NIAID Funding News

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NIAID Funding News provides funding, policy, and other information to NIAID's extramural research community and Institute staff. You can subscribe directly by entering your email address at Email Updates and then selecting your subscription topics. Visit Stay Informed About Policy Changes and News for more opportunities to connect with us.

Know How to Demonstrate Scientific Progress in Annual Reports

Your program officer will assess the progress, delays, and planned next steps you describe and compare that to your budget request and justification for approval.
Scanning electron micrograph of Mycobacterium tuberculosis particles, the bacterium which causes TB

Examining NIAID’s R01 and R21 Application and Award Counts for FY 2023

We share the number of R01-equivalent and R21 applications that NIAID received in the previous fiscal year as well as the number of grants NIAID awarded. To add context, we present the data alongside the same figures for the preceding 4 years.
Bacteria in the gut. The human gut teems with bacteria and other microbes. They contribute to our health but also influence our susceptibility to certain diseases

New Leaders Take Center Stage at Advisory Council Meeting in January

This was the first meeting at which NIAID Director Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo shared remarks before NIAID's Advisory Council. It was also the first time that guest speaker Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, NIH Director, addressed our Council.
NIAID Director Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo addresses staff from the Institute’s Division of Extramural Activities

NIAID Uses Selective Pay, Bridge Awards to Complement Top-Scoring Applications

NIAID strives to always fund those applications that score best in peer review, but we also discern which applications outside the payline can help guard against scientific gaps emerging in our research portfolio.
Colorized image of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria; from a scanning electron micrograph captured at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland.

Know Your Timeline to Award If All Goes According to Plan

Knowing when NIAID will begin funding your project is essential—it’s necessary for hiring support staff or arranging subcontracts or even timing a renewal application.
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health talk with a study participant at the NIH Clinical Center.

Don’t Be Fazed by Phased Awards

Submitted applications contain plans for two phases of research, including milestones that the applicant believes will justify continued support into the second phase.
Scanning electron micrograph of a human H9 T cell infected with HIV virus particles.

NIH or NIAID? Know the Difference

NIH is made up of 27 institutes and centers, each with a specific research agenda, often focusing on particular diseases or body systems.
Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli became NIH Director on November 9, 2023

Promptly Determine Whether You’re Eligible to Apply

While a notice of special interest (NOSI) may stipulate eligibility criteria within its Purpose section, most NOSIs defer to the instructions listed in the identified notices of funding opportunities.
NIH Researches in a lab

Why Criterion Scores Don’t Add Up

The criterion scores reflect the views of the assigned reviewers while your overall impact score reflects the scores of all the panel members who voted.
NIAID researcher uses an electron microscope.

A Summary of Outcomes from Our September Advisory Council Meeting

NIAID Acting Director Dr. Hugh Auchincloss provided remarks on the Institute’s administrative, budget, and scientific news. He was followed by guest speaker Dr. Ted Pierson, Director of NIAID’s Vaccine Research Center, who discussed recent scientific advances and ongoing research priorities.
Theodore (Ted) C. Pierson, Ph.D., Director of the Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center at NIAID

Explore NIAID Topics for Small Business Innovation Research Contract Solicitation

NIH’s Small Business Education and Entrepreneurial Development program will host an HHS SBIR Contracts Solicitation webinar to discuss the opportunity on September 27, 2023, at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.
Creative artwork featuring colorized 3D print imagery of hepatitis B virus.

Inform the Center for Scientific Review of Your Assignment Preferences

By using the optional PHS Assignment Request Form, you can convey your preferences for which NIH institutes or centers and study sections are ideal to receive your next application.
Labeled specimens for malaria and other vector research.

How NIAID Sets a Payline—A Conservative Approach in Light of Uncertainty

We can increase a payline and then fund applications from earlier in the fiscal year that are now within the payline, but we cannot decrease a payline and pull back funding from awards already made.
Congressman Chris Van Hollen visits NIH

Explore Our Priority Topics for Small Business Research Projects

To accompany the annual small business parent notices of funding opportunities, NIH assembles a list of scientific priorities for small business awards of interest to its institutes and centers.
HIV Antibody Testing Kit

Grant Coming to an End? Avoid and Survive a Funding Gap

As long as you have accomplished enough to build a strong case for renewing your grant, apply early so you have time to revise and resubmit without risking an interruption in funding.
NIH experts care for a patient in Interventional Radiology

New Form to Disclose Foreign Relationships for Small Business Concerns

NIAID will require small business innovation research and small business technology transfer applicants to provide a “Required Disclosures of Foreign Affiliations or Relationships to Foreign Countries” form before issuing a grant award.
Colorized transmission electron micrograph of a single Nipah virus particle (center, colorized that has budded from the surface of an infected cell

Highlights from June’s Advisory Council Meeting

NIAID Acting Director Dr. Hugh Auchincloss discussed administrative, budget, and legislative updates, as well as recent scientific findings. Then Dr. Steven Holland, Director of NIAID’s Division of Intramural Research, described key research accomplishments at our intramural laboratories.
Dr. Steven M. Holland serves as director of NIAID's Division of Intramural Research

Successful Sample Applications Demonstrate Good Grantsmanship

To observe how other applicants approach grantsmanship, examine the text sections of the successful example applications—particularly the Specific Aims and Research Plans.
Students working in the lab beside one of their postdoc mentors.

Quiz Yourself on NIH Grant Funding Terminology

How familiar are you with NIAID’s application and grant terminology? Test your knowledge by taking our quiz and pay attention to the explanations for each answer.
A HISTEP student checks the eye color or her fruit flies during a genetics experiment.

There’s More to Biosafety and Biosecurity Than Select Agents

Review key terminology like dual use research of concern, enhanced potential pandemic pathogens, select agents, and recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules.
Colorized scanning electron micrograph of Ebola virus particles both budding and attached to the surface of an infected VERO E6 cell

Address Just-in-Time Requests and Bars to Award Quickly

While most of the just-in-time information we request is routine, be aware that certain codes and comments in your summary statement can indicate a funding restriction or bar to award.
A photo of a woman and man sitting at a desk filling out paperwork.

Highlight Preliminary Data in Your Next Application

Focus on what reviewers would like to see in your application: enough information to convince them that your proposed project can be accomplished and is likely to have a high impact.
Researcher checks western/moisture blots to know if proteins bind to antibodies.

Generate Your Own Lists of Recently Funded Grants

You can create a list of recently funded NIAID grant awards to better assess the direction of preferences and priorities for NIAID peer reviewers and program staff.
Colorized scanning electron micrograph of Group A Streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes) bacteria and a human neutrophil.

Stay on Top of SAM Renewals and Organizational Registrations

NIAID cannot provide grant funds to organizations with an expired System for Award Management (SAM) registration; this includes competing and noncompeting awards.
3D print of hemagglutinin (HA), one of the proteins found on the surface of influenza virus that enables the virus to infect human cells

Reviewing NIAID’s Application and Award Counts for FY 2022

We share the number of R01-equivalent and R21 applications that NIAID received in the previous fiscal year (FY) as well as how many awards NIAID made in turn.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in cross-section landing on the surface of a human respiratory endothelial cell. Single stranded RNA (colorized purple) is shown wrapped around a nuclear protein core capped by large L proteins.

Appreciation for 2022 NIAID Peer Review and Committee Volunteers

On behalf of NIAID and our research community, we express our deepest gratitude to fiscal year 2022 review and advisory group volunteers for donating their precious time and effort.
VRC scientists working with a Biomek Nxp robot, which is used to set up and harvest cultures of HIV patients' B cells that are used in the discovery of novel HIV neutralizing antibodies.

Top Ten Things NIH RePORT and RePORTER Can Do for You

Use custom crafted queries to learn what active research projects represent the cutting edge of your field, find potential collaborators for future projects, and much more.
Bar graph shows number of active projects at each NIH institute and center.

Know the Basics for Facilities and Administrative Costs

Facilities and administrative costs pay for common or joint objectives that cannot be readily identified with an individual project or program. Examples include payroll, departmental administration, student services, building depreciation, and utilities.
Workbench in NIAID intramural laboratory, with supplies and equipment.

