Ideas for Grants

Investigator-Initiated Research

Most grants come to the NIH unsolicited; they are based on the work and the ideas of the applicant. An enormous variety of research is appropriate to the NIH. Basic and clinical studies of disease, its etiology, natural history, pathology, mechanisms, and therapy are all good candidates for NIH regular research grant applications.  In addition, studies of biological processes or molecules in normal tissues, development of technology for biological research or medicine, basic research on genetics, immunology, neurology, physiology...the list is very long. The typical successful R01 (regular research) grant application has as its basis a testable hypothesis in a biological area of high current interest. Although this is still the NIH model, more and more projects are being submitted that are aimed at developing important data sets or technologies. It is almost always a good idea to check with the appropriate program official before submission of a new grant, to make sure that one or more Institutes will be willing to pay for the research in the event that it is judged to be good by peer reviewers. Program staff contact information is found on many of the NIH Institute web sites.

NIH Research Initiatives

Some ideas are in response to initiatives issued by NIH Institutes in order to foster a specific project or area of research. An initiative can be either a Request For Applications (RFA) or a Program Announcement (PA). They are published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, which comes out once each week. It is usually a good idea to check with program staff (contact information is listed in the Initiative document) to make sure that an application is sufficiently responsive to the RFA or PA.

NIDDK Request For Applications

An Institute will issue a Request For Applications, or RFA, when it has decided to put aside money to spend on a special need that is best met by research designed and initiated by individual scientists.  In general, an RFA has a single receipt deadline, and a letter of intent to submit is usually due at the NIH one month before the receipt deadline. All applications that respond to an RFA are reviewed by a special review committee as a group. Current NIDDK RFAs.

NIDDK Program Announcments

An Institute will issue a Program Announcement, or PA, when it has ongoing special needs or interests that are best met by research designed and initiated by individual scientists. In general, a PA uses the same submission deadlines as unsolicited research proposals, there are usually no specific funds set aside, and applications that respond to a PA ar reviewed by standing CSR study sections along with unsolicited applications. Current NIDDK PAs.

NIDDK Requests For Proposals

An Institute will issue a Request for Proposals, or RFP, when it has decided to purchase goods or services through a contract mechanism.  In general, an RFP has a single receipt deadline, and all proposals that respond to an RFP are reviewed by a special NIDDK review committee.  Current NIDDK RFPs.