New Investigator Guide to NIH Funding

This document gives new and would-be principal investigators an overview of funding and grantsmanship concepts and provides strategies for gaining an NIH grant.

We update this print-friendly version monthly. For the most current information, read the page-by-page tutorial.

Table of Contents

Starting Out

• Getting to Know NIH
• Starting a Research Career
• Putting Grants in Context
• Perspective on Peer Review
• NIH's Mission -- Why It Matters to You
• Do You Qualify for Independent Support?
• What Award Should You Apply For?
• What's an R01?
• Are You "New"?
• How to Extend the Early-Stage Investigator Window
• Application Essentials
• Staying Informed

Shaping Your Strategy

• Planning Your Application
• Choosing an Approach
• Should You Be One of Many PIs?
• Deciding the Parameters of Your Request
• How to Plan an Appropriate Budget
• How Funding Opportunities Work
• Plan Ahead for Electronic Application

Creating and Submitting Your Application

• Getting Oriented
• Grant Writing for New Applicants
• Selected Pages From the NIH Grant Cycle
• Submitting the Application

Programs for New PIs

Web Resources

Starting Out

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 and New Investigators 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.

Self-Quiz Answers

Getting to Know NIH

What does NIH do? With a budget of over $29 billion in FY 2008, NIH is the federal government's main agency that supports biomedical as well as behavioral research.

Its mission is to support biomedical and behavioral research that expands scientific knowledge to improve public health.

Most of NIH's money funds grants to research organizations throughout the U.S. and, to a smaller extent, other parts of the world.

Like any large bureaucracy, NIH has a unique mission, processes, and culture. Understanding these characteristics can help you succeed:

• NIH's mission is expanding scientific knowledge to improve public health.
• NIH funds most grants by the scientific quality of the applications it receives rather than by pre-defined, high-priority areas of science.
• Funding strategies vary somewhat by institute.
• Application quality is determined by initial peer review, performed by non-NIH scientists.
• NIH's scientific and administrative staff can help you at each stage of the application process -- read Contact Staff for Help.

Find more information online:

• NIH Organization and Process questions and answers from NIAID
• Where Does Your Research Belong? in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal
• NIH home page
• NIH Research Planning

Starting a Research Career

Most of this tutorial is for people who are making the transition from postdoc to independent investigator.

Independent research project grants are generally for doctoral-level scientists in faculty positions.

On this page, we back up and touch on early career stages.

Early Career Options

At each step, NIH supports awards -- training grants, fellowships, career development awards, and research supplements -- to help new investigators along their career paths.

How do you know which one is appropriate for you? To figure this out, see our Support by Career Stage -- Ph.D. Track and Support by Career Stage -- M.D. Track.

You can also find help in our Tutorial for Training and Career Awards, Fellowships, and Supplements tutorial and on the Training and Career portal.

Rather than go for your own award, you may want to hitch on to an existing grant. By adding monies to active research grants, we can support salary and other expenses for qualifying investigators.

See if you meet the requirements for one of our Diversity, Primary Caregiver, or Reentry supplements. Then find a grantee who would be willing to apply for you, since you cannot apply.

For help at these stages, contact our training director, Dr. Milton Hernandez, at 301-496-3775 or mh35c@nih.gov.

Find more information online:

• Training and Career portal
• NIH Research Training and Research Career Opportunities
• NIH's New Investigators Program

Putting Grants in Context

What is a grant? Our definition --

Financial assistance award for peer-reviewed research. Grantees are responsible for the research with little or no government involvement.

NIH generally awards grants to institutions, which must comply with all terms and conditions of award and meet requirements outlined in Part 11a. Managing Your Grant of the NIH Grant Cycle.

About 90 percent of NIH's research budget goes to outside research organizations for extramural research -- grants and, to a much smaller degree, contracts. The remaining 10 percent is for intramural research conducted in NIH's in-house labs.

When people send us their best ideas, their research is called investigator-initiated, the most prevalent type NIAID supports. More on that topic later.