November ACD Meeting Featured a Trio of Proposals

The NIH Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) discussed a new framework for peer review criteria, NIH-supported postdoctoral training, and alternative methods to advance biomedical research.
Noni Byrnes, Ph.D., Director, Center for Scientific Review

Remember to Register, Review, and Update Records at ClinicalTrials.gov

Those conducting an NIH-funded clinical trial must promptly update study records, including updates in the recruitment status or study completion date(s), made no later than within 30 days of the occurrence.
Radiology Imaging at the NIH Clinical Center

Small Businesses—Set Your Sights on Phase III

Though NIAID does not fund small businesses directly for commercialization, our aim is to set up small businesses for later success during the earlier phases of the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs.
prototype of a smart bandage equipped with temperature and pH sensors

Applicants—Understand What a Cooperative Agreement FOA Signifies

A cooperative agreement is a support mechanism that NIH frequently uses for high-priority research areas that require a level of involvement from NIH staff that is higher than for a typical research project grant.
Volunteer in trial of candidate universal flu vaccine receives injection

A Summary of September’s Advisory Council Meeting

NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said, "It has been an enormous pleasure and privilege of my job to have worked with the many extraordinarily intelligent and talented individuals who have served Council over the years.” 
NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci

Help Spread the Word of a New NIH Fellowship Program

The NIH Medical Scientist Partnership Program will be a trans-NIH effort to support combined degree candidates by providing them an option to conduct doctoral research in an NIH Intramural laboratory.
Participants in the NIH Medical Research Scholars Program

Understand the Fiscal Year Calendar to Sync Your Timing

Recognizing how NIH deadlines correspond to the fiscal year calendar can help you understand when and why NIAID undertakes certain actions and processes.
Colorized transmission electron micrograph of a single Nipah virus particle

NIAID Prioritizes a Robust Population of Physician-Scientists

By virtue of their training, experiences, and responsibilities as clinicians, physician-scientists are uniquely positioned to identify research priorities and pursue breakthroughs inspired by patient care.
Treating an Eczema Patient

Brush Up on the Basics of a Modular Budget

The modular budget form includes prompts to attach a Personnel Justification, Consortium Justification, and Additional Narrative Justification, which collectively justify your budget to peer reviewers.
Treatments for the common cold stock photo

Know Your Closeout Obligations at Project’s End

Failure to submit reports when they are due may result in NIH's taking enforcement actions against your institution for not complying with grant closeout procedures. Follow our advice to complete this process on time and without issue.
Universal Flu Vaccine Trial Volunteer Receives Injection

Recapping June’s Advisory Council Meeting

At the 201st meeting of NIAID’s Advisory Council, NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci gave remarks on NIAID’s budget, outreach activities, scientific priorities, and research outcomes.
Colorized scanning electron micrograph of mpox virus on the surface of infected VERO E6 cells

R21 Grants Make for Slippery Stepping Stones

The exploratory/developmental grant (R21) activity code provides up to two years of funding support. Typically, direct costs for the entire project period are capped at $275,000.
materials on a lab bench

Reference NIH’s Biomedical Research and Development Price Index

In general terms, the Biomedical Research and Development Price Index indicates how much money is needed to purchase the same amount of biomedical research as the year before.
NIH Director Francis S. Collins and NCATS Director Christopher P. Austin talk with U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski

Respond to Just-in-Time Requests and Any Bars to Award

Most just-in-time information requested by NIAID staff is routine, but certain codes in your summary statement can indicate an award restriction or bar to award.
Clinical trial volunteer receives wristband

A Deep Dive Into Data Management and Sharing

NIH's new policy requires both effective data management with the development of data management and sharing plans as well as maximum data sharing in a timely manner.
Work station in a research laboratory

Find a Fiscal Year 2021 Research Overview, Related Databases

If you are keen on data, you’ll likely want to read on for funding and success rate data on fiscal year 2021 NIH and NIAID awards, as well as databases you can use to find more information.
DNA sample is isolated and ready for storage

NIH and Tribal Nations—Commitment and Collaboration

Regular, meaningful engagement with Tribal partners helps NIH ensure American Indians and Alaska Natives are well-represented in research and benefit from its outcomes.
NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci and THRO Director Dr. David Wilson

Director of NIAID’s Vaccine Research Center Announces Retirement

Dr. John Mascola provided leadership for scientific and clinical research activities and developed vaccine research programs for priority diseases, including HIV, influenza, Ebola/Marburg, malaria, and COVID-19.
John Mascola Shaking Hands with Barack Obama

Thank You to 2021 NIAID Peer Review and Committee Volunteers

Our thanks to all who volunteer to serve on a peer review group or advisory committee; your time, effort, and contributions are critically important to help NIAID fund the best science.
Panel of Peer Reviewers

A Synopsis of January’s Advisory Council Meeting

Catch up on remarks from NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci and a presentation from guest speaker Dr. Lyric Jorgenson, the acting NIH associate director for science policy and acting director of NIH’s Office of Science Policy.
Dr. Lyric Jorgenson

Know the Rules—NIH Peer Review Security and Confidentiality

Security and confidentiality in peer review are essential to safeguard the exchange of scientific opinions, protect confidential information, provide reliable input to NIH about research projects to support, and more.
CD8 T Cells Close to Wound After Staphylococcus Epidermidis Application

Know Where To Go for Insights Into Site Visits

Staff may conduct “not-for-cause” site visits, such as those for new foreign awardees, as well as “for cause” visits when NIAID has evidence of administrative or accounting deficiencies at an institution.
Researcher opens freezer door

Extramural Research Overview for Fiscal Year 2020

NIH’s fiscal year 2020 appropriation totaled $41.6 billion. Of that total, NIH spent $30.8 billion to award 56,169 new and renewed extramural grants to 2,650 U.S. and international organizations.
Dr. Francis Collins, NIH Director

Highlights From January 2021 NIAID Advisory Council Meeting

In his remarks to NIAID’s Advisory Council, NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci shared key staff transitions, legislative updates, and COVID-19 news.
Dr. Fauci at Vaccine Kick-Off Event

Writing a Winning Application—Write To Excite

Create a winning application by keeping your NIH peer reviewers in mind as you anticipate questions about your project's significance and innovation.
dissecting microscope

Writing a Winning Application—Consider the Review Committee

Match your research project to a review group with appropriate expertise and create an application that appeals to the reviewers and catches their interest by proposing concepts and preliminary data they would regard as innovative.
researcher uses a dissecting microscope

Adjustments to NIH Policy for Subawards and Implementation

This summer, NIH announced planned changes to its policy on subawards—arrangements in which a grant recipient has another organization perform grant-supported research activities as part of the federal award.

