficient funds in 
2004 to provide 5-10 awards. The awards will be up to $500,000 direct 
costs each year for five years. Although there are no stipulations on 
the research agenda, the awardee will be required to submit an annual 
report of activities conducted during the year and to participate in an 
annual symposium on the NIH Bethesda, Maryland, campus. This symposium 
will allow awardees to share their ideas, progress, and experience with 
each other, the research community, and NIH staff.

    Dated: February 20, 2004.
Elias A. Zerhouni,
Director, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 04-4531 Filed 3-1-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P