Although investigators usually write grant applications, the official applicant is the research organization, for example, the university where an investigator works. After we award a grant, that university becomes the grantee.

Grants have a high level of flexibility in terms of research directions they can take. Even so, you and your institution are bound by the grant's terms and conditions of award. After you receive an award, you will be assigned a program officer and grants management specialist, who will help you meet the requirements in Part 11a. Managing Your Grant.

To see who is eligible for funding, go to Part 1. Qualifying for a Grant in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

Find more information online:

• Opportunities and Announcements
• Grants portals
• NIH Grants Policy Statement
• NIH's Grants and Funding Opportunities

Perspective on Peer Review

• Reviewers assess the quality of each application. NIH does not give money to investigators for being established or well known.
  • Scientists with appropriate expertise come to NIH from around the country to participate in review meetings.
  • They evaluate each project based on NIH review criteria and their own ideal of an outstanding application in the field.
• Learn how to "sell" your application to reviewers in Part 4. Target Your Audience of the NIH Grant Cycle.

Each application that receives a score also undergoes a second-level review usually by NIAID's main advisory Council.

This process looks at administrative problems, e.g., human subjects or research animal concerns, and special circumstances, such as applications from foreign organizations. Read more in Part 9. Second-Level Review.

Find more information online:

• Advisory Council portal
• Peer Review portal
• NIH Center for Scientific Review

NIH's Mission -- Why It Matters to You

Understanding what research NIH funds and why it does so can help you focus your application.

NIH's mission is to create fundamental knowledge about living systems and apply that knowledge to reduce human illness and disability. Read more on About NIH.

Your project should meet the mission of the institute likely to fund it. As one of NIH's 27 semi-autonomous institutes, NIAID supports basic and applied research to understand, treat, and prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases.

So in addition to importance for science, reviewers will look at the health relevance of your application.

Congress appropriates our funds with the goal of improving public health. Most institutes were created around a health-related topic largely because advocacy groups have pushed for the creation of institutes in their areas.

Find more information online:

• NIH Organization and Process questions and answers from NIAID
• NIH home page
• NIH Research Planning

Do You Qualify for Independent Support?

• Hold a Ph.D. or M.D.
• Have a faculty-level position, usually assistant professor or higher.
• Have a publication record in the field in which you are applying.
• Work in a research institution that will provide the resources, e.g., equipment and lab space, you will need to complete the project.

You will also need some preliminary data for an R01. If you don't have preliminary data, read Which Award Type Suits You Best? Also see Support by Career Stage -- Ph.D. Track and Support by Career Stage -- M.D. Track.

For help, call an NIAID program officer -- see Contact Staff for Help.

Also talk to people in your office of sponsored research. Learn what level of investigator may apply for independent funding in your institution. Ask about internal application procedures and timeframes, particularly for electronic submission.

Read about the advantages of being a new principal investigator in Are You "New"?

Learn more about qualifying for you and your institution in Part 1. Qualifying for a Grant in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal including Do You Qualify for an Independent NIH Grant?

Find more information online:

• New Investigator Advice questions and answers
• NIH's Resources for New Investigators

What Award Should You Apply For?

• Do not choose an award type on your own. Call a program officer for help.
• Many people who have preliminary data apply for an R01 (see What's an R01?)
  • You could apply for an R01 for your first independent grant.
  • R01s give you a solid level and duration of support, whereas smaller types may not provide enough money or time to complete a major project.

• If you don't have preliminary data, you could apply for a smaller award to pay for time and resources to collect the data needed for an R01 application:
  • R03, Small Research grant.
  • R21, an Exploratory/Developmental Phase I, which may also be combined with an R33, Exploratory/Developmental Phase II.

Do you have senior-level collaborators? Consider asking about applying as a subproject on their program project grant. You would not be an independent PI, but you would have your own project.

For questions about your specific situation, contact our training director, Dr. Milton Hernández, at 301-496-3775 or mh35c@nih.gov.