Opportunities and Resources

Each award’s principal investigator should be an established investigator capable of providing administrative and scientific leadership to the development and implementation of a career development program.
The notice of special interest (NOSI) encourages grant applications from Small Business Concerns to develop commercializable tools, resources, and approaches to capture the effects of climate change and the associated impacts of extreme weather events on human health.
Apply for research support to study basic mechanisms and biomarkers of trained immunity (i.e., innate immune memory), plus the functional implications of trained immunity.
The NIAID Clinical Trial Implementation Cooperative Agreement notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is designed for high-risk trials. The NIAID SBIR Phase II Clinical Trial Implementation Cooperative Agreement NOFO allows small business concerns to proposed investigator-initiated clinical trials.
NIAID aims to better understand the mechanisms by which bats regulate immune responses to clear infection and prevent or resolve excessive inflammation.
3D organotypic culture models offer improved modeling of tissue architecture, cell-cell interactions, and other microenvironmental aspects of tissues and organ systems.
NIAID seeks research projects to discover and develop compounds that promote targeted protein degradation of viral, bacterial, parasitic, or fungal pathogen components, as well as non-protein targets.
Research the impact of host and viral heterogeneity on pathogenesis of disease, viral persistence, and immunopathology of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and inform cure strategies for HBV in people living with HIV.
Apply if you can expand or improve engagement and re-engagement in HIV prevention, testing, treatment, and care services, or improve strategies to deliver integrated HIV prevention, treatment, and care services to address co-morbidities and co-infections.
NIAID will support basic research into novel mechanisms that contribute to intervention-mediated viral control and reductions in reservoir size as well as experimental, innovative targeted intervention activities.
Help address a deficiency in genetic tools and culture conditions that has blocked the development of medical countermeasures for select human eukaryotic pathogens.
Our new planning grant program will accelerate next-generation treatments for HIV and HIV-associated comorbidities, co-infections, and complications, and preventative strategies for HIV.
Understanding immune evasion by pathogens may be a critical factor in improving the design or utilization of prevention strategies, diagnostics, and treatments for tickborne diseases.
NIAID aims to support multidisciplinary Chemical Countermeasures Research Program-funded investigators through the development of infrastructure and exposure protocols for selected chemicals of concern.
Help us advance and improve congenital and adult acquired syphilis research. We encourage translational diagnostic development research including the collection and use of clinical samples.
NIAID will fund studies to develop vaccine candidates against enteric viruses that cause gastroenteritis in infants and young children, immune-compromised and -suppressed people, and elderly people.
Through this initiative, our aim is to facilitate the movement of exceptional postdoctoral fellows into independent positions within an accelerated timeframe, and further support them as talented, newly independent faculty.
Have you observed radiation-associated sex differences in your early-stage research to advance animal models, medical countermeasure development, safety, or biomarker science?
Apply if you are an international investigator in a resource-constrained country and can propose high-priority, regionally relevant infectious diseases research.
Apply if you can conduct research focused on less-studied emerging and re-emerging neurotropic viruses for which there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics.
Conduct epidemiological and observational research projects on the long-term cardiopulmonary sequelae following treatment for tuberculosis in persons living with and without HIV infection.
A set of new initiatives will create research centers in support of the Research and Development of Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies for Pandemic Preparedness (ReVAMPP) Network.
Through its new Medical Scientist Partnership Program, NIH will sponsor predoctoral students pursuing both a clinical doctoral degree and a biomedical research doctoral degree.
This initiative will focus on advanced vaccine development for STI pathogens that have limited candidates in the product development pipeline: Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Treponema pallidum.
NIAID established the clinical trial network Consortium for Food Allergy Research to address concerns about the increasing incidence of food allergy and paucity of treatment options.
Successful offerors will help advance the research and development of promising candidate vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics for biodefense, emerging infectious diseases, and pandemic preparedness.
NIAID seeks to renew the Adjuvant Discovery Program, which supports the identification and characterization of novel, effective, and safe vaccine adjuvants.
The initiative supports a two-phased approach that enables a dedicated period of tool development followed by the use of those tools to address gaps in our knowledge of select rickettsial diseases.
Help us improve understanding of malaria pathogenesis, epidemiology, and transmission, as well as evaluate, optimize, and inform development of interventions to understand, control, eliminate, and eventually eradicate malaria.
NIAID's initiative will fund a multidisciplinary consortium with expertise in vaccinology, animal models, molecular biology, cell biology, immunology, manufacturing, and adjuvant biology.
Apply if you can develop mechanistic insights into innate and adaptive immune function changes that occur during the aging process in humans.
Find effective methods to measure rates of tuberculosis transmission that rely on understanding the biomedical basis of transmission and related risk factors, then develop and assess potential interventions.
Through this new initiative, eligible individuals are invited to submit investigator-initiated research project grant applications within the scope of NIAID's scientific areas of focus.
NIAID will support studies that define and characterize components and mechanisms of the immune system that lead to sustained immunity and identify common versus distinct durable immune mechanisms triggered by vaccines compared to natural infection.
The solicitation serves as a vehicle for small business offerors to propose research projects on a multitude of scientific topics from across NIH. Contract proposals are due November 4, 2022.
NIAID invites cross-disciplinary applications that focus on mechanistic studies of host cell death mechanisms involving host-tuberculosis interaction, innate and adaptive immunity, and target identification for interventions.
Our aim is to facilitate the movement of exceptional postdoctoral fellows into independent positions within an accelerated timeframe, and further support them as talented, newly independent faculty.
NIH recently issued 2022 parent funding opportunity announcements for Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer grants.
Clinical history studies consider the full spectrum of infection and are composed of natural history—infection to screening and the interval after screening from treatment through follow-up exams.
NIAID will support milestone-driven preclinical research that will advance candidate vaccine development and production for select enteric pathogens or multivalent forms.  
Work with NIAID to provide product developers a discrete subset of services that will propel new in vitro diagnostic products toward regulatory clearance.
Propose to establish a large digitally-maintained cohort of 1,000 participants or more to prospectively investigate trajectories of HIV care engagement and viral suppression.
Apply if you can build a well-integrated, cross-disciplinary research team with diverse expertise in assay development and optimization, clinical research, immunology, and influenza virology.
NIAID encourages studies that facilitate early-stage assay development and demonstrate feasibility and clinical utility, followed by verification and late-stage method validation.
Conduct research on the immunologic processes and events that drive not only the course of autoimmune disease but also the preclinical phase and the transition from subclinical autoimmunity to diagnosed autoimmune disease.
Biomarker signatures predictive of tuberculosis (TB) disease progression in children, if identified, could translate to simple, easy to use, point-of-care-based tools and allow targeted TB preventive chemoprophylaxis.
Contract funds will support vaccine and therapeutic development through candidate testing; product manufacture; preclinical or nonclinical toxicology testing; and early clinical studies.
Pursue vaccine development by studying host immune responses to Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) and leveraging clinical samples, identifying new protective antigens, and employing novel vaccine and adjuvant platforms.
Foster new and innovative scientific studies to produce vaccines with broader, more durable protection to limit the public health consequences of both seasonal and pandemic influenza.
A new Center will perform activities to coordinate the modeling community through coordinating cores and conduct research projects to advance modeling across and between scales of infectious and immune-mediated disease.
The solicitation’s purpose is to support manufacturing of material to advance preclinical, nonclinical, and Phase I/II clinical studies (e.g., vaccines, other biologics, vaccine components, and reagents).
A new opportunity supports radiation research at all stages of development for identifying biomarkers of injury and developing assays or devices for the purpose of triage, including assessing absorbed dose or predicting health outcomes of acute or delayed injuries.
Focus on ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) research relevant to NIAID’s scientific mission: HIV/AIDS or its comorbidities; infectious diseases; organ transplantation; and ELSI of clinical trials and implementation science.
Conduct an innovative project to study the mechanisms and management of vaccine or antibiotic drug allergy, including research on allergic responses to anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic drugs.
Through courses for skills development and mentoring activities, NIAID strives to support current and future research investigators from diverse backgrounds.
This initiative will stimulate the optimization and evaluation of long-acting drug delivery systems formulations in suitable preclinical animal models at an earlier age of adult drug development.
Request support for multi-component, multidisciplinary projects that address scientific questions relevant to AIDS prophylactic vaccine discovery research.
Help discover innovative methods and strategies to support the eradication of Rheumatic Heart Disease, which remains endemic in low- and middle-income countries and low-resource settings.
Successful applicants will demonstrate that they have the appropriate expertise, resources, and infrastructure needed to conduct advanced diagnostic evaluations at their site.
Fellowship grants provide stipends, tuition and fees, and an institutional allowance. Funding levels will vary depending on the candidate’s experience and proposed Research Plan.
Use study samples to gain a deeper understanding of mechanisms contributing to the development of allergic diseases, disease endotypes, and molecular targets for disease prevention.
The notice of funding opportunity helps Phase II and Phase IIB projects' progression to the commercialization stage by providing additional support for technical assistance and later stage research and development.
To apply, you must propose a research project integral to the approved, ongoing research of the parent award, with the potential to contribute significantly to the career development of the candidate.
Propose basic, preclinical, or clinical research studies using existing human samples to analyze and compare HIV reservoir establishment, dynamics, persistence, and post-treatment control among different HIV subtypes and in diverse cohorts of people living with HIV.
The clinical trial planning grant (R34) supports planning, design, and preparation of the documentation necessary to implement an investigator-initiated clinical trial.
Improve our understanding of the roles and interactions of immune cells at the maternal-fetal interface that support pregnancy and enable optimal placental development and function.
Conduct mechanistic studies of early-stage Mtb infection in the airway and lungs with and without HIV to identify interventional targets for vaccine and host-directed therapies.
The initiative supports early discovery of novel exploratory vaccine strategies to prevent HIV infection, as well as worthy basic vaccine discovery research that has not yet been fully exploited.
Collaborative research centers will help provide the foundation and infrastructure to complete basic, translational, and mechanistic clinical trials focused on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).
In your application, describe plans to develop either small animal models or surrogate virus-host systems for hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus research.
NIAID will support research to improve safe and effective precision therapeutics for pregnant and lactating persons, fetuses, neonates, and children, including those with disabilities.
The Centers for AIDS Research program fosters synergy and research coordination, supports emerging research opportunities, and promotes resource sharing among institutions that receive significant HIV/AIDS funding from NIH.
NIAID is soliciting contract proposals from offerors capable of providing a broad range of services to investigate vaccine formulations with HIV immunogens and adjuvants.
The health conditions of interest to NIAID impact the health of sexual minority and majority populations, and the Institute endorses meaningful sexual orientation and gender identity measurement in research, clinical care, and administrative settings.
The Physician-Scientist Pathway to Independence Award is designed to increase and maintain the field of new and talented physician-scientists by supporting mentored research training and an independent research period.
NIAID seeks a partner to operate the Cellular Immunology Core Laboratory, which will conduct, analyze, develop, optimize, and validate cellular immunologic assays for multiple pathogens, to be performed on fresh and frozen preclinical samples.
Research the roles of complement components and receptors in the initiation, magnitude, maintenance, and quality of immune responses involved in pathogenic infections, vaccination, post-infection sequelae, autoimmunity, allergy, or transplantation.
Conduct research on human immune system regulation and function to discover and characterize new principles of human immunology for preventing and treating infectious diseases, immune-mediated pathogenesis, and immune-mediated diseases.
Each award will provide 3 years of support for intensive research career development under a mentorship team with expertise in preclinical application of nonhuman primate HIV/AIDS models and translation of the results to clinical application in humans.
Help NIAID advance research to identify new antivirals that can eliminate hepatitis B virus (HBV) and covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) from infected cells to effect a functional cure.
Through this notice of special interest (NOSI), NIAID seeks a better understanding of the decay dynamics of various virus-infected cell subsets following antiretroviral therapy initiation to better inform new cure strategies.
The Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Program supports multiple, synergistic longitudinal studies of mothers and their children, from conception to early childhood.
The Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) Quality Assessment Program will serve NIAID-sponsored and collaborating clinical trial networks and cohorts as well as individual grantees conducting research in and outside the United States.
NIAID seeks to establish three distinct centers through cooperative agreements in the scientific areas of allergy and asthma; transplantation; and clinical data and safety management.
NIAID aims to support research that directly and specifically addresses possible mechanisms of persistent symptoms in Post-treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome.
Regenerative medicine researchers can apply to conduct clinical trial planning, an investigator-initiated collaborative study, or an investigator-initiated clinical trial.
You must be a doctoral-level clinician or researcher committed to conducting NIH-qualified clinical research. If NIH approves your application, we will repay up to $50,000 each year toward your qualified educational debt.
Investigators working in the areas of allergy or infectious diseases have a significant role to play in advancing research on the impact of climate change on human health.
Generate omics data from clinical or experimental samples, leverage computational approaches to generate hypotheses from omics data, and test the hypotheses in experimental settings.
Apply if your research could build foundational knowledge to improve strategies to predict, prevent, or ameliorate toxicities that arise as a consequence of immunotherapeutic regimens.
Further our understanding of unique challenges impacting hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HIV co-infected hosts to advance discovery and development of novel HBV interventions.
The Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) initiative supports skills development, research experiences, mentoring, curriculum or methods development, and outreach for younger students.
The initiative is primarily intended to support basic research that explores hypotheses about what happens inside HIV reservoir cells to avoid elimination and how to counteract those mechanisms.
NIAID seeks contractors to support preclinical HIV research, develop pediatric formulations, and advance next-generation HIV prevention and treatment products.
Help address the urgent need for social, ethical, and behavioral implications research to understand and reduce barriers to and disparities in COVID-19 testing among underserved and vulnerable populations.
Request funding for your active grant or cooperative agreement for artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), AI/ML data readiness, or biomedical software development.
Propose research to facilitate clinical translation of safe and effective approaches to reduce or eliminate dependence on immunosuppressive drugs for long-term allograft acceptance.
Focus on ethical, legal, and social implications relevant to collaborative research on HIV/AIDS or its comorbidities, other infectious diseases including those transmitted by vectors, immunologic and allergic diseases, and organ transplantation; or the ethics of clinical trials and implementation science.
Three initiatives cover distinct topics: pathobiological mechanisms of post-acute sequelae, pediatric COVID-19 and respiratory viral co-infection, and vaccine hesitancy among health disparities populations.
Primary Caregiver Technical Assistance Supplements (PCTAS) help NIAID grantees support postdoctoral research scientists who are taking care of a child or sick family member by hiring a technician to fill in when the caregiver is away.
NIAID aims to develop a range of approaches for studying bunyaviruses using both established and novel technologies, prioritizing vector competence, virology and pathogenesis, and human innate and adaptive responses to infection.
Apply to test and evaluate non-viral technologies capable of delivering RNA-based therapeutics into disease-relevant cells and tissues in vivo through a new notice of special interest.
Our Radiation and Nuclear Countermeasures Program seeks a contractor who can provide services and capabilities to maintain and expand a centralized dosimetry harmonization effort.
NIAID seeks applications from single institutions or consortia of institutions ready to generate, validate, and advance medical countermeasures against a select list of bacteria or fungi with known or emerging resistance to current therapies.
NIAID invites applications from actively-funded grant recipients to travel to NIAID laboratories for a short duration to perform research in partnership with a host intramural research investigator.
NIAID will fund research on late-stage engineering and preclinical development of innovative biological products that safely and specifically engage the immune system to kill HIV-infected cells.
Apply to study early islet dysfunction, autoimmunity initiation, and other metabolic perturbations present during the early stages of type 1 diabetes disease for which there are still few clinical interventions.
Our goal is to improve oversight of NIAID grant awards and compliance with NIH funding policies and federal research funding requirements for NIAID-supported foreign institutions.
Design interventions with consideration for sustainability within the communities where they are tested, and with the flexibility to be readily adapted, disseminated, and scaled up to other communities where culturally appropriate.
The Smart Health program supports high-risk, high-reward advances in computer and information science, engineering, mathematics, statistics, behavioral, and cognitive research to address pressing questions in the biomedical and public health communities.
Develop new medications by identifying novel research targets and lead molecules to develop therapeutic approaches that will be effective at various stages along the trajectory of opioid use disorders.
STRONG program funds can help you analyze your institution’s research capacity needs and strengths, then create an action plan to meet those needs and leverage areas of strength.
Aim to build on recent breakthroughs in biology of mucosal systems, biology and immunology of mucosal infection, and microbiome research.
Apply for funding to develop data science software that improves acquisition, management, analysis, visualization, and dissemination for data science research on infectious and immune-mediated diseases.
This program supports high throughput discovery and validation of novel B cell epitopes associated with infectious pathogens or vaccines against them, autoimmune diseases, allergens, or human leukocyte antigen epitopes associated with cell, organ, or tissue transplant rejection or tolerance.
Each center will create and provide access to interactive knowlegebases, innovative tools and software, and leading-edge expertise in bioinformatics.
Propose research to apply newly developed immunological tools and expand understanding of the immune response to vaccination at the molecular level.
Demonstrate that your clinical site has a track record of diagnosing rare and difficult-to-diagnose disorders, with appropriate expertise as well as the infrastructure and resources needed to conduct clinical evaluation and DNA sequencing of participants enrolled at your site.
NIAID aims to spur new approaches that target HIV transcription to shut down the expression of HIV RNA, proteins, and virus that occurs despite interruption of the viral life cycle by antiretroviral therapy.
NIH published three notices of special interest that each offer administrative supplements for ongoing research projects to further explore priority topics: climate health, software tools, and data readiness.
Can your organization develop, refine, and use animal and animal replacement models to assess candidate therapeutics, vaccines, and diagnostics targeted at infectious diseases and generate difficult-to-source reagents requiring an in vivo model?
The HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) invites outside investigators to apply to use Imbokodo/HVTN 705 participant specimens or study data to conduct independent scientific research. Respond by April 4, 2023.
By facilitating access to experienced mentors, relevant facilities, and protected time for training centered on nonhuman primate models, these awards will help early-career scientists address key issues in clinically relevant research areas.
The funds may be used to pay for computational services, supplies, equipment, and supported effort of additional scientific staff to sustain the research project while an investigator gives priority to a critical life event.
Apply for research funding to address gaps in Coccidioides basic research; develop tools and resources to support vaccine development; and develop and advance vaccines to prevent coccidioidomycosis.
Our notice of special interest (NOSI) aims to stimulate multidisciplinary research that targets the pathogen within the invertebrate host to prevent its transmission to the vertebrate host.
The Consortium will establish a collaborative, multidisciplinary research platform to systematically evaluate new candidate agents in combination and identify the most promising regimens.
The Notice of Special Interest encourages rigorous interdisciplinary research on the complex intersection of women’s health, sex and gender, and social determinants of health.
The initiative aims to foster an understanding of underlying developmental biology of normal and abnormal human development as well as human pathologies through collecting, identifying, staging, and distributing conceptal tissues for use in studies.
NIAID and other NIH institutes and centers aim to foster health research training and career development on the health and wellbeing of people who identify as bisexual or bisexual+.
NIAID seeks multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs) that can prevent HIV infection and pregnancy; sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and pregnancy; or multiple non-HIV STI or HIV/STI MPTs in cis and trans males and females of all ages.
Develop therapeutics and medical countermeasures that mitigate the adverse health effects of toxic chemical exposure, including validation of therapeutic targets and preclinical characterization of lead compounds.
NIAID seeks studies to provide integrated structural, computational, and functional approaches to understanding the dynamics of key molecular processes in the HIV life cycle.
Apply to conduct research on biological and immunological factors that contribute to HIV and sexually transmitted infections in transgender people.
NIAID will accept administrative supplement applications from current NIAID awardees for research on Lyme disease or other tickborne illnesses, including alpha-gal syndrome.
NIAID will support the preclinical development of lead adjuvants for use in vaccines to prevent or treat human disease caused by non-HIV infectious pathogens or immune-mediated diseases.
Help improve treatment decisions for patients by honing drug susceptibility testing methods and thus reduce rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the community.
NIAID will support investigators developing or producing medical diagnostics capable of rapid differential species identification and phenotypic antibacterial susceptibility profiles for bacteremia or hospital-acquired pneumonia.
What does it take to develop exceptional scientists of the future? Two critical factors: excellent mentorship and superior training. To recognize the crucial role great mentors play, NIH will support supplements for excellence in mentorship.
The program will provide up to two years of support for research conducted by resident-investigators in structured programs for clinician-investigators with defined program milestones.
The Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) is for faculty members at eligible health professional schools and graduate schools. They can receive support for small-scale research projects that provide research experiences to undergraduate or graduate students pursuing biomedical or behavioral research.
The program supports clinical and translational research on asthma, rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, atopic dermatitis, food allergy, and drug allergy.
NIH seeks research projects studying the ethical, legal, and social implications of human genetic or genomic research, including empirical qualitative and quantitative methods.
Apply to conduct mid-stage research developing candidate medical countermeasures (MCMs) already demonstrating efficacy to mitigate or treat radiation injuries.
Propose a computational model that is data-driven, macromolecular, or hypothesis-based and mechanistically-driven and generalizable to multiple types of immune perturbations.
Receive funds to establish formal partnerships with other research groups to achieve outcomes that would likely be impossible without the expertise, models, and facilities available at partnering institutions.
Plan to target mechanisms that are integral for the replication, growth, survival, or virulence of a pathogen, including toxins or toxin-related targets as novel anti-infectives.
NIAID has extended the application deadline for the broad agency announcement (BAA) Rational Systematic Characterization and Selection of Adjuvants for HIV Vaccine Candidates; proposals are now due on July 7, 2023, at 4 p.m. Eastern Time.
Help us develop and advance approaches in genomic technologies, computational tools, and large-scale data analysis of human pathogens and their interactions with the host and microbiome.
Combining Basic and Clinical research programs, the objectives of NIAID's Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence are to accelerate the discovery and translation of therapies for autoimmune diseases from lab to clinic.
Your research should lead to the development of acceptable and appropriate health interventions and health service delivery methods that will enhance health and development of sexual and gender minority populations.
NIH’s Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) program helps small businesses identify and address pressing product development needs and boost commercialization efforts.
Investigators may submit short applications to request and justify access to a discrete set of preclinical services provided by NIAID contractors at no cost to the applicants.
A fellowship exchange program for early- and mid-career scientists aims to expand the cohort of physician-scientists that will advance clinical practice and public health in the United States and India.
NIAID will sponsor facility improvements and building systems upgrades at existing biosafety level 3 and biosafety level 4 laboratories engaged in research on RNA viruses of pandemic potential.
Exceptional early-stage clinical researchers will receive five to seven years of support within the NIH Intramural Research Program as tenure-track investigators followed by continued intramural funding or a supported transition to an extramural institution.
Applications are due for three distinct initiatives providing administrative supplements for research at the nexus of women’s health, sex and gender, and health disparity populations.
Two new initiatives recognize the role that diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) mentorship and bioethical research and capacity, respectively, have on NIH’s general scientific priorities, like responding to public health needs.
Identify, develop, or test strategies to overcome barriers to dissemination and implementation of evidence-based interventions into public health, clinical practice, and community settings.
Find funding to prepare your data assets to meet technical specifications for inclusion in the NIAID Data Ecosystem and improve training among biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and computational scientists for research on infectious and immune-mediated diseases.

