NIH Director's Transformative Research Award Program

The Award initiative is created specifically to support exceptionally innovative and/or unconventional research projects that have the potential to create or overturn fundamental paradigms. These projects tend to be inherently risky and may not fare well in conventional NIH review. The primary emphasis of this initiative is to support research on bold, paradigm-shifting, but untested ideas, rather than to support exceptionally creative individuals who wish to pursue new, potentially high impact research directions. To facilitate submission and identification of bold, high impact ideas that are compelling despite the risks involved, this initiative is also piloting novel approaches to application instructions and review. Applicants should focus their research strategies on significance and innovation without expectations of providing preliminary data. The review uses a multi-phase, Editorial Board style process with explicit emphasis maintained on significance and innovation. NIH encourages applications from investigators in all disciplines relevant to the NIH mission, including the biological, behavioral, clinical, social, physical, chemical, computational, engineering, and mathematical sciences. Budgets may be up to $25 million / year for up to 5 years. The NIH intends to commit up to $25 million (total costs) in FY2012. Letters of intent (not required but strongly encouraged) due by December 12, 2011.
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-11-006.html
http://commonfund.nih.gov/TRA/
http://commonfund.nih.gov/TRA/faq2012.aspx