Read more in Part 2. Game Plan in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

Award Type Resources

• Award Types questions and answers
• When to Contact an NIAID Program Officer
• PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement -- check box for "new" investigators

What's an R01?

Many first-time independent researchers take the plunge and try for this mature award, and we often recommend that you do too.

You can apply in any topic, but make sure your application fits the mission of at least one NIH institute. Talk to program officers in several institutes to gather that information and ask what type of award may best suit your needs.

NIH awards R01s to organizations of all types, including universities, small and large businesses, and foreign organizations.

You can ask for any dollar amount or length of award (up to the five-year limit), though as we advise in Grant Writing for New Applicants, "less is more" for a new investigator. To apply, you will use the R01 Parent Announcement.

Only R01 applications get a percentile in addition to a priority score as a result of initial peer review. Percentiling helps even out scores from the different study sections of NIH's Center for Scientific Review. Learn more on Percentiles Indicate Relative Rank.

We have posted an example of an outstanding R01 research plan from a new investigator -- see Annotated R01 Research Plan and Summary Statement. Keep in mind that it was submitted on the old paper form; page limits and formatting do not apply to an electronic application.

Find more information online:

• Don't Propose Too Much or Be Too Innovative in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal
• New Investigator Advice questions and answers
• NIH's Application Guide
• NIH's Parent Announcements for Investigator-Initiated Applications

Are You "New"?

When applying for your first independent NIH research grant, new investigators get some breaks:

• Higher paylines.
  • NIH sets target numbers for funding new R01 investigators.
  • As a result, NIAID must use a higher payline, making it easier for new investigators to get an award. Go to NIAID Paylines.
• Initial peer review.
  • Peer reviewers look more at potential than achievement -- they weigh your academic and research background heavily.
  • Reviewers may expect new R01 investigators to have fewer preliminary data, resources, and publications than more established researchers do.
  • New investigator applications are generally not interspersed with those of established investigators at the review meeting.
• Selective pay and R56-Bridge awards.
  • If your R01 application did not succeed, NIAID may still fund you through two programs, selective pay and R56-Bridge awards.
• The R56-Bridge can fund you as you collect preliminary data.
• Read more at Programs for New PIs.

How to Qualify to New and Early-Stage Investigator Status

NIH has two types of special status for people starting their independent research careers: new investigator and early-stage investigator (ESI).

New investigator defined. To qualify as an NIH new investigator, you cannot have been a principal investigator (PI) on a major NIH grant that you applied for. See the next section for the list of exceptions.

ESI defined. As a subset of new investigator status, an ESI must have completed one of the following within 10 years of applying, whichever was later:

• Final research degree.
• Discipline-specific training required to become a researcher.

You can request an extension of your ESI status past the 10-year window due to special circumstances. Read more on the next page, How to Extend the Early Stage Investigator Window.

Previous Awards Status

Once you apply for and receive a major NIH grant, you no longer qualify to be a new investigator or an ESI. See the list of exceptions in the NIH Definition of a New Investigator, and be aware that NIAID has another exception: the R33 phase of an R21/R33.

If an award isn't on that list, you would lose your ESI or new investigator status as soon as you receive the grant. However, you can still qualify for either status if you become a PI on a major NIH grant you did not apply for, e.g., if your institution assigns you to be the PI of an existing grant.

On a multiple PI application, all PIs must qualify as new or ESI for the application to get either status.

Identify Yourself!

Starting on January 17, 2009, all PIs must enter degree and discipline-specific training dates in their Commons profile.

Be sure to do this right away. The information will enable NIH to identify ESIs and new investigators. Also make sure your biosketch states that you are a new investigator or ESI.

Until that date, check the "new" box on the PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement, so NIH and reviewers can readily identify you.

Find more information online:

• New Investigator Advice questions and answers
• NIH's Resources for New Investigators

How to Extend the Early-Stage Investigator Window

You can request an extension of the ten-year early-stage investigator period.