In The News

Join us in our annual appreciation of NIAID peer review and committee members, then learn how to volunteer for a peer review group yourself.
NIAID is now updating its Institute-wide Strategic Plan, and we invite feedback from the extramural research community on the research priorities and crosscutting themes that will drive our Strategic Plan.
Our online database serves as a central resource for country-specific clinical research requirements for regulatory and ethics approval, clinical trial lifecycle, sponsor responsibilities, informed consent, investigational products, and specimens.
NIH’s Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) members provide recommendations on program development, resource allocation, NIH administrative regulation, and other aspects of NIH policy.
Establishing an NIH-wide strategic plan will help the new Office of Autoimmune Disease Research create opportunities for synergistic innovation and implement cross-cutting research.
Peer reviewers are prohibited from using and sharing materials from a confidential peer review meeting, and doing so constitutes a serious breach of confidentiality.
NIH SEED has useful foreign risk case studies to demonstrate instances in which foreign involvement does or does not generate security risks.
Learn about those exceptional researchers whose projects are already funded through the NIAID New Innovators Awards program.
NIAID has not reduced competing or noncompeting awards in some time, but we do so now in light of budget uncertainty.
In a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives, you'll broadly consider how diverse perspectives can advance research outcomes, in addition to bringing equity and inclusion to the science they inform.
Science communication is rapidly evolving, and the growing use of preprints and the sheer number of published studies make it increasingly difficult to determine which findings are worthy of attention.
The single “Data Management and Sharing Costs” line item will no longer be required; NIH recognizes that DMS costs may occur in multiple cost categories.
NIH has expectations, policies, and requirements for recipient institutions to foster an environment free from harassment, including sexual harassment, discrimination, bullying, retaliation, and other forms of inappropriate conduct.
Share input on a proposal to encourage use of designated member review (DMR), DMR subsequent to full committee review, veterinary verification and consultation, and administrative handling of increase in previously approved animal numbers.
The virtual tour lets visitors from around the world learn about NIH’s mission, research, labs, and facilities by showcasing 20 in-depth tour stops on NIH’s campus. 
Our revised Strategic Plan is structured around five strategic priorities that capitalize on recent advances in the field; each critical to the development and evaluation of knowledge and tools needed to end tuberculosis globally.
The changes address the consortium relationship that a grant recipient needs to establish with an organization receiving a subaward under the grant to ensure compliance with NIH requirements.
NIH received more than 800 responses to a request for information on simplifying peer review criteria, a vast majority of which supported most of the proposed changes.
NIAID sets a separate R01 payline for new and early-stage principal investigators (PIs) to ensure success rate parity between established and new and early-stage PIs.
NIH aims to recognize the transformative cultures, systems, projects, and processes developed by academic institutions to promote inclusive excellence and create environments that foster and value a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).
What are the gaps and barriers to developing, diversifying, and sustaining a diverse extramural scientific workforce and building a scientific pipeline to support the NIAID mission?
Use the Budget Data Comparisons table to compare the enacted funding levels for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 across multiple NIH institutes and centers, including NIAID. 
Heed NIH's call to improve complete reporting of results of vertebrate animal and cephalopod experiments by using the Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments checklist.
Congress restricts the amount of direct salary paid to an individual under an HHS award. Effective January 1, 2023, the salary limitation is set at a rate of $212,100 for 100 percent effort.
NIAID Acting Director Dr. Hugh Auchincloss provided updates on HIV/AIDS, malaria, Ebola, a promising Marburg vaccine, universal flu vaccine efforts, non-viral asthma attacks, monoclonal antibodies to target Epstein-Barr virus, and human antibody response to vaccinations.
NIH’s Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) provides recommendations on program development, resource allocation, NIH administrative regulation, and other aspects of NIH policy.
The Revised Simplified Review Framework would reorganize five major regulatory criteria under three scored categories and reduce the number of non-score driving review considerations that reviewers evaluate.
Engage with NIH staff through questions and answers, text chat features, and 1:1 calls. With over 15,000 attendees already registered, you will also have plenty of networking opportunities to meet colleagues in your field.
At the end of this month, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of NIAID, will step down from the role he’s held since 1984.
For applications due on or after January 25, 2023, you must use the FORMS-H application form set rather than the FORMS-G application form set.
An interim payline is an administrative measure that allows us get some top-scoring grants out the door while we wait for our appropriation.
NIH's Center for Scientific Review regularly assesses whether the function and scope of existing panels result in successfully identifying high-impact science before making administrative adjustments.
We are starting fiscal year 2023 under a continuing resolution, which will run through December 16, 2022. Our budget officials are now calculating appropriate interim payline levels.
Grantees, take note: You have 120 days after your grant’s period of performance end date to liquidate obligations by drawing funds from the Payment Management System.
A new PreCon webinar series gives you multiple opportunities to learn about grant processes and policies, engage with NIH experts, network with your peers, and gather information to use and share.
The Grants.gov web system will undergo downtime from September 23 to September 29, 2022. In response, all NIH grant application due dates that fall on or between September 22 and September 30 will shift to October 3, 2022.
iEdison, the electronic system that recipients use to report inventions and patents resulting from federal research, will transition from NIH’s eRA to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on August 9, 2022.
Fellowship, career development, institutional training, and research education grant applicants, NIAID's guidance page can help you plan instruction on responsible conduct of research for curricula and applications.
If a legal action changes the status of a small business concern such that it no longer meets NIH’s eligibility parameters, the organization may not receive additional small business funding.
We’ve set final paylines for research project grants, fellowship awards, career development awards, and small business grants for fiscal year (FY) 2022.
Awardee institutions must notify NIH after acting to remove or discipline key personnel due to concerns about harassment, bullying, retaliation, or hostile working conditions.
An exception to allow applicants to send one page with preliminary data as post-submission materials will remain in effect for applications submitted for the January 2023 Council rounds.
The system award recipients use to report inventions and patents resulting from federal research will be transitioning from NIH’s eRA to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Paylines—either percentiles (R01s only) or overall impact score order—are the funding cutoff points for investigator-initiated applications. 

