EUREKA Program Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What questions should I ask myself if I'm thinking about submitting a EUREKA application?

A. Is what I want to do exciting? Would somebody outside of the field think so? Is what I want to do focused on testing a novel hypothesis, or solving a difficult problem?

If the focus is testing a hypothesis, would that hypothesis, if true, radically alter the accepted model, not just provide a minor variation or add detail? Would validating my hypothesis have a profound effect on a lot of people? Based on the methodology that I'm proposing and the effort that I would put into this project, is it likely that I'll be able to conclusively validate or disprove my hypothesis by the end of the funding period?

If the focus is solving a problem, is my methodology radically different from what has been attempted previously? Is the problem a major impediment to progress in the field? If I do solve the problem, will it have a profound effect on a lot of people? Based on the methodology that I'm proposing and the effort that I would put into this project, is it likely that I'll either solve the problem, or demonstrate conclusively that the approach does not work, by the end of the funding period?

Is this really a new idea? Is it substantially different from the research that I am already funded to do?

Is my project likely to be of interest to at least one of the NIH institutes that accepts EUREKA applications?

Q. If I've already made an exciting, novel discovery and I want to follow up on it, is EUREKA appropriate?

A. In general, no. EUREKA awards are intended to support innovative research that will be done during the term of the award, not follow-up experiments. The exception, of course, would be if the follow-up experiments themselves were exceptionally innovative and had the potential for broad impact. Typically, however, follow-up experiments of an exciting discovery would be more appropriate for a conventional R01.

Q. Before I submit an application, why should I determine whether any of the NIH institutes that accept EUREKA applications are interested in my project?

A. Many NIH institutes and centers do NOT accept EUREKA applications, so it's important to determine whether your project is of interest to one or more of the institutes that do accept them. You should do this before you submit an application. If you do submit a EUREKA application and it is not of interest to any of the participating institutes, your application will be administratively withdrawn before review.

Q. I'm not familiar with the NIH institutes that are participating in EUREKA. How can I determine whether my application might be of interest to one of those institutes?

A. Start by reading the general descriptions of each institute's interests in the EUREKA funding announcement, then click on the links for more detailed information, including staff contacts for specific areas of interest.

Before you submit an application, we strongly recommend that you contact a program director—somebody you already know or one of the staff contacts listed on an institute's Web site—to confirm that the institute would be interested in your EUREKA application. Once you've confirmed that at least one of the participating institutes is interested in your application, you are strongly encouraged to submit a letter of intent letting us know that the application is coming and that it should be assigned to the institute that has already indicated interest in it.

Q. I'm desperate for funding. Should I submit a EUREKA application if I've been told that none of the participating NIH institutes is likely to be interested in it, or the initiative doesn't seem appropriate for what I want to do?

A. No. Your application will be withdrawn before review if none of the participating NIH institutes is willing to accept it. And even if the topic is of interest to one of the participating institutes, you would be wasting your time if you submitted an application that was not appropriate for the EUREKA initiative since we anticipate receiving many applications for which EUREKA is appropriate. Since the information that you'll get about the review will not be as detailed as what's in a conventional summary statement, there is no sense in submitting a EUREKA application just to get feedback from reviewers since revised applications will not be accepted. Nor does it make sense to submit a EUREKA application with the expectation that you will be able to quickly revise it and submit it as a conventional R01 or R21 if the EUREKA application is not funded, since the format and content of a EUREKA application are very different from that of a conventional R01 or R21s.

If no participating institute is interested in your project, or EUREKA is not appropriate for what you want to do, ask the program director with whom you have discussed the possibility of submitting a EUREKA application whether there are other NIH institutes or other funding opportunities that would be more appropriate. There is also valuable information about funding opportunities on each NIH institute's Web site, and in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts.

Q. How does the content of a EUREKA application differ from the content of a conventional R01 application?

A.

Q. How does the format of a EUREKA application differ from the format of a conventional R01 application?

A.