In some cases, NIH lets you extend your ESI period for the amount of time that you would have spent on research but could not. Here are some examples of valid reasons to receive an ESI extension:

• Family care. Time away from research because of family care responsibilities such as the birth or adoption of a child or the care of sick or disabled family members.
• Disability or illness. Time lost due to your illness or disability.
• Extended periods of patient care during post-residency clinical training. For M.D.s, time spent on clinical care instead of research.
• Extended periods of additional (non-degree) research training.  For M.D.s and Ph.D.s, time spent receiving formal NIH-relevant instruction. (Note: If you earn another degree after your doctorate, enter its dates in the eRA Commons. Do not request an extension.)
• Active duty military service. Time in active duty military service.
• Clinical loan repayment requirements. Time in clinical practice as a condition of a federal loan repayment program.
• Natural or other disaster. Time your laboratory was shut down or relocating as a result of a catastrophic event.
• Other valid reason. Time you lost for another reason that could have otherwise been spent on research.

This is a list of examples only. If you feel you may have a valid reason, apply for an exception.

To further help you out, NIH posted Frequently Asked Questions About the NIH ESI Policy. Read more details in NIH's December 31, 2008, Guide notice, and send questions to ESINIH@od.nih.gov.

See definitions of new investigator and ESI under How to Qualify for New and Early-Stage Investigator Status at Are You "New"? .

Find more information online:

• NIH's Resources for New Investigators

Application Essentials

Must Haves

To get a fundable score in peer review, you will also need to meet the following basic requirements.

Ability and means to do the work. Reviewers will assess you and your institution, considering these questions:

• Are you -- the PI -- and your colleagues qualified to do the work?
• Does your institution have equipment and personnel to support you?
• Will your institution allow you enough time to accomplish the research?

Important topic, right approach. You will need to show reviewers the importance of your research question and the suitability of your technical approach to answer it.

First-rate presentation. Reviewers must be able to comprehend your application.

• Make sure your application contains all the information they need to judge it.
• Write and organize the application so reviewers can readily grasp your meaning and find information they seek.

Read more in About Picking a Topic and Part 4. Target Your Audience in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

Find more information online:

• New Investigator Advice questions and answers
• Budget and Funding portal
• NIH's Resources for New Investigators

Staying Informed

• Read NIH Guide notices.
• Get email notifications customized to your areas of interest through NIAID Email Alerts. Use the Subscription Center to sign up.
• Read the NIAID Funding News newsletter.
• View one year of Top Policy Changes.
• Sign up for NIH's Electronic Application Listserv at Receive News and Updates.
• See NIH's Electronic Submission Web site.
• Be wary of online information -- even if a page indicates it has been recently updated, the content may be old.

Shaping Your Strategy

Because we fund all R01 applications that rank within the payline, the key to success is writing an outstanding application that appeals to its judge and jury: the NIH peer reviewers who will assess it.

Your grantsmanship is important to your success.

Get lots of help planning a strategy and writing an outstanding application at Part 2. Game Plan, Part 3. Define Your Project, and Part 4. Target Your Audience in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

• How Long Till You Get Your Grant?
• NIAID R01 Application to Award Timeline
• How to Submit Electronically on Time
• NIH Resources
  • Application Guide
  • Electronic Application Process
  • Parent Announcements for Investigator-Initiated Applications
  • Standard Due Dates for Competing Applications

Planning Your Application

Begin planning early. Follow the steps on this page and refer to our NIAID R01 Application to Award Timeline for timing.