Reviewers committed unusually high levels of effort in a short time to help NIAID identify and fund key research on innovative antiviral drug development targeting coronaviruses and other select RNA viruses.
Send feedback on the Center for Scientific Review's (CSR) new Strategic Plan to advance its mission of ensuring that NIH grant applications receive fair, independent, expert, and timely scientific reviews.
Selecting representative viruses from each virus family offers a viable pathway to gain knowledge as well as develop and test candidate countermeasures that may apply to part or all of a particular virus family.
NIH’s National Library of Medicine introduced a new beta version of ClinicalTrials.gov, a website and online database providing clinical research studies and results to the public, researchers, and healthcare professionals.
NIH published a revised Grants Policy Statement (GPS) for fiscal year 2022. The NIH GPS provides policy instruction that serves as the standard terms and conditions of award for NIH grants, as well as guidance for applicants pursuing an NIH grant.
NIH will soon adjust the Genomic Data Sharing policy to better align with expectations set by the new Final Policy for Data Management and Sharing policy.
The extramural community collectively wrote and submitted a higher volume of research project grant applications amid pandemic shutdowns in summer 2020.
NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci discussed topics like budget and legislation, and Dr. John Mascola, director of the Vaccine Research Center (VRC), described VRC's work on mRNA and therapeutic antibodies related to COVID-19 as well as on influenza vaccines.
Effective April 8, 2021, NIH will provide childcare support to recipients of NRSA fellowships. Each fellow is eligible to receive $2,500 per budget period toward expenses for childcare provided by a licensed childcare provider.
Submit a proposal centered on questions directly related to the Asia-Pacific region with potential to add to global knowledge about infectious diseases and immunology.
NIAID’s TB Portals Program is a global collaboration of clinicians, researchers, and data scientists united in the mission to eradicate tuberculosis.
Each National Research Service Award fellow or trainee is eligible to receive $2,500 per budget period toward expenses for childcare provided by a licensed childcare provider.
If a recipient does not submit all required closeout reports within a year of the period of performance end date, NIH must unilaterally close the grant and report the recipient's failure to comply with the terms and conditions of award.
NIH's Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Policy requires sharing of all scientific data, defined as all data necessary to replicate research findings regardless of whether the data are used to support scientific papers.
U.S. institutions can submit investigator-initiated grant applications and, if selected for funding, the Research Council of Finland may fully fund the Finnish investigators.
Subawards Policy Changes Take Effect on January 1, 2024; NIH Is Currently Operating Under a Continuing Resolution; Podcast Episodes Discuss the Hidden Curriculum for Early-Career Researchers
Dr. Monica Bertagnolli Is the New NIH Director; Attend Webinar for DEIA Excellence Supplemental Awards; Prepare Now for Upcoming Opportunity on Systems Modeling; Register for Native American Health Research Webinar on January 25; Monthly Automated Reminders for Rejected Final FFRs
A trans-NIH committee will develop a timeline and implement changes to improve review of Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) individual fellowship applications.
The draft NIH Scientific Integrity Policy establishes the appointments of, and roles and responsibilities for, the positions of NIH Chief Scientist and Scientific Integrity Official.
Join NIH Webinar on Subaward Rules and Procedures; Eligibility Window for F30 Applicants Is 48 Months from Matriculation; Attend NIAID Workshop on Approaches to Bacteria Antigen Discovery; Answer a Pair of RFIs from NIH’s Office of Data Science Strategy; Change to Organization Eligibility for STRONG Funding Opportunity
You can use our new tool to search across millions of public datasets to find infectious and immune-mediated disease data for reuse and reanalysis.
The Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers program supports researchers from diverse backgrounds through individual postdoctoral career transition awards and institutionally-focused research education cooperative agreements.
For help while you draft your application, consider recruiting colleagues from your institution and other scientific peers to volunteer to provide feedback on your application.
Survey results show that over 90 percent of reviewers reported the training modules were effective and they felt better prepared to take action afterwards.
NIH’s Continuous Submission Policy allows appointed members of review and advisory groups to submit applications to certain notices of funding opportunities after the standard deadline.
NIH’s Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) held its most recent meeting on June 8 and 9, 2023. ACD members provide recommendations on program development, resource allocation, NIH administrative regulation, and other aspects of NIH policy.
NIH requests ideas for biomedical and behavioral research challenges and opportunities that may be of interest to the Common Fund for future investment.
NIH tasks peer reviewers with identifying the most promising trainees as well as excellent, individualized training programs that will help them become outstanding scientists.
NIH will employ and support up to five exceptional early-stage investigators who have not yet achieved tenure at a research institution.
The National Library of Medicine based ClinicalTrials.gov modernization efforts on user feedback to improve how visitors search, view, and download information about clinical trials.
NIH will allow applicants to submit preliminary data as post-submission materials for new applications (Type 1) if the notice of funding opportunity uses the R01, R03, or R21 activity codes and allows preliminary data.
You may be able to anticipate which standing review group and primary reviewers are most likely to review your application, then write to fit your reviewers' areas of scientific focus and levels of understanding.
Share your thoughts on the roles and responsibilities of academic postdocs, including challenges in recruitment, retention, and quality of life of postdoctoral trainees.
NIAID invites information and recommendations to enhance DEIA across the Institute’s funded activities, such as strategies to address any systematic and structural barriers to receiving NIAID research funding that may exist.
NIAID uses paylines as funding cutoff points for certain types of investigator-initiated grant applications. Last week, NIAID updated the interim paylines for research projects (R01), small grants (R03), and exploratory/developmental grants (R21).
The NIH Grants Policy Statement provides up-to-date policy instruction that serves as the standard terms and conditions of award for NIH grants, as well as guidance for applicants pursuing an NIH grant.
The initiative is part of NIH's comprehensive approach to help small business innovation research and small business technology transfer grant recipients commercialize healthcare technologies and services.
NIH Medical Scientist Partnership Program scholars will complete their clinical degree training at their desired clinical degree school and conduct the PhD portion of their training in research laboratories in the NIH Intramural Research Program.
To expedite processing of eligible administrative supplement requests, NIH now offers an option for signing officials to bypass the standard 2-business day application viewing window.
NIAID participates in four Loan Repayment Programs, specifically those for clinical research, pediatric research, health disparities research, and research in emerging areas critical to human health.
To help researchers address privacy considerations when sharing human research participant data, NIH issued two notices that supplement the new Data Management and Sharing Policy.
For applications due on or after January 25, 2023, you should create a single Data Management and Sharing Plan that incorporates your genomic data sharing plans for the project.
As directed by the White House, NIH will revise its public access policy to enable researchers, clinicians, students, and the public to access research results immediately upon publication.
Grantee organizations should review and verify the accuracy of their grant assignments for Departments or Components within Organizations of Higher Education in eRA Commons.
For receipt dates on or after January 25, 2023, grant and cooperative agreement applicants must provide data management and sharing plans as a standard requirement of the new FORMS-H application form set.
The Roster Index lists past and present study sections, integrated review groups, and special emphasis panels. eRA’s update provides options to filter the table of review groups, export, and print.
Review data that show NIH has increased the number of research project grant awards in recent years, despite increases in nominal costs due to inflationary pressures.
Our scientific review officers often seek reviewers for Special Emphasis Panels to score grant applications or contract proposals submitted in response to NIAID’s solicited funding initiatives and programs.
Help improve NIH’s understanding of potential research funding, priority setting, administrative practices, and strategies that could encourage or facilitate equitable global health research.
Submit feedback to help NIH’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare gather input on flexibilities available to Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees conducting semiannual reviews.
NIH seeks input from the broader scientific research community on opportunities, challenges, methods, approaches, and technologies to enable the future study of health and science communication.
Although the website has a new homepage layout and labels some sections differently, rest assured that eRA’s guidance for applicants, grantees, and reviewers remains unchanged.
Comment on research gaps, clinical practice needs, and research priorities at the intersection of women’s health concerns and SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 illness, and post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
We hope to gain insight into the current research landscape on sex differences in radiation injury, and specifically learn about challenges and gaps in the field.
NIH seeks input on draft Supplemental Information to the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing (DMS Policy) to promote responsible management and sharing of American Indian/Alaska Native participant data under the DMS Policy.
NIAID invites community and stakeholder feedback on a strategic plan to advance research and development of a vaccine for the fungal infection coccidioidomycosis.
Create an innovative influenza research proposal that advances the NIAID mission of pandemic preparedness and response, and aligns with the goals and unmet needs of one of the Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response.
The draft Strategic Plan outlines three goals—to build, disseminate, and act on empirical, data-driven evidence to advance scientific workforce diversity—as well as how to leverage corresponding objectives and tactics to achieve each of these goals.
Send suggestions and feedback on NIH's Plan to improve understanding of hepatitis B biology, develop tools and resources, and create hepatitis B cure and prevention strategies.
NIH invites community feedback on upcoming efforts to develop and implement a set of minimum core common data elements for NIH-funded clinical research and trials.
NIH’s Office of AIDS Research will use its next Strategic Plan as a basis for developing the NIH HIV research budget, outlining HIV research priorities, and conveying information about NIH HIV research priorities to the scientific community.
The direct salary for individuals under NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards cannot exceed “Executive Level II” of the Federal Executive pay scale. Effective January 1, 2024, the salary limitation for Executive Level II is $221,900.
