tutorial index · next >>
| About This Guide |
NIH and NIAID are looking to fund new scientists. |
This guide gives you an overview of relevant topics and links to more detailed information. |
| As is true for all our pages, we link to our glossary for NIH terms. Unvisited links are colored and not underlined, e.g., payline. |
|
NIH and NIAID are looking to fund more new scientists and have created special programs and funding approaches to meet that goal.
This online tutorial gives you an overview of NIH, grant writing, and the application process, linking to more detailed information.
If you are ready for an independent grant, go to our Early-Stage Investigator portal for resources such as NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal and other All About Grants tutorials.
If you are at an earlier career stage, see Starting a Research Career.
You can find answers to questions about application details such as When is my application due? in Quick Facts on Research Grant Applications.
Test Your NIH Savvy: Self-Quiz
Every granting agency has its own culture and processes, and NIH is no exception. Understanding how NIH works can go a long way toward helping you succeed.
Take this test to assess your knowledge, then review the answers below.
| True or False? |
Answer |
| 1. New investigators have a hard time getting funded. |
True |
| 2. NIH funds people and their careers. |
Largely false |
| 3. I should have a faculty-level position and my own lab before I try for independent support such as an R01. |
Typically true |
| 4. To submit an application, I need to identify an institute. |
False |
| 5. To qualify for a training grant, I need to be an American citizen or resident. |
True |
| 6. NIAID funds most applications by scientific priority. |
False |
| 7. New applicants should stay in their field of expertise rather than search for an initiative. |
True |
| 8. NIAID supports research into all pathogens. |
False |
| 9. The most important audience for my application is the initial peer review group. |
True |
| 10. My topic needs to be relevant to science but not necessarily to health. |
False |
| 11. To figure out what grant type I want to apply for, I need to review all the mechanisms on NIH's list. |
False |
| 12. Assuming I receive a fundable score in peer review, it will probably take a year from application to award. |
True |
Self-Quiz Answers
| Statement |
Answer with Explanation |
| 1. New investigators have a hard time getting funded. |
True. Lack of experience, a high learning curve, and stiff competition make it tough to get a grant.
On the positive side, NIH and NIAID are trying to make success easier for new investigators applying their first independent grant, for example, with a higher R01 payline.
Even with that advantage, you'll need to write an outstanding application. Find help here and in our NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.
To see if you qualify as an NIH new investigator, go to Are You "New"? in our New Investigator Guide to NIH Funding. |
| 2. NIH funds people and their careers. |
Largely false. In general, NIH funds research projects, rather than people (there are exceptions, for example, fellowships). Although peer reviewers assess the investigator and environment, they do so in terms of the feasibility of the project described in the application.
As we tell you in Part 1. Qualifying for a Grant of the NIH Grant Cycle, institutions, not principal investigators, are the grantees for most grant types. Read more in Getting to Know NIH in our New Investigator Guide to NIH Funding. |
| 3. I should have a faculty-level position and my own lab before I try for independent support such as an R01. |
Typically true. You also need to find out what awards you are eligible for from your institution's perspective. For more information see Do You Qualify for Independent Support? |
| 4. To submit an application, I need to identify an institute. |
False. You do not need to identify an institute, though you may choose to.
We recommend that you contact program officers in several institutes to see which one is most enthusiastic about your research area and discuss potential topics. When you apply, request assignment to that institute.
Read more at Consider Requesting an Institute and Study Section in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal. |
| 5. To qualify for a training grant, I need to be an American citizen or resident. |
True. All NIAID training and career
development awards (except the K99/R00) require either U.S. citizenship
or legal residence ("green
card"). For more information, go to Training and Career Awards or contact our training director, Dr. Milton Hernandez, at 301-496-3775 or mh35c@nih.gov.
Most other grant types do not require either U.S. citizenship
or legal residence. |
| 6. NIAID funds most applications by scientific priority. |
False. NIAID funds most applications by their scientific merit as determined by peer reviewers rather than by pre-defined, high-priority areas of science. Read the next question and Perspective on Peer Review. |
| 7. New applicants should stay in their field of expertise rather than search for an initiative. |
True. It is always important to stay within your area of expertise. Often this means submitting an investigator-initiated application, which allows you to choose the topic that best fits your expertise.
Other approaches allow you to address institute priorities while keeping to your area of expertise. Read more in Choosing an Approach. |
| 8. NIAID supports research into all pathogens. |
False. NIAID supports research into pathogens related to human health, including basic biological processes that could relate to medical advances. USDA supports research of pathogens that affect livestock and plants.
NIAID's mission is to conduct and support basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases. |
| 9. The most important audience for my application is the peer review group. |
True. The most important audience is the group of peer reviewers who assess your application and give it a priority score in initial peer review. That score is the basis for NIAID's decision whether to fund your application. See Perspective on Peer Review.
Institute staff are a secondary audience. A high-priority application may get a small funding advantage; for example, NIAID chooses some high-quality applications that score just beyond its usual paylines. However, most are funded by scientific merit alone. |
| 10. My topic needs to be relevant to science but not necessarily to health. |
False. Congress appropriates NIH's funds with the goal of finding solutions to important public health problems. When you apply for a grant, peer reviewers look at the health relevance of your application.
Even if you plan to conduct basic research, you will need to state its relevance to improving public health. Read more in NIH's Mission -- Why It Matters to You. |
| 11. To figure out what grant type I want to apply for, I need to review all the mechanisms on NIH's list. |
False. You should not try to determine award type by yourself. NIAID supports many grant types appropriate for different career stages and different types of research. Requirements can differ by institute or even by funding opportunity.
Be sure to get help from a program officer.
You can see a list of grant types at NIH Types of Grant Programs. Also see What Award Should You Apply For? and What's an R01? |
| 12. Assuming I receive a fundable score in peer review, it could take as long as a year from application to award. |
True. For a new investigator, plan to spend two months or more of dedicated time to prepare an R01 application.
Assuming your application succeeds on its first try, it can take from 5 to 18 months after the receipt date to get an award (three months less for AIDS applications).
Time to funding can vary depending on when in the fiscal year you apply and whether your score is within the payline. Our NIAID R01 Application to Award Timeline shows you timeframes for the main steps. |
tutorial index · next >> |
