NIH Common Fund Venture Program — Open Funding (Seed)
Supports high-potential short- to medium-range initiatives that can seed major breakthroughs.
The NIH Common Fund Venture Program, launched in FY2024, provides a framework for short-term, focused NIH-wide initiatives that are too nimble or cross-cutting to fit within a single Institute's portfolio. Each Venture initiative is capped at three years and up to $5 million annually per initiative (maximum $15 million total per initiative), and must advance the shared missions of multiple NIH Ins…
Funds short-term (up to 3 years, up to $5M/year) bold NIH-wide biomedical research initiatives spanning multiple Institutes, currently including optical imaging, oculomics, newborn screening, and systems biology.
Sign up free to see the funding breakdown
Sign up free to see the industries in scope
Sign up free to see the full eligibility
Sign up free to see the timeline
Guides for this application
All guides →NIH Biosketch Guide: Format, SciENcv Steps, and Examples
Learn what an NIH biosketch is, how the format works, what to prepare for SciENcv, and how startup teams should avoid common biosketch mistakes.
Write proposalHow to Write a Specific Aims Page
Learn how to write a specific aims page for NIH, SBIR-adjacent, and translational R&D grants, with structure, reviewer logic, examples, and common mistakes.
Where to applyGrants for Biotech Startups: NIH, NSF, SBIR/STTR, and Non-Dilutive Funding
A practical guide to grants for biotech startups, including NIH SBIR/STTR, NSF, translational funding, evidence, regulatory readiness, and budgets.
Submit & reportSAM.gov Registration and UEI Guide for Federal Grant Applicants
Learn how SAM.gov registration, UEI numbers, Grants.gov accounts, organization profiles, workspace roles, and renewal timing fit together.
More from NIH Common Fund
All grants from this funder →CARE for Health — Open Funding (Seed)
🇺🇸NIH Common Fund · United States
Supports integrating clinical research into primary care environments through rural-focused network models.
Complement-ARIE — Open Funding (Seed)
🇺🇸NIH Common Fund · United States
Supports development of human-based new approach methodologies replacing animal models in relevant research.
Human Virome Program — Open Funding (Seed)
🇺🇸NIH Common Fund · United States
Offers exploration of the healthy human virome and virus host interactions across translational studies.
Replication Initiative — Open Funding (Seed)
🇺🇸NIH Common Fund · United States
Funds independent validation of biomedical findings to strengthen reproducibility in research.
NIH Director's Early Independence Award
🇺🇸NIH Common Fund · United States
Funds a scientist to skip the postdoc entirely and run their own lab straight after the doctorate — ten awards of $350,000 each.
NIH Director's New Innovator Award
🇺🇸NIH Common Fund · United States
Supports early-stage researchers with transformative ideas in high-risk biomedical studies.
Similar grants
Browse the directory →
ARPA-H Program ISOs (topic-specific)
🇺🇸ARPA-H · United States
Funds United States health initiatives through topic-focused pathways across multiple mission areas and agencies.
ARPA-H Mission Office ISOs
🇺🇸ARPA-H · United States
Supports United States mission teams with boundary-pushing health initiatives beyond existing programme limits.
ARPA-H Initiatives & Sprints
🇺🇸ARPA-H · United States
Runs fast-turnaround health technology opportunities in United States for high-potential exploratory science and engineering.
NIA Alzheimer's Drug-Development Program
🇺🇸NIA · United States
Funds collaborative research alliances that accelerate Alzheimer's drug development in the United States.
ASPIRE Reduction-to-Practice (Seed)
🇺🇸NCATS · United States
Supports translational chemistry and automation platform development through university-linked partnerships.
First in Human and Early Stage Clinical Trials of Novel Investigational Drugs or Neuromodulatory Device-based Interventions for Psychiatric Disorders
🇺🇸NIH · United States
Funds the first human trials of a novel-mechanism psychiatric drug or a novel neuromodulatory device, with milestones gating each step.