Q. What are the differences between a EUREKA application and an R21 application?

A. NIH has a wide variety of R21 initiatives, but most of them are for support of pilot projects. In contrast, EUREKA is for non-pilot projects.

A pilot project is a smaller-scale version of what you intend to do later, or an effort to generate preliminary data for a project that you plan to initiate later. A EUREKA project, in contrast, should be one that you anticipate completing, in its entirety, during the funding period. The relationship between your EUREKA project and your own future research should not be obvious. The primary beneficiary should be the scientific community, not you. However, it is reasonable to assume that any tools or reagents that you develop during the EUREKA funding period could be used in your future research, and you would presumably take any paradigm-shifting discovery that you made into account when designing future research projects.

Q. Do I need to include preliminary data in my EUREKA application?

A. No. Reviewers and NIH staff will evaluate your preliminary data (if any), your track record (if any), and the logic of the experimental plan to determine whether there is any likelihood at all that what you are proposing to do will succeed. Whether the probability is high or low is irrelevant, as long as it is not zero. If you have no preliminary data, be sure that the logic of the experimental plan is sufficiently compelling to convince reviewers and staff that there is some probability of success.

Q. Should I include preliminary data, if I have any?

A. Yes, if your preliminary data will help you convince reviewers and staff that the probability of success is not zero. However, be aware that there is no Preliminary Studies section in a EUREKA application. If you have preliminary data, it should be VERY briefly summarized in the approach section of the research plan, which is limited to three pages. Also keep in mind that if your preliminary data suggest that you'll almost certainly be able to do what you're proposing, that may be an indication that what your project is not exceptionally innovative—or that what you are proposing to do is an extension of what you've already been doing, not something new.

Q. I'm a new investigator. Can I apply for a EUREKA award?

A. Yes. Reviewers and NIH staff will evaluate your preliminary data (if any), your track record (if any), and the logic of the experimental plan to determine whether there is any likelihood at all that what you are proposing to do will succeed. If you made exceptionally innovative, significant discoveries when you were a grad student or postdoc, you DO have a track record.

Be aware, though, that exceptionally innovative research is, by definition, risky. If your EUREKA project does not succeed, will your tenure or promotion be jeopardized? Depending on your tolerance for risk, it may make more sense for you to submit a conventional R01 application that includes just one "EUREKA-like" aim.

Q. I'm a mid-career or senior investigator who has done productive research for many years, but I've never made an earthshaking discovery. Does it make sense for me to submit a EUREKA application?

A. If you have a great idea, and what you want to do is a good fit for the EUREKA initiative, yes. Reviewers and NIH staff will evaluate your preliminary data (if any), your track record (if any), and the logic of the experimental plan to determine whether there is any likelihood at all that what you are proposing to do will succeed. If you have no history of making innovative and significant discoveries, be sure that the logic of your experimental plan is compelling, and consider the possibility of generating some preliminary data if it will demonstrate to reviewers and staff that the probability of success is not zero.

Q. If my laboratory is well-funded, does it make sense for me to submit a EUREKA application? Is there any chance that it would be funded?

A. Well-funded investigators are not prohibited from submitting EUREKA applications. However, staff always takes other support into account when making decisions about which pending applications to consider for funding. To be considered for funding, your EUREKA project must be substantially different from what you are already funded to do. One of the questions in the research plan instructions prompts you to address this issue. You should take this question seriously if you have any other support, especially if your laboratory is well-funded.

A factor to consider for well-funded investigators, with EUREKA applications that are assigned to NIGMS, is that the EUREKA application must be brought to the specific attention of NIGMS Council if staff is interested in funding it. On occasion, the Council has declined to give program staff permission to consider a pending application for funding. Details of this policy are available on the NIGMS Web site. 

Q. My EUREKA project is very different from anything I've ever done before. Is that a problem?

A. No, assuming that you are familiar enough with the literature in the field to know what the central hypotheses are, what problems are impeding progress, and what approaches investigators in that field typically use. In fact, being an outsider may be an advantage, since you are more likely to question the central hypotheses of the field, and less likely to have preconceptions about what methodology is best for solving problems.

