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Acknowledging NIH Support is Important

We need your help in raising public awareness of the important role NIH plays in providing funding for biomedical research for NIH grant recipients. More than 80 percent of the NIH budget supports research in the extramural environment through grants and cooperative agreements. Making the connection between Federal research funding and scientific advances shows the American people that their tax dollars lead to new knowledge and improvements in health.

As an Investigator, you can help. You are in a position to raise public awareness of the NIH role in your project while satisfying an award requirement and a Congressional directive that grantees acknowledge NIH's funding contirbution when they publicize their research findings. These actions benefit you, American citizens, and NIH as we work together to improve the health of the nation.

Acknowledge full or partial NIH support for your research in journal articles, oral or poster presentations, news releases, interviews with reporters, radio and TV appearances, and other communications. When possible, citations in scientific publications should include the grant number and the name of the source of support (e.g., R01EB012345 from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health). For additional details on journal article citation requirements, see the Rights in Data (Publication and Copyrighting) section of the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Alert the NIBIB Program Officer who manages your grant if you have a significant finding accepted for publication, especially if your institution is planning a news release or if you have other reasons to expect media coverage of your work. You can find the Program Officer's name and contact information on your Notice of Grant Award.

Ask your institution's Public Information Officer to contact the communications liaison at NIBIB (Cheryl Fee, 301-496-8859) to coordinate efforts to publicize important research progress. When appropriate, we may highlight research advances in news releases, on our web site (for example, on the Publications and Features page), or in other outlets. We will, of course, honor embargoes on journal articles.

If reporters ask you to suggest an outside expert to comment on your research, you can refer them to the NIBIB communications liaison, who will arrange an interview with your Program Officer or another NIH official.

Every American has the right to know and understand how their tax dollars are used by the NIH to improve health through biomedical research. Your continued acknowledgment of our partnership in this research is essential to this understanding.