NIH Transformative Research Project Awards hasten innovation

The National Institutes of Health will award up to $64 million over five years to encourage exploration of exceptionally innovative and original research ideas that have the potential for extraordinary impact.

The NIH Director's Transformative Research Projects (T-R01) award program allows investigators to sidestep conventional stumbling blocks they often face when applying for funding for high-risk research, such as the need for preliminary data or a restriction on the amount of funds that can be requested. This year, 20 T-R01 award recipients will address challenges in basic science or clinical research.

The T-R01 program, supported by the NIH Common Fund (formerly the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research), is an incomparable NIH research opportunity for investigators. Scientists are spurred to rethink the way science is conducted and propose daring ideas. The awards can provide up to $25 million in total costs each year for a single project.

"Complex research projects, even exceptionally high-impact ones, are tough to get funded without the necessary resources to assemble teams and collect preliminary data. The TR01 awards provide a way for these high impact projects to be pursued," said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.

The NIH expects to make awards of $12.8 million for new T-R01 projects in fiscal year 2010. The 2010 recipients' names and institutions are listed below.

Provided by NIH/Office of the Director