DDP Series — NIH Director's Awards

NIH DP5 Grants — NIH Director's Early Independence Award

Skip the postdoc — direct PhD-to-PI transition

Funding

$250K direct/year

Duration

5 years

Eligibility

Recent PhDs (typically within 1 year) skipping postdoc training

Activity code

DP5

What is the NIH DP5 grant?

The DP5 funds recent PhDs (typically within 1 year of degree) who plan to skip postdoctoral training and move directly into independent positions. Awardees secure independent positions at host institutions through a competitive application process.

Recent DP5 awards (last 24 months)

Live data from NIH RePORTER

69

Awards

$32,084,695

Total funding (sample)

$464,996

Average award

Sample reflects up to the most recent 500 NIH RePORTER awards with this activity code in the past 24 months. Total project count is the full RePORTER count.

Most recently awarded DP5 grants

Rapid innovation of precision psychiatry interventions using dynamic systems modeling and ecological quasi-experiments

Emily Presseller · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE, NH · NIH

$408,750

FY 2025

Project: 7DP5OD039510-02

The Menses Study: Menstrual blood as a novel target-tissue biomatrix for chemical exposures relevant to reproductive system disorders

Jenni Shearston · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, CO · NIH

$434,110

FY 2026

Project: 1DP5OD042636-01

Leveraging Adaptive Evolution and High-Throughput Techniques to Dissect the Link Between Biochemical Function and Fitness

Margaux Pinney · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY, CA · NIH

$802,500

FY 2025

Project: 7DP5OD033413-05

Modification of the predisposition for ectopic calcification

Shira Ziegler · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, MD · NIH

$388,750

FY 2026

Project: 1DP5OD042637-01

Decoding Functional Cell-Cell Communication to Uncover Cellular State Modulation, Tissue Homeostasis, and Disease Genetics

Na Sun · WHITEHEAD INSTITUTE FOR BIOMEDICAL RES, MA · NIH

$487,500

FY 2026

Project: 1DP5OD042638-01

Juggling Roles: A Study of Diverse Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Parents and Their Work-Family Transition

Alexandrea Craft · WOMEN AND INFANTS HOSPITAL-RHODE ISLAND, RI · NIH

$437,453

FY 2025

Project: 5DP5OD037403-02

Optimizing the Assessment of Parenting: A Multi-Method and Multi-Informant Approach

Violeta Rodriguez · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, IL · NIH

$385,763

FY 2025

Project: 5DP5OD036508-02

Sex chromosomal regulation of hippocampal microglial activation with Alzheimer's disease and aging

Sarah Ocanas · OKLAHOMA MEDICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION, OK · NIH

$874,000

FY 2025

Project: 4DP5OD033443-04

Top NIH institutes funding DP5

By total funding in the last 24 months

  1. 1.NIH69 · $32,084,695

Top funded institutions

Most DP5 awards in the last 24 months

  1. 1.STANFORD UNIVERSITY5 awards
  2. 2.WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY4 awards
  3. 3.UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO4 awards
  4. 4.MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL4 awards
  5. 5.UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA4 awards
  6. 6.ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI3 awards

Who applies for DP5

Exceptional recent PhDs ready to start independent labs without postdoc training.

When to choose DP5

Choose DP5 if you have an exceptional thesis record and a host institution willing to support an independent position immediately.

When NOT to choose DP5

Most candidates benefit more from postdoctoral training and the K99/R00 path.

Search tips for DP5

  • DP5 awards are very rare — useful indicators of exceptional early independence trajectories.

Search NIH grants by activity code

Open NIH grant search

Find DP5-funded PIs

Open PI Finder

DP5 funding trends

Open trend search

Related NIH grant types

DDP1

NIH Director's Pioneer Award

High-risk/high-reward research from exceptional individual scientists

DDP2

NIH Director's New Innovator Award

Bold, untested ideas from early-stage investigators

KK99/R00

Pathway to Independence Award

Postdoc → faculty transition (mentored K99 then independent R00)