1. Assess your field. Find out the opportunities for collaborating with a known laboratory or more experienced grantee.
2. Look at the competition. See which other projects in your field are being funded. Search the NIH CRISP database and Community of Science.
3. Check the literature to make sure the work you are considering has not been done before or to see if it has been done and its methods were judged to be inadequate. Go to MEDLINE and NLM Databases and Electronic Resources.
4. Evaluate yourself. How do your strengths match up with the topics you uncovered in step 1? Can you capitalize on your expertise and fill in gaps with mentors, collaborators, or consultants?
5. Figure out resources and support your organization has and what additional support you'll need.
6. Brainstorm ideas with colleagues and mentors.
7. Find opportunities. See if your idea matches any of NIAID's high-priority areas in our initiatives and concepts. See the Application Approach: What Are Your Choices? section of NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal. Also go to the NIH Funding Opportunities Relevant to NIAID and our List of Foundations and Other Funding Sources.
8. Call an NIAID program officer for an opinion of your idea. The NIAID program officer in charge of your area of science can give you valuable advice and instructions. Read more at When to Contact an NIAID Program Officer. Other NIAID staff can help too -- go to Contact Staff for Help.
9. Write a one-sentence hypothesis for your proposal.
10. Give yourself plenty of time to write the application, probably three to six months.
11. Know your organization's contacts and internal procedures, particularly for electronic application. Go to Plan Ahead for Electronic Application.
12. Start thinking about your next application. As long as the topics are different you can apply simultaneously for as many grants as you like. Or use the same application to apply to a non-Public Health Service organization (find PHS entities at Agencies and Programs).

Choosing an Approach

Investigator-Initiated Research

Most applications NIAID funds are investigator-initiated: you generate the topic by proposing an exciting, important project in your area of interest.

As long as the topic fits our mission, NIAID will fund an application whose priority score is within our payline and funding policies.

• The main advantage of investigator-initiated research: you can capitalize on your strengths.
• Think of an application as a building. If you hire a talented architect and give him or her full reign of expression, you could end up with a beautiful structure. The more constraints you add, the more you limit the architect's ideas.
• To find a great idea, brainstorm potential topics with colleagues.
  • Concentrate on ideas in your area of expertise that would make an impact on public health.
  • Spend a few days checking out the literature to make sure your topic fills a research gap.

High-Priority Topics -- Institute Initiatives

When you respond to a request for applications or Institute-specific program announcement, you are addressing a need NIAID has identified as a high-priority.

Using this approach has drawbacks and benefits.

• Institute-specific PAs can be advantageous because some have set aside funds, and even for those that do not, NIAID may fund some applications beyond the payline.
• Requests for applications always have set-aside funds but can be highly competitive. You must also meet the requirements of the announcement, which may not suit you.
• On the plus side, you don't have to convince reviewers of the importance of your project.

For a more in-depth discussion of initiative pros and cons, read Application Approach: What Are Your Choices? in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

You can find NIH funding opportunities through the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts or get a more Institute-focused look on our NIH Funding Opportunities Relevant to NIAID.

Be sure to call the program officer listed in the announcement to help you gauge the expected level of competition and learn about other Institute priorities. Find opportunities from other institutes in the NIH Guide.

A Blended Approach

One good alternative is to meld the two types: use a high-priority topic as the basis for an investigator-initiated application.

This strategy keeps you in your area of expertise as well as in a high-priority topic, potentially boosting your chances of success.

Why? If your score misses the payline, an investigator-initiated application in a high-priority topic is more likely to be funded with an R56-Bridge award or selective pay.

Many savvy investigators also look to NIAID's concepts as guidance for high-priority areas. Even if they never become published initiatives, concepts can give you ideas for an investigator-initiated application.

What is a concept? Our definition --

Earliest planning stage of an initiative -- request for applications, request for proposals, or Institute-specific program announcement. NIAID program officers develop concepts and present them to NIAID's advisory Council for concept clearance. Only concepts approved by Council are published as initiatives; this depends on their priority and the availability of funds.

Go to our Concepts: Potential Opportunities page, Concepts May Turn Into Initiatives, and Application Approach: What Are Your Choices?

• Opportunities and Announcements
• NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal
• Application Approach: What Are Your Choices?
• NIH Funding Opportunities Relevant to NIAID
• RFAs, RFPs, and PAs questions and answers
• R56 and Selective Pay questions and answers

Should You Be One of Many PIs?

