NIH DP1 Grants — NIH Director's Pioneer Award

Recent DP1 awards from NIH RePORTER

Examples of funded DP1 projects across the last two fiscal years. The matching-award count comes from the full result set; funding totals, averages, rankings, and examples use the first 500 records returned by NIH RePORTER. Figures reflect a snapshot last refreshed on September 5, 2026.

Example DP1 projects from the sample

• High-dimensional chemical targeting of multiple neuron types to regulate energy balance

  5DP1DK139958-03
  Mark Andermann · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER, MA · $800,000 · awarded Aug 27, 2026 · NIH

  Summary Recent drugs for treating obesity and diabetes, while promising, have major side effects. For example, drugs that reduce food intake by targeting the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) or the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP1R) induce side effects such as nausea and vomiting. Several drugs targeting these receptors likely act in part via effects on…

• Immune drivers of oncogenic virus progression to cancer in people living with HIV

  5DP1CA290976-02
  Brittney Dickey · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER, NE · $544,250 · awarded Aug 24, 2026 · NIH

  PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The overarching goal of my research is to improve prevention, early detection, and outcomes of infection- related cancers, particularly among people living with HIV (PHIV) who experience an increased burden. Due to the immunosuppression and aberrant immune activation that accompanies lifelong HIV infection, PHIV have a higher…

• Ultrasound-induced artificial hibernation: Mimicking natural hibernation to enhance human health

  4DP1DK143574-03
  Hong Chen · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, MO · $3,265,500 · awarded Aug 21, 2026 · NIH

  Project Summary/Abstract Hibernation is one of the most remarkable physiological traits observed across a spectrum of animal species. Hibernating mammals reside primarily in a state known as torpor, characterized by lowered metabolism and reduced body temperature to conserve energy and survive harsh conditions. This natural phenomenon has inspired the…

• Neural control of rhythmic orofacial movements

  4DP1NS142432-03
  Nuo Li · DUKE UNIVERSITY, NC · $3,381,000 · awarded Aug 20, 2026 · NIH

  Abstract Major efforts to understand how brain circuits activity gives rise to perception, mental experience, and behavior have broadly advanced our understanding of most of the central nervous system. In contrast, the brainstem circuit that connects the brain to patterned muscle outputs is arguably the least understood. The brainstem also generates rhythms…

• Decoding the Logic of Metabolite Pool Size Control

  1DP1DK147833-01
  Matthew Hirschey · DUKE UNIVERSITY, NC · $807,500 · awarded Aug 14, 2026 · NIH

  Despite decades of progress in metabolomics, understanding what determines metabolite concentrations in cells remains a fundamental unsolved problem. While we can measure thousands of metabolites with unprecedented accuracy, we lack an understanding of the control logic that maintains their precise concentrations, such as keeping blood glucose at 5 mM…

• Integrated proteomic and metabolomic biomarker profiling for understanding metabolic syndrome in pregnant women living with HIV on Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate/Lamivudine/Dolutegravir (TLD)

  3DP1HD115433-03S3
  AHIZECHUKWU EKE · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, MD · $32,616 · awarded Aug 13, 2026 · NIH

  PROJECT ABSTRACT/SUMMARY Effective HIV treatment during pregnancy is critically important, both for the health of women living with HIV (PWHIV) and for prevention of perinatal HIV transmission. In the United States, Nigeria, and globally, Dolutegravir (DTG)- based antiretroviral therapy (ART) is being expanded as part of the preferred 1st-line ART regimen,…

• 3D printed Houses: Integrating Epidemiology into the Architecture

  1DP1ES039886-01
  Michael Levy · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, PA · $1,137,500 · awarded Aug 12, 2026 · NIH

  American children spend around 75% of the day in their homes; exposures in the residence are therefore an extremely important correlate of health and risk of disease. Homes are about to change--3D printing technology is ushering in a new shift in architectural design. Every housing form carries its own particular health risks, which can be greater or lesser…

• Re-Engineering Systems to Treat Opioid use Disorder for Everyone (RESTORE): A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

  5DP1DA058978-03
  Sabrina Smiley · SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY, CA · $1,053,500 · awarded Aug 11, 2026 · NIH

  I am a well-published, early stage medical sociologist proposing to investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an innovative, multilevel community-engaged opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment intervention. This study will apply my understanding of community needs and OUD, to test a scalable novel intervention in a real world…

• Novel technologies to detect disrupted RNA processing events in diabetic islets

  1DP1DK147830-01
  LORI SUSSEL · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER, CO · $780,000 · awarded Aug 11, 2026 · NIH

  Summary/Abstract In both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes (T1D and T2D), the inability of beta cells to adequately respond and compensate to autoimmune (T1D) or insulin resistant (T2D) conditions is a central feature of each disease. In addition, there are recent reports that islet alpha cells also become defective at the earliest stages of T1D and T2D to…

• Peripheral nervous system aging

  5DP1AG100833-02
  ANNE BRUNET · STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CA · $1,078,000 · awarded Aug 10, 2026 · NIH

  Summary Aging alters the function of every organ. An inherent limitation to our understanding of aging is the complexity of the aging process. Thus, fundamental questions remain entirely unanswered: Are there mechanisms that coordinate organ function and how do they deteriorate with age? Could such mechanisms be restored to promote longevity? Previous work…

• Role of social touch and social memory in organizing naked mole-rat colonies

  5DP1AT013723-02
  Ishmail Abdus-Saboor · COLUMBIA UNIV NEW YORK MORNINGSIDE, NY · $1,151,500 · awarded Aug 6, 2026 · NIH

  Project Summary/Abstract The East African naked mole-rat is arguably the most social animal in the mammalian kingdom, maintaining decades long harmonious communal living with upwards of hundreds of colony members. Most mammals, including humans, are highly social and cooperation during social interactions is a critical component of our daily lives.…

• Informing optimal investments along the preconception to postpartum eMTCT continuum

  5DP1HD115428-03
  Horacio Duarte · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, MN · $539,000 · awarded Aug 4, 2026 · NIH

  PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT While expansion of antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage over the past two decades has significantly decreased mother-to-child, or “vertical,” transmission, progress has stagnated in recent years. To address the remaining 130,000 new infections among children each year, we must take a broader approach, promoting maternal ART…

Compare nearby NIH grant mechanisms

Searchers often land on DP1 while deciding between adjacent NIH activity codes. Compare scope, NIH staff involvement, budget scale, and applicant stage before choosing a funding opportunity.

Open NIH NOFOs for DP1

NIH accepts DP1 applications only through a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO). These one is open or opening soon; each page lists due dates, participating institutes, related notices, and the projects NIH funded under it.