The Peer Review Process for All Applications,
Including CFS, That Are Submitted To The NIH For Funding Consideration
The scientific and technical evaluation (initial review; peer review) of all investigator-initiated (i.e., not in response to a specific request for applications - RFA) research project grant applications is conducted by panels of scientists selected for that specific purpose by Scientific Review Administrators (doctoral level scientific Federal administrative staff) at the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR), operating under the stringent criteria of the Federal Advisory Committee Act and grant review regulations promulgated by DHHS and NIH. All Chronic Fatigue Syndrome related grant applications are reviewed by one of these panels, designated as a recurring Special Emphasis Panel, which is assembled afresh for each cycle of review (three times per year), with membership appropriate to the scientific disciplines of the grant applications actually received for that cycle.
The initial review process is conducted in the same way, under the same rules for the more than 40,000 investigator-initiated grant applications received by NIH each year. The process is presented in the video presentation accessible at: http://cms.csr.nih.gov/ResourcesforApplicants/InsidetheNIHGrantReviewProcessVideo.htm
After the grant application has gone through initial scientific and technical evaluation by a review panel, the results and recommendations of the panel are compiled into a Summary Statement by the Scientific Review Administrator at CSR. The Summary Statement is then transmitted to the assigned NIH Institute or Center for secondary consideration for funding. Their decision is based not only upon the scientific and technical evaluation, and the recommendations of the National Advisory Council of that Institute or Center, but also on the availability of funds for adding research grants to their portfolio of research.
