NIH Grant Cycle: Table of Contents

You can see a graphic of the cycle on the main page, NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal. Help us improve our outreach to you by emailing deaweb@niaid.nih.gov.

• Start Here
• Part 1. Qualifying for a Grant
• Part 2. Game Plan
• Part 3. Define Your Project
• Part 4. Target Your Audience
• Part 5. Research Plan
• Part 6. Other Application Sections
• Part 7. Applying
• Part 8. Assignment and Review
• Part 9. Second-Level Review
• Part 10. Funding Decisions
• Part 11a. Managing Your Grant
• Part 11b. Not Funded, Reapply
• Part 12. Renewal Application

Start Here

• Introducing the NIH Grant Cycle
  • NIAID's Perspective
  • How to Use the NIH Grant Cycle
• Facts to Know Before You Do Anything
• Get a Grip on Timing
• Contact Staff for Help
  • Before and During Application
  • After Peer Review
  • Funding and After Award
• Keep Up With Policy Changes

Part 1. Qualifying for a Grant

• Are You Ready for This Part?
• Where Does Your Research Belong?
• Does Your Institution Qualify for NIH Support?
• You and Your Institution
• Does NIH Fund Foreign Institutions and Investigators?
• Do You Qualify for an Independent NIH Grant?

Part 2. Game Plan

• Are You Ready for This Part?
• Start to Finish: How Long Will It Take?
• What's Your Game Plan?
• Which Award Type Suits You Best?
• About Picking a Topic
• Steps to Choose a Topic
• Create a Solid Hypothesis
• Get Ready Now to Apply Electronically
• Application Approach: What Are Your Choices?
• Compare FOAs
  • Parent PA
  • Institute-Specific PA
  • Requests for Applications
• When Will You Apply?

Part 3. Define Your Project

• Are You Ready for This Part?
• Think About Scope, Amount, and Effort
  • Scope
  • Amount
  • Effort
• Will Your Research Have Special Requirements?
• Decide the Involvement of Others
  • Using Consultants and Collaborators
  • Take Heed -- You Might Want to Avoid a Multiple PI Application

Part 4. Target Your Audience

• Are You Ready for This Part?
• Write to Your Audience
• Don't Propose Too Much or Be Too Innovative
• Balance the Technical and Nontechnical
• Master the Application
  • Page Limits, Formats
• Plan and Organize Effectively
• Write, Edit, and Proof Like a Pro
• Avoid Problems
  • Make Sure Your Application Fits the Announcement
• Make Life Easy for Reviewers
• Know These Review Problems and Solutions
• More Common Problems Cited by Peer Reviewers

Part 5. Research Plan

• Are You Ready for This Part?
• Typical Order for Writing an Application
  • R01 Focus
• Design Your Research Plan
  • General Tips for a Successful Research Plan
  • Reference Publications
  • Start With Specific Aims
  • Preliminary Studies/Progress Report
  • Research Design and Methods -- Writing
  • Keep Track of People, Resources, and Timing
  • Consider Special Requirements
  • If Your Application Has Multiple PIs
  • Consultants or Collaborators -- How They Differ
  • Where to Add Consortium and Contractual Information
  • What Resources Do You Need to Share?
  • Research Design and Methods -- Evaluating
  • Background and Significance
  • If You Need an Appendix

Part 6. Other Application Sections

• Are You Ready for This Part?
• Tips for Other Form Components
• Other Project Information Form: Bibliography and References Cited
• Other Project Information Form: Facilities, Resources, and Equipment
• Senior/Key Person Profile Form: Prepare the Biographical Sketches
• Strategy for Planning a Budget
  • Develop a Modular Budget
  • Create Your Budget
  • Detailed Budgets
• SF 424 (Cover Page)
• Project Summary/Abstract and Project Narrative
• Last Steps After You Finish Writing
• Do You Need a Cover Letter?
  • Consider Requesting an Institute and Study Section
    • Requesting an Institute
    • Requesting a Study Section
• You Will Send Some Materials Just-in-Time

Part 7. Applying

• Are You Ready for This Part?
• About Applying
  • How to Submit Electronically on Time
• Rules for Late Applications
• About Validations
• First Step: Grants.gov Validation
  • If Your Application Doesn't Pass Grants.gov Validation
• Next Step: eRA Commons Validation
  • If Commons Validation Returns an Error
  • If Your Application Passes Commons Validation
  • If You Want to Correct After Passing Commons Validation
• Should You Withdraw the Application?