As a new investigator, you may consider a multiple PI application as an entree into NIH funding.

The appeal: you can join a group of experienced investigators, and you will not have to write an entire application.

But beware. The choice is demanding, and we often caution against it. Read the caveats below.

• Is it appropriate?
  • A multiple PI application is for collaborative projects with distinct subprojects that address a core objective or theme.
  • As a full-fledged principal investigator, you must be fully in charge of at least one research aim, and your project must be significant enough to stand on its own.
• You may lose new investigator status.
  • For most award types, you no longer qualify as "new" after the project is funded. For a list of exceptions, see Are You "New"?
  • As part of a multiple PI application, you are not "new" unless all the other PIs also meet NIH's new investigator definition.
• It can be harder to succeed in peer review.

Contact your program officer early on to discuss whether the multi-PI approach is appropriate and beneficial for you.

For details, read Take Heed -- You Might Want to Avoid a Multiple PI Application in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

Find more information online:

• NIH's Multiple Principal Investigators

Deciding the Parameters of Your Request

Generally new applicants should propose less. Reviewers are more inclined to give you a fundable score if you:

• Request a small budget.
• Narrow the scope and complexity.
• Limit the amount of work.

That means few, though highly focused, specific aims in your Research Plan -- the most important step in keeping your budget small.

And though your budget request should be modest, always ask for enough money to get the work done within the award period, so your project can succeed. For budget advice, read How to Plan an Appropriate Budget.

A more complex proposal often requires more documentation. Learn about requirements while planning your research.

• Will you study animals or identifiable human information or specimens?
• Will you use stem cells or select agents?
• Will you use a modular or nonmodular budget?

For more information, see Think About Scope, Amount, and Effort and Will Your Research Have Special Requirements? in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

Find more information online:

• Human Subjects, Clinical Research
• Modular Grants SOP
• NIH's Stem Cell Information
• NIH Modular Research Grant Applications

How to Plan an Appropriate Budget

Figuring out how much money to request can be a tough call for new investigators.

To help you gauge how much to ask for, see the graph below, which shows amounts new R01 applicants requested.

For single-year direct costs, the median in FY 2007 was $243,899 and the mean was $239,549. Most awards -- 75 percent -- were between $200,000 and $300,000.

For more NIH award data, go to NIH's Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool (RePORT). Fill out the form to select variables that filter NIH's existing reports.

For help and information on planning and creating a budget in Think About Scope, Amount, and Effort and Strategy for Planning a Budget in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

Find more information online:

• Which Award Type Suits You Best?
• Modular Grants SOP
• New Investigator Advice questions and answers
• Strategy for Planning a Budget in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal
• NIH Modular Research Grant Applications

How Funding Opportunities Work

FOAs are Grants.gov notices of federal grant opportunities. For NIH, they can be program announcements or requests for applications.

Each FOA has its own application package. Though most use the standard Application Guide, NIH issues an NIH Guide notice with important additional information.

Always read the FOA's Guide announcement to get key information you'll need to apply. The easiest way to find FOAs for NIAID is on our NIH Funding Opportunities Relevant to NIAID.

For investigator-initiated research -- a topic you chose yourself -- apply through a parent program announcement e.g., the Parent R01.

*A few grant types still use paper application. Go to NIH's Transition Timeline page.

For more information, go to Compare FOAs in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

Find more information online:

• Opportunities and Announcements
• Grant Application Guide
• NIH's Parent Announcements for Investigator-Initiated Applications

Plan Ahead for Electronic Application

You need to find out about procedures and timelines for electronic application. Know your contacts, since you'll be interacting with them before and during application.

At least a month before you want to apply, you will need an eRA Commons account. Ask your Commons signing official to register you and associate your profile with your organization.

You will also need to find out who is your organization's authorized organizational representative (AOR) for Grants.gov. Typically someone in your business office, your AOR -- not you -- submits your application on your behalf. Likewise, for Grants.gov your organization is the applicant.

