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NIH Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings (R13 and U13)

Introduction

The NIH recognizes the value of supporting scientific meetings that are relevant to its scientific mission and to the public health. A scientific meeting is defined as a gathering, symposium, seminar, conference, workshop, or any other organized, formal meeting where persons assemble to coordinate, exchange, and disseminate information or to explore or clarify a defined subject, problem, or area of knowledge.

The support of scientific meetings is contingent on the scientific interests and priorities of the individual Institutes and Centers (IC), and the level of investment that each Institute determines is appropriate.

  • A conference grant application is required to contain a letter from the appropriate NIH staff listed below (Contacts List, MS Word - 70 KB) documenting advance permission.

  • Investigators are urged to initiate contact well in advance of the application receipt date.

Please note that agreement to accept an application does not guarantee funding.

Eligibility
  • Any domestic organization eligible to receive grants from NIH, including a scientific or professional society, is eligible to apply for a conference grant or cooperative agreement.

  • An international conference can be supported only through the U.S. representative organization of an established international scientific or professional society.
Conference Grant Information
  • Frequently Asked Questions (MS Word - 46 KB) - Listing of common questions regarding the preparation and submission of conference grant and cooperative agreement applications. Please check back periodically, as these will be updated as new questions are received.

  • Submission Date Schedule

    • Standard application deadlines: April 12, August 12, and December 12
    • AIDS-related research deadlines: May 7, September 7, and January 7

  • Electronic Submission– NIH requires electronic submission of the SF424 (R&R) form through Grants.gov to NIH for all Conference Grants and Conference Cooperative Agreement Awards (R13/U13)

  • Registration – The NIH electronic submission process requires institutional registration in two separate systems: Grants.gov and eRA Commons. Principal Investigators also must be registered in eRA Commons. These registration processes can take up to four weeks (possibly longer for new organizations) to complete. All registrations must be in place prior to application submission. For additional information on preparing for electronic submission to NIH please visit: http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/preparing.htm.
  • Inclusion Information (09/26/2003) - Guidelines for Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in NIH-Supported Conference Grants.

  • Acknowledgement/Disclaimer of NIH support Effective immediately for all R13, U13, and other NIH awards that support scientific meetings, conferences, and workshops, the grantee must acknowledge NIH grant support and provide a disclaimer on any conference materials related to the project.  
Historical References
  • NIH Guide Program Announcement (10/26/2005) - NIH Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings (R13/U13) - requires use the Grants.gov electronic application process as of 12/15/2005.

  • April 16, 2008 - This PA has been reissued as (PA-08-149).

  • October 4, 2007 - Expiration Date adjusted to accommodate recent changes to standing submission deadlines, per NOT-OD-07-093.

  • November 18, 2005 - This funding opportunity has been updated to clarify instructions for preparing the PHS 398 Research Plan Component. See Section IV.6

  • November 9, 2005 (NOT-MD-05-007) - This notice is to announce the participation of NCMHD in the PA-06-041.
Contacts

For specific questions regarding NIH Institute and Center (IC) Conference (R13 and U13) funding opportunities and questions about IC research interests.
See: Contacts List (MS Word - 66 KB)

For general questions about the NIH Conference (R13 and U13) program:

Denise Russo, Ph.D.
Office of Extramural Research
National Institutes of Health
6705 Rockledge Drive
Rockledge I Building, Room 3524
Bethesda MD 20892
ph: 301-451-7972
fax: 301-480-0146
email: drusso1@mail.nih.gov



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