Part 8. Assignment and Review

• Are You Ready for This Part?
• NIH Checks Your Application
• Applications Get an NIH ID Number
• Applications Are Assigned to an Institute and Integrated Review Group
• Call If You Are Not Satisfied With a CSR Assignment
• You May Be Able to Send in Additional Data
• Initial Peer Review Assesses Scientific Merit
• Who Peer Reviews Your Application?
• SROs Assess Completeness, Assign Reviewers
• Noncompetitive Applications Get a Streamlined Review
• Basic Layout of Initial Peer Review
• Most Reviewers Scan Each Application
• Assigning a Priority Score
• How NIH Review Criteria Affect Your Score
• If Your Application Is Unscored
• Foreign Applications Have an Extra Review Step
• Reviewers Are Fair, But Not Always Right
• When You Can Expect to Hear Back
• Know What a Summary Statement Means
• Prepare Your Just-in-Time Information
  • If You Have Human Subjects Documentation
  • If You Have Animal Research Documentation
  • Prepare Your Other Support Submission
  • If You Have Consortium or Contractual Agreements

Part 9. Second-Level Review

• Are You Ready for This Part?
• Your Application Moves to NIAID
• Second-Level Review Is a Smaller Hurdle
• Second-Level Review Is Faster for Some Applications
• Outcomes of Second-Level Review

Part 10. Funding Decisions

• Are You Ready for This Part?
• How NIAID Determines Which Applications to Fund
• Why You May Not Get Funded Right Away
• NIAID May Approve Special Funding
• Is Your Application Deferred for a Funding Decision?
• Paylines Are a Conservative Funding Cut Point
• Percentiles Indicate Relative Rank
• How Percentiles Are Determined
• Score Clustering Distorts Percentiles
• How Long to Get the Grant?
• Congratulations!

Part 11a. Managing Your Grant

• Are You Ready for This Part?
• Negotiation Determines Your Terms of Award
• Make Sure Your Institution Has Negotiated F&A Rates
• Accepting the Award
• Read Your Notice of Award, Know Your Terms
• Don't Forget to Keep Up With Policy Changes
• Grantees Can Take Many Actions Independently
• Some Actions Require Our Approval
• What Constitutes a Change in Scope?
• Pay Attention to How You Spend Your Money
• Your Reporting Requirements
  • Specify Expenditures In Your Quarterly Report
  • Know When to Submit a Financial Status Report
  • Invention Reporting Has Four Parts
  • Send Us an Annual Progress Report
    • What Forms to Fill Out for Your Annual Progress Report
    • Submit Your Report Electronically
    • Submit Your Report on Paper
  • Meeting Your Audit Requirements
  • File Final Reports at Award End
• Keep Your Records Accessible

Part 11b. Not Funded, Reapply

• Are You Ready for This Part?
• If Your Application Was Not Fundable or Not Scored
• Should You Appeal?
• Ask: Is It Worth Fixing?
  • Summary Statements Have Their Limitations
  • Contact Your Program Officer for Feedback
  • Assess How Serious the Problems Are
  • Common Fixable Problems
  • Not Fixable or More Difficult Problems
• Pick a Strategy That Suits the Problem
  • Option 1: Revise and Resubmit to the Same Study Section
  • Option 2: Revise and Resubmit to a Different Study Section
  • Option 3: Create a New Application
  • Option 4: Look For Funding Outside NIH
• How to Revise and Resubmit
  • Resubmission Timing
  • Can a Resubmission Hurt You?
• Resubmission Tips

Part 12. Renewal Application

• Are You Ready for This Part?
• Renewal Strategy
• Renewal or New Application?
• What Qualifies as a New Application?
• Timing Your Application
  • Considerations for Applying Early
  • No Time Limits . . . But
• Renewal How To
• How to Fill Out the Forms for a Renewal
• Planning a Budget
  • Strategies for Dealing With a Budget Cap
  • When Funding Is Tight
• Staying Funded
  • Strategy to Keep Funds Flowing
  • Stay Focused

See the main All About Grants page for the following:

• Tutorials covering special areas such as human subjects and multiproject grants.
• Application Tools including application samples, checklists, timelines, and contacts.

Help us improve our outreach to you by emailing deaweb@niaid.nih.gov.