NIH guidance describes how to apply if your organization applies directly to Grants.gov. But it may use a different approach, so be sure to find out.

For more information in Get Ready Now to Apply Electronically in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

Find more information online:

• Applying for a Grant questions and answers
• How to Submit Electronically on Time
• Rules for Late Applications
• NIH Resources
  • Application Guide
  • Electronic Application Process
  • Electronic Submission of Grant Applications
  • Parent Announcements for Investigator-Initiated Applications
  • Standard Due Dates for Competing Applications

Creating and Submitting Your Application

Grant writing is a skill you can learn. When starting out, get as much help as you can.

Though novel ideas often come from new investigators, new applicants must work harder to sell themselves.

In the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal, find grant writing help and advice in Part 2. Game Plan through Part 6. Other Application Sections and submission help in Part 7. Applying.

Find more information online:

• Applying for a Grant questions and answers
• NIH Resources
  • Application Guide
  • Electronic Application Process
  • Parent Announcements for Investigator-Initiated Applications
  • Standard Due Dates for Competing Applications

Getting Oriented

In NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal, we walk you through the NIH application section by section.

We tell you how to write to your audience, create a hypothesis-driven application, address NIH review criteria, and organize your application to make it easy for reviewers to find information.

As a new investigator, you should consider seeking advice and filling in gaps with mentors, collaborators, or consultants. If you do not have a well-known mentor or a string of publications, you can compensate by getting a well-established investigator to sign on as a collaborator.

• A mentor or other adviser can help you plan a study design that enables you to analyze your data, test your hypothesis, and achieve your goals.
• Collaborators can fill gaps in your expertise and resources and will impress reviewers if known in the field.
• Experts can execute any of the technical and analytical aspects of the project.
• They can also help develop detailed information for the application on such items as sample size estimates, sampling and research design, data definitions, and analytic models.
• It helps to choose a mentor or collaborator who is well known and respected; reviewers may recognize his or her name.
• Try to get your application assigned to a study section where some members know the work of your mentor or collaborator. A proposal assigned to a study section whose members have barely heard of an investigator may have a weaker chance of success.

Grant Writing for New Applicants

• Make sure your potential shines through the application. Show that you:
  • Have your own resources and institutional support.
  • Are independent.
  • Are able to lead.
• Reveal your independence as an investigator through your publications -- first and last authors are more impressive than those in the middle.
• Impress peer reviewers by showing a solid understanding of the literature and the strengths and weaknesses of your methods.
• Look up the members of the study section, and cite their work if relevant. You can find them at CSR Study Section Roster Index.
• Always provide as much data as possible to support your Specific Aims and hypotheses. Remember that reviewers expect less preliminary data from you. It's okay to use data that are not yours as long as you identify your source.

"Less Is More"

• Reviewers are more inclined to give you a fundable score if you ask for less money and fewer years and propose a modest amount of work, i.e., few specific aims.
• They also expect new investigators to have fewer preliminary data, resources, and publications compared to established PIs. Write your biosketch so it shows to your advantage all the qualifications needed to lead the project.
• Leave out all nonessential information.
• Do not try to impress reviewers with a lot of background information. Reviewers may know much more about a field than you do.

Using Your Application More Than Once

Every project NIH funds must be unique. By law, NIH cannot support a project already funded or pay for research already done.

Even so, you can apply to an organization outside the Public Health Service with your NIH application, though NIH will not fund it if you get that award.

Also you may not send the same application to more than one Public Health Service agency at the same time (go to Agencies and Programs).

Find more information in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

Selected Pages From the NIH Grant Cycle

You can find more detailed information about writing your application and related topics on these and related pages of the NIH Grant Cycle.