NIAID Is Operating Under a Continuing Resolution; Bookmark Helpful NIH SEED Resources for Small Businesses; Prepare Now for Opportunity on Cell and Gene Therapies for HIV Cure; Watch Webinar to Hone Applications for DEIA Supplements
The initiative is designed for early-stage investigators who want to initiate a research project in an area different from their previous research focus or training experience, and therefore have not produced preliminary data.
Prepare for Opportunity to Advance MCM Development for AMR Bacteria and Fungi; Submit Annual Reports to OLAW by December 1, 2023; Provide Feedback on HIV and Women’s Health, Consent Language for Digital Technologies.
An at-risk investigator has had substantial, independent NIH funding as a principal investigator and, unless successful in securing a substantial research grant award in the current fiscal year, will have no substantial research grant funding in the following fiscal year.
Be sure your Research Performance Progress Report encapsulates the most recent project period with a fresh summary. If your report text seems identical to last year, your program officer will worry there's been a lack of progress.
Stream Our Advisory Council Meeting on September 11 with NIH Videocast; Answer RFI on Dual Use Research of Concern and Potential Pandemic Pathogens Oversight; Provide Feedback on a Meaningful Adjustment to NIH’s Mission Statement; Help NIH Address Safety for Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules
The most recent analysis found a continual increase in the proportion of applications designating either female or underrepresented minority early-stage investigators both before and after the pandemic.
In which areas of biomedical research could novel alternative methods provide investigators with new means to answer key research questions in ways that cannot be accomplished currently through traditional methods like animal models?
A new resource from eRA describes red flags that users commonly encounter when using the Human Subjects System to report, view, and update a project’s human subjects enrollment, inclusion, and clinical trial data.
NIH’s Office of Research on Women’s Health offers training modules, videos, and other tools to instruct biomedical researchers on properly accounting for sex as a biological variable.
Share feedback on NIH's Herpes Simplex Virus Strategic Plan and its prioirities for basic research, diagnosis, treatment, cure, and prevention by June 21, 2023.
There are several types of concerns a researcher might need to report to NIH during the application process or while conducting NIH-supported research, from grant scams to research misconduct to peer-review integrity violations.
Be careful not to over-cite publications, such as preprints, as well as training- and resource-type awards. If an award’s only contribution to a publication is non-personnel resources, do not list the paper.
Federal income/excess profits taxes are strictly not allowable charges to NIH awards, either as direct or facilities and administrative costs. However, the small business fee may be used to pay for a tax liability.
NIH drafted a Public Access Plan that would alter the NIH Public Access Policy to reflect new priorities identified in a White House Office of Science and Technology Policy memorandum.
Start with NIH’s extensive guidance; a new page features sample data management and sharing plans and the frequently asked questions page explains how to account for data management and sharing in your budget.
To ensure a strong and diverse workforce and better understand workforce composition and participation in NIH programs, NIH regularly assesses the sex/gender, race, ethnicity,and disability status of its supported researchers.
HHS offers guidance on how to administer your program in compliance with applicable Civil Rights laws, e.g., sex discrimination and harassment, disability, and religious freedom.
In each 10- to 20-minute episode, podcast hosts in NIH's Office of Extramural Research discuss the ins and outs of research funding with NIH staff experts.
Recognizing lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new request for information solicits feedback on how to strengthen the capacity of clinical trial infrastructure and emergency trials.
The refreshed website will help foster a transdisciplinary community of biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and computational scientists working to accelerate research in NIAID's mission areas.
Your organization's annual vertebrate animal report should cover the 2022 fiscal year, and your institutional official must send the signed report by December 1, 2022.
A virtual workshop will define the U.S. and global burden and epidemiology of herpes simplex virus, and then identify gaps and research opportunities in vaccines, therapeutics, prevention, and diagnostics development.
Dr. Michael Lauer, NIH’s Deputy Director for Extramural Research, shared example cases of extramural researchers who intimidated, bullied, or made verbal threats directed at NIH staff.
Begining October 1, 2022, all Assured institutions, including those with expiring waivers, must conduct semiannual animal facility inspections as scheduled and required by Public Health Service policy.
Learn how NIH, based on Tribal Consultation feedback, plans to share American Indian and Alaska Native clinical data through the National COVID Cohort Collaborative platform.
Beginning January 25, 2023, NIH will require grant applicants to submit a data management and sharing plan outlining how scientific data and any accompanying metadata will be managed and shared.
NIH has policies in place that require disclosure of scientific overlap in separate applications, including those pending support, as demonstrated in a recent peer review integrity case study.
Provide feedback on how researchers should consider whether to control access to scientific data from participants, even if de-identified and lacking explicit limitations on subsequent use.
Learn about current requirements outlined by statutory provisions to restrict certain uses of funds from NIH grant, cooperative agreement, and contract awards for fiscal year 2022.  
Explore NIAID’s digital ecosystem to collate clinical, bacterial genomic, and medical imaging data from tuberculosis patient cases to facilitate data exploration and analysis.
HHS's Payment Management System will pre-populate the cash transaction section using real-time cash expenses and adjust recipient-reported disbursements to equal cash advance drawdowns on all non-closed subaccounts.
Join us for a webinar on April 19, 2022, to discuss the review process for small business innovation research and small business technology transfer grant applications.
The policy requires NIH institute and center Advisory Councils to provide additional consideration for new and renewal applications from already well-supported principal investigators.
The AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), an NIAID-supported network, seeks proposals for small clinical trials that can help identify new strategies to address HIV remission and cure.
The Small Business Administration raised its hard cap (total cost) limits for Phase I and II Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer grant awards.
Attend Research Education Program Webinar on April 4, Apply by June 7; Public Access Policy Webpages Are on the Move; A Note on the Next NIH Grants Policy Statement Release
NIAID is hosting a virtual grant writing webinar series called “Debuting Your Research Career: How to Plan for and Write Your First (or Next) NIH Grant Application.” This monthly webinar series is free and open to pre- and post-doctoral fellows, clinician-scientists, and early-career investigators.
Simplified Review Criteria Will Receive a Soft Launch; Provide Input on HIV Research Priorities Before March 28, 2024; Attend Virtual Seminar on Opportunities for Early-Career Researchers; NIH Has a YouTube Channel for Grants Policy Discussions
Tune in for NIAID Advisory Council Meeting on January 30, 2024; Attend NIH Office of Extramural Research Webinar on Grants Policy Changes; eRA Commons ID Required for Senior/Key Personnel, Other Significant Contributors; Offer Feedback on the NIH Strategic Plan for Data Science
I-Corps Deadlines and Dates for FY 2024 Cohorts Announced; Materials from CHIVIM Clinical Studies and Trials Available; Small Business Collaboration with Resource-Limited Institutions.
Respond to a request for information on Potential Changes to the Policies for Oversight of Dual Use Research of Concern and the Potential Pandemic Pathogen Care and Oversight Policy Framework by October 16, 2023.
Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo Selected as NIAID’s Next Director; Collaborate with the AIDS Clinical Trials Group on HIV Remission and Cure; Stream Scientific Meeting on Congenital Cytomegalovirus Vaccine Research
The Cumulative Investigator Rate is calculated as the number of unique principal investigators (PIs) who were designated on an NIH research project grant divided by the number of unique PIs who were designated on applications over a 5-year period.
FDA and HHS’s Office for Human Research Protections published Draft Guidance to help stakeholders understand the processes used for review of research involving children as subjects that is not otherwise approvable by an IRB.
NIH supports many postdocs and graduate students through the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Program, which includes fellowship (“F”) and training (“T”) awards.
Grantees must complete a Federal Financial Report either annually or at the end of an award’s project period, as determined by whether the grant is under the streamlined noncompeting award process.
NIAID expired Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Opportunities for HIV Cure Interventions at the Time of ART Initiation.
Examine the number of R01-equivalent applications submitted by early-stage investigators over corresponding six-month periods, sorted demographically into gender and underrepresented minority groups.
NIH’s Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) provides recommendations on program development, resource allocation, NIH administrative regulation, and other aspects of NIH policy.
An NIH program officer may nominate your R01 application for R56-Bridge award consideration based on the innovation, merit, and programmatic importance of your proposed research.
In June, NIAID is hosting a two-day product development virtual workshop to assist academic groups and small start-ups in all stages of antimicrobial product development.
Nominees should be early-stage investigators who have made substantial, outstanding research contributions in areas related to sexual and gender minority health and are poised to become future leaders in the field.
NIH published a pair of notices extending policy exceptions meant to help investigators continue research and alleviate application hardships during the pandemic.
Attend Seminar on How Diversity Impacts Innovation in Team Science; New Visual Appearance Planned for Popular eRA Modules
NIH Natural Disaster Policy Applies to Recent Weather Events; Confirm Accuracy of Grants Information for Fiscal Year 2023; Share Feedback on Proposed Guidelines for Cephalopod Care and Use
NIH is considering revisions to the Public Access Policy following calls from the White House to enhance public access to the results of federally funded research. NIH’s Office of Science Policy will host a listening session on April 12, 2023.
The prize competition will acknowledge and reward transformative interventions developed by institutions to create research environments that promote and value diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).
A scheduled update could disrupt completion of in-progress Research Performance Progress Report budget forms if not submitted before June 22, 2022.
NIAID is cohosting an Advances in Aging, Immunity, and Chronic Inflammatory Diseases workshop on May 9 and 10, 2023. The workshop will be hybrid, meaning there are options to attend in person or virtually.
Provide information to help the National Science and Technology Council improve inclusive and equitable access to federal programs and resources.
A note for those conducting or planning COVID-19-related vaccine or treatment clinical trials and clinical studies supported by NIAID’s fiscal year 2020 emergency pandemic appropriations.

