The message below is sent by NIGMS program directors to the principal investigators of funded new and competing grants.
Dear NIGMS Investigator:
Congratulations on your NIGMS grant award! This message offers some tips and reminders that we hope you will find useful. We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions about your grant or if you get exciting results and want to share the good news.
You can find your summary statement and Notice of Award (NoA) in the NIH Commons. Your summary statement is likely to contain comments and suggestions that could be helpful to review when you prepare future applications.
Important information in your NoA includes the project and budget period start and end dates, the amount of the award, recommended amounts for future years, specific terms and conditions, and contact information for your program director and grants management specialist. Contact your program director if you have questions relating to your research (e.g., should you want to change the direction of your research, add a collaborator, or write another grant application on a related topic). Your program director can also advise you of any special policies that might apply to your research, such as data- and resource-sharing requirements and clinical trials registration. Contact your grants management specialist if you have questions about your budget or about grants administration policies (e.g., what you need to do if you plan to go on sabbatical leave or if you want to move to a different institution).
You are expected to be able to accomplish the proposed research with the funding provided. You may rebudget funds to accommodate changes in methodology, approach, or other project objectives. However, you must obtain approval from your program director and grants management specialist before making significant changes to the aims of your project. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for detailed information on award requirements.
You may wish to apply for a supplement to bring into your lab underrepresented minorities, individuals with disabilities, individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, or people who are re-entering research after a hiatus. See Funding Opportunities: Research and Administrative Supplements for more on these and other supplement programs. If you think you might be eligible for a supplement, contact your program director.
Annual progress reports are due 60 days before the start of the next budget period for paper submissions or 45 days before the start date for electronic submissions. We strongly encourage your institute to submit progress reports electronically through the NIH Commons. Your program director and grants management specialist read these reports carefully and use them to assess whether your project is on target scientifically and fiscally. Program directors may also use the information in progress reports to prepare highlights of NIGMS-funded research for various audiences. If you are not making progress on your aims or not spending your funds at a reasonable rate, NIGMS staff will contact you or your sponsored programs office to find out why. Should a problem arise, let your program director or grants management specialist know about it as soon as possible, as they may have helpful suggestions.
Acknowledge NIH/NIGMS support of your research in journal articles (cite your NIGMS grant by number whenever possible), oral or poster presentations, news releases, interviews with reporters, and other communications. It is important to do this so taxpayers understand that money budgeted to NIH results in research advances made by scientists throughout the country. If you have more than one grant, only cite the one(s) that supported the research described in the article or presentation.
As required by the NIH public access policy, submit manuscripts accepted for publication to NIH PubMed Central.
When you have an accepted manuscript that describes an exceptionally significant finding, please contact your program director to discuss the possibility of a news release or other publicity to help inform the American public about the value of NIH-funded research.
Useful Web Sites
NIGMS Home Page
NIGMS Research Funding
NIH Home Page
NIH Grants Information (with links to funding opportunities and grants policy)
NIH Public Access
Attribution of Support
Roles and Responsibilities of NIH and Staff at Your Institution
NIH "Welcome Wagon" Letter--Information for Staff at Your Institution