If you are unsure about whether you know enough about a new field to write a compelling EUREKA application, it makes sense to ask an expert in that field to read a draft of your application before you submit it, or to collaborate with you on the proposed research.

Be sure to include publications documenting that you have made innovative and significant discoveries in the past, if you have any, no matter what field you were in when you made those discoveries.

Q. How can I explain what I want to do, if the research plan is limited to eight pages and the approach section is limited to three pages?

A. Forget everything that you've ever learned about what research plans should look like. The EUREKA instructions prompt you to answer specific questions. Do it. In the approach section, briefly describe what you want to do. You will not have room to describe every experiment in detail, so don't try. Keep in mind that you'll probably only have one aim to describe, not several. All applicants will be required to keep strictly to this page limit, so everyone will be playing on a level field in this regard.

Q. If I don't have room to include preliminary data, or to explain what I want to do in the experimental plan, can I put that information in an appendix, or submit it as an update?

A. No. Appendices and updates are not allowed.

Q. Can I submit more than one EUREKA application?

A. Yes, as long as they are scientifically distinct.

Q. I applied for another NIH "innovation" award. Can I submit the same project as a EUREKA application?

A. If your other application is pending review, no. NIH policy does not allow multiple submissions of essentially the same project. Therefore, you cannot submit an application on the same topic to EUREKA and to any other award program that targets unusually innovative investigators or research (e.g., Pioneer Award, New Innovator Award, Roadmap transformative R01, etc.).

Q. Can I submit a EUREKA application if I have a pending conventional R01 application that includes a similar aim?

A. Probably. Since the scope and format of EUREKA and conventional R01 applications are very different, it is unlikely that the two applications would overlap to the extent that they would be considered multiple submissions for the same project, which are prohibited by NIH policy. However, if both applications were funded, the overlap would have to be addressed, presumably by removing the overlapping aim from the non-EUREKA award.

Q. Can I revise and resubmit my EUREKA application, if last year’s version didn’t get funded?

A. No. Resubmissions (applications with an introduction section that are designated as resubmissions on the checklist page, or applications that are designated as new, but are obviously revised versions of previous EUREKA applications) will not be accepted. 

Q. If my first EUREKA application wasn’t funded, can I submit another EUREKA application, but on a different topic? 

A. Yes, as long as it is substantially different from what you proposed previously.  If you have any questions about whether what you’re proposing to do is sufficiently different from what you proposed previously, consult your program director.

Q. Do I have to submit a letter of intent? What should be in it? How should I send it?

A. We strongly recommend that you submit a letter of intent. It should include the information requested in the EUREKA funding opportunity announcement, and the NIH institute to which your application should be assigned. If you have discussed the possibility of submitting a EUREKA application with program staff at that institute, include the staff member's name in your letter of intent. Although it is not required, we strongly recommend that you also include a brief description of your research project. The research description will help us determine whether your project is likely to be of interest to any of the NIH institutes that accept EUREKA applications.

Letters of intent do not need to be countersigned by institutional officials. They can be scanned and e-mailed (email is strongly preferred), faxed, or sent as hard copy (e-mail is preferred). There is no need to fax or send hard copy of a letter that you have already sent via e-mail or fax. All letters of intent should be sent to Dr. Laurie Tompkins, even if the application will be assigned to an institute other than NIGMS. Her e-mail address is tompkinL@nigms.nih.gov.

Q. Who should I contact if I have a general question about the EUREKA initiative, before I submit my application?

A. If you're an investigator, you should get in touch with one of the program contacts listed in Section VII of the EUREKA funding opportunity announcement. If you're an institutional administrator, get in touch with one of the financial/grants management contacts listed in that section.

Q. When do I have to submit my EUREKA application? Can I get an extension if I am a study section member, or for any other reason?

