Selective Pay

Purpose

To allow NIAID to fund a small number of programmatically important applications that score beyond, but close to, the payline.

Procedure

NIAID uses selective pay to fund a limited number of programmatically important R01 applications that missed the payline. Program officers nominate candidates; investigators cannot apply for selective pay funding.

In choosing applications, we consider the relevance of a project to our mission in addition to its scientific merit. We also give new investigators some special funding consideration.

NIAID releases selective pay grants for funding immediately after the meeting of NIAID's main advisory Council and following Council's recommendation.

If Congress has not passed a budget when the new fiscal year begins, NIAID holds selective pay grants from September Council and releases them once we receive our budget allocation. If the Institute budget allows, NIAID releases additional selective pay grants later in the fiscal year.

Selective pay applications have funding priority over other "gray zone" applications. Find the amount NIAID allocates to selective pay for the current fiscal year on the NIAID Budget and Funding page.

See the NIAID Funding Policy and Process SOP for more information on how selective pay grants are funded.

Program Staff

• Using the NIAID Planning and Reporting System (NPARS), program officers nominate applications for selective payment, and the division director prioritizes the nominations.
  • Possible selective pay justifications:
    • Research important to the division but whose scores are unlikely to improve even with additional revisions.
    • High risk/high impact research that will require a longer period of time (more than a year) to predict success.
    • Research in areas that are emerging and where the seed funds are needed.
    • Applications from new, first-time investigators who may not be successful with a resubmission, but who need time to develop a research track record.
    • Research from investigators who possess specialized or unique training and expertise in a rare disease area and support is critical so this expertise will not be lost.
    • Applications that may be key to attracting and training new investigators in disease areas that are not of high interest but may relate to later emerging diseases.
    • Outstanding applications that just missed the payline whose scores are unlikely to improve with additional revisions.
• In the CAAP - Select Pay section of NPARS, coordinators enter their division's prioritized selective pay nominations.
  • NIAID director reviews these nominations at the pre-Council meeting.

Council Members

• Review selective pay nominations, and re-rank if necessary.
• Recommend selective pay nominations for funding.

Grants Management Specialists

• Verify that selective pay grants that went to Council are recommended for funding by Council.
• Award selective pay grants, ensuring that funding is limited to four years.

Division of Extramural Activities Staff

• Compile Council workbooks, review materials for completeness, and mail them to Council.

Contacts

Contact for NIAID Staff

Grants Management Program

Contact for NIAID Staff

Division Coordinators

DAIDS: Contact for NIAID Staff

DMID: Contact for NIAID Staff

DAIT: Contact for NIAID Staff

If you have knowledge to share or want more information on this topic, email deaweb@niaid.nih.gov with the title of this page or its URL and your question or comment. Thanks for helping us clarify and expand our knowledge base.

Links

Advisory Council SOP

CAAP and NPARS SOP

Council Guidance tool

Council Timetable tool

NIH Electronic Council Book Web site

Release of Funds for Solicited, Opportunity Pool, and Career Awards SOP