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Funder · Federal agency

NIH Common Fund

Funds bold cross-institute discovery through the NIH Common Fund and its time-limited challenge-driven programs for major breakthroughs.

United Statescommonfund.nih.gov
Key stats
Annual funding$685.0M
Programs10
Active grants5
Total grants9
About

The NIH Common Fund is a funding entity within the NIH Office of the Director, managed by the Office of Strategic Coordination in DPCPSI. It backs time-limited, goal-driven programs that catalyze discovery across biomedical and behavioral research, with annual funding of $685 million in FY2024 and FY2025 and a FY2026 President's Budget request of $347.4 million.

It funds grants, cooperative agreements, and related mechanisms through cross-institute programs such as the NIH Director's Pioneer Award, New Innovator Award, Transformative Research Award, Early Independence Award, Complement-ARIE, Human Virome Program, CARE for Health, Replication to Enhance Research Impact, and the Venture Program. The portfolio spans biotech, medtech, neurotech, AI infrastructure, synbio, and photonics, with the Venture Program reaching up to $15 million and the Pioneer Award up to $3.5 million.

The Common Fund favors projects that are bold, synergistic, and limited to clear milestones over no more than 10 years. Applicants usually need a distinctive idea that can move multiple NIH institutes or create a lasting research resource, since the program is designed to seed new approaches rather than support routine continuation.

Programs & grants under this funder
CARE for Health

Supports primary care networks that embed research and implementation in rural clinics.

1 grant
CARE for Health — Open Funding (Seed)
Open
$18.3M pool·Rolling submission
Complement Animal Research In Experimentation (Complement-ARIE)

Funds human-based alternatives to animal testing through investments in replacement methodologies.

1 grant
Complement-ARIE — Open Funding (Seed)
Open
$39.9M pool·Rolling submission
NIH Director's Early Independence Award

Funds exceptional early researchers moving directly into independent science leadership.

1 grant
NIH Director's Early Independence Award
Scheduled
$21.4M pool
High-Risk, High-Reward Research (HRHR) Program

Funds unusually high-risk ideas with the potential for major scientific payoff.

Human Virome Program (HVP)

Funds large-scale mapping of healthy human virome communities to improve biological understanding.

1 grant
Human Virome Program — Open Funding (Seed)
Open
$31.9M pool·Rolling submission
NIH Director's New Innovator Award

Funds early innovators with steady support for unconventional research concepts.

1 grant
NIH Director's New Innovator Award
Scheduled
$69.4M pool
NIH Director's Pioneer Award

Funds researchers pursuing transformative directions with sustained support and flexible project design.

1 grant
NIH Director's Pioneer Award
Scheduled
$33.5M pool
Replication to Enhance Research Impact Initiative

Funds independent replication efforts to strengthen confidence in biomedical findings.

1 grant
Replication Initiative — Open Funding (Seed)
Open
— pool·Rolling submission
NIH Director's Transformative Research Award

Funds interdisciplinary teams pursuing transformative projects through flexible long-term resources.

1 grant
NIH Director's Transformative Research Award
Scheduled
$31.2M pool
NIH Common Fund Venture Program

Funds short-term cross-institute initiatives with focused resources for emerging biomedical opportunities.

1 grant
NIH Common Fund Venture Program — Open Funding (Seed)
Open
$4.0M pool·Rolling submission
Parent entityNational Institutes of Health
Last verified: 29 May 2026Source: commonfund.nih.gov