A. In 2008, the deadline for receipt of EUREKA applications is October 28. This is a receipt deadline—the date on which your application must be received by NIH—not a submission deadline. Since the EUREKA receipt deadline is not a standard due date, you cannot submit your application late, even if you are an appointed member of a chartered study section. However, if NIH publishes a Note in the NIH Guide allowing applicants that are affected by a natural disaster (e.g., a hurricane, fire, or flood) to submit applications late, this policy will apply to EUREKA applications.

Q. There's a mistake in my EUREKA application. Can I correct it?

A. You have 2 days, after submission of your application, to detect and correct mistakes.

Q. Is there a possibility that my application will be administratively withdrawn before it is reviewed?

A. Yes. After they are received, applications will be evaluated by NIH staff for compliance with the instructions and for relevance to the missions of the NIH institutes that accept EUREKA applications. If an application is not in the EUREKA-specific format or includes prohibited information, or the project is not germane to the mission of any of the participating institutes, the application will be administratively withdrawn before review. Note that your application may be withdrawn because of lack of institute interest, even if staff from one of the participating institutes expressed tentative interest in the project before you submitted your application. If this situation occurs, it is because staff based their earlier opinion on the information that you supplied before submission, which may not accurately reflect the content of the application.

Q. How will EUREKA applications be reviewed?

A. Applications will be reviewed in special study sections with other EUREKA applications, not with conventional R01 applications. Reviewers will focus on whether what you're proposing to do is exciting and exceptionally innovative and, if you succeed, whether the research will have a profound impact on a broad swath of the scientific community. Risk will not be a factor in the evaluation, unless the reviewers are convinced that there is no likelihood at all that what you are proposing to do will succeed.

Q. I want to know when my application will be reviewed. Who should I contact?

A. If you have any questions about review, contact the scientific review administrator/officer (SRA or SRO) whose name appears on your Commons screen.

Q. Will I have an opportunity to submit an update, before my application is reviewed?

A. No. Everything that you want reviewers to see must be included in the application.

Q. Will EUREKA applications be reviewed by experts in my field?

A. Most likely, no. We anticipate that investigators will submit EUREKA applications on a wide range of topics, representing the breadth of the participating NIH institutes' interests. The reviewers will have general expertise that is relevant to your application, but the odds that all of the people who review your application will be experts in your field are negligible. It is extremely important to keep this in mind when you are writing your application. When you are describing what you want to do, avoid jargon, and use language that scientists in other fields can understand. You will also have to convince scientists in other fields that what you are proposing to do is exciting and exceptionally innovative, and that the proposed research will have a profound impact on a large number of people.

Q. How will reviewers and program staff evaluate EUREKA applications to determine the likelihood that the project will be completed during the funding period?

A. They will look at the timeline, which is a required component of the research plan, and at the percent effort of the PI and other essential personnel. Although the instructions do not specify a minimum percent effort, a low percent effort may raise concerns about whether you or other essential personnel are devoting enough time and attention to the project to complete it in the time allotted.

Q. May I view the form that scientific peer reviewers use to supply their critiques in the initial peer review of my applications?

A. Yes, you may download the most recent EUREKA Review Form (PDF, 77KB).

Q. After my application is reviewed, will I receive a summary statement?

A. You will receive information about the outcome of the review, but it will not be as detailed as a conventional summary statement.

Q. If my EUREKA application is not funded, will I have an opportunity to revise and resubmit it?

A. Depending on what the reviewers’ concerns were, you may be able to incorporate some elements of your EUREKA application into one aim of a conventional R01 or R21 application. If you are thinking about submitting an R21 application, check with your program director first, since not all NIH institutes accept them. Alternatively, it may be appropriate to submit a new application in response to one of the other "innovative/transformative" initiatives.

Q. I was not be able to submit a EUREKA application for the October 2007 deadline. Will I be able to submit a EUREKA application in the following year?

A. We have not yet decided whether to publish a EUREKA funding opportunity announcement for FY2009. This answer will be updated once we have made a decision.

Q. Where can I get list of EUREKA applications funded in FY2008 (receipt date in October 2007)?

A. The list can be found at http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Research/Mechanisms/EUREKAGrants.htm.