• Applications Are Assigned to an Institute and IRG
• Basic Layout of Initial Peer Review
• Balance the Technical and Nontechnical
• Don't Propose Too Much or Be Too Innovative
• Consider Requesting an Institute and Study Section
• Create a Solid Hypothesis
• Think About Scope, Amount, and Effort
• How Funding Is Decided
• How to Submit Electronically on Time
• Know These Review Problems and Solutions
• Know What a Summary Statement Means
• Part 5. Research Plan and Part 6. Other Application Sections in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal
• Percentiles Indicate Relative Rank
• Plan and Organize Effectively
• Primary and Secondary Reviewers Make Your Case
• Second-Level Review Is a Smaller Hurdle
• Part 11b. Not Funded, Reapply
• How to Submit Electronically on Time

Submitting the Application

For guidance on submitting an application and passing validations, read Do You Need a Cover Letter? and Part 7. Applying in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

Find answers to questions about application details such as When is my application due? in Quick Facts on Research Grant Applications.

Not all required information goes in the application. You will send some items to NIH just-in-time, i.e., only if your application is within the range of possible funding. This approach is used for other support and several for human subjects and animal research documents.

Do not submit other support (called current and pending support in the Grant Application Package) with your application. If you do, NIH may delay processing or return your application to you without review.

Other support is not research support, which is part of the biographical sketch. Read You Will Send Some Materials Just-in-Time in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal to learn how the two differ.

Find more information online:

• Applying for a Grant questions and answers
• How to Submit Electronically on Time
• NIH's Electronic Application Process
• NIH's Standard Due Dates for Competing Applications

Programs for New PIs

Both NIH and NIAID have programs to help new investigators. Also see Are You "New"? in this tutorial.

NIAID Selective Pay and Bridge Awards

New investigators who have top-quality applications are strong candidates for NIAID's selective pay or R56-Bridge awards. We use these approaches to fund some applications with percentiles that missed the payline by a small margin.

You cannot apply for either program; your NIAID program officer must nominate you. Your program officer will let you know if this is likely and, in any case, advise you on your next steps.

For both programs, we choose applications based on high relevance to our mission as well as scientific merit. Read more in our Selective Pay and NIAID R56-Bridge Award SOPs.

NIH created a program similar to NIAID's -- see NIH Director’s Bridge Awards.

Educational Loan Repayment Programs

NIH's loan repayment programs help M.D.s and some other doctoral-level professionals pursue research careers by repaying up to $35,000 a year in qualifying educational debt.

For more information, visit NIAID's Loan Repayment Programs or NIH's Loan Repayment Programs. Contact Milton Hernández at 301-496-3775 or mh35c@nih.gov for help.

Web Resources

You can find lots of helpful online information on the application process from NIH and NIAID.

NIH Resources

• Grant Application Guide
• eRA Commons
• Electronic Submission of Grant Applications
• Forms and Applications
• New Investigators Program
• NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, funding opportunities and policy announcements
• Office of Extramural Research
• Research Training and Research Career Opportunities
• Types of Grant Programs
• "Welcome Wagon" letter, information for new grantee organizations

NIAID Resources

• About NIAID
• New Investigator Workshop
• NIAID Research Funding
  • All About Grants tutorials
    • NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal
    • Advice on NIH SBIR and STTR Applications
    • Tutorial for Training and Career Awards, Fellowships, and Supplements
    • How to Write an Application Involving Research Animals
    • How to Write a Human Subjects Grant Application
  • Contact Staff for Help
    • When to Contact an NIAID Program Officer
  • Checklists for the NIH Grant Cycle
  • Extramural SOPs
  • Opportunities and Announcements
    • Special Announcements
  • Glossary of Funding and Policy Terms and Acronyms
  • Latest Site Updates
  • NIAID Funding News
    • Subscribe to Email Alerts and NIAID Funding News
  • NIAID R01 Application to Award Timeline
  • Questions and Answers
  • Research Grants
  • Training and Career Awards
  • When to Contact an NIAID Program Officer

You have reached the end of this tutorial. For more information, see All About Grants for tutorials and application tools.