Advice Corner

NIH’s Office of Research Infrastructure Programs supports purchases of state-of-the-art, commercially available instruments on shared-use basis to enable or enhance conduct of cutting-edge research by NIH-funded investigators.
Try to incorporate new preliminary data, literature citations, letters of reference, and any other relevant updates that came about in the months between submissions.
NIH defines a clinical trial as a research study in which one or more human subjects are prospectively assigned to one or more interventions (which may include placebo or other control) to evaluate the effects of those interventions on health-related biomedical or behavioral outcomes.
Any recipient of federal support and the information they submit to the government is subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Within eRA’s Prior Approval Module, a variety of templates exist to facilitate the most common request types: carryover, change of investigator, no-cost extension, big grants, and withdrawal.
If you are planning a delayed start to a human subjects study but wrongly mark it as a delayed onset study, your application will be missing important details which may negatively affect your score.
Even successful partnerships experience disagreements and disputes. To ensure those moments don’t derail your science, you need to have an established conflict resolution plan.
Whom should you ask for help with general matters like identifying an appropriate funding opportunity or discovering available resources?
Any time you read an NIAID notice of funding opportunity, build a habit of checking whether there is an associated questions and answers page.
Overlap may be scientific, budgetary, or commitment related. To resolve concerns around overlap, you’ll need to provide information as part of the Just-in-Time (JIT) process that occurs after peer review, when NIAID is considering the application for funding.
You may ask your institutional business office for preaward spending approval to cover costs up to 90 days before the start date of the initial budget period of a new or renewal award.
The NIH inclusion policy ensures that children must be included in all NIH-conducted human subjects research unless there are scientific or ethical reasons for exclusion.
Request a budget sufficient to make your proposed project successful. Do not risk peer reviewers judging your costs insufficient to the work or deeming you naive to the price of conducting successful research.
Our career development award programs support postdoctoral scholars and scientists at early- and mid-career stages, including those from diverse backgrounds or returning to biomedical careers.
To be eligible, you must be a doctoral-level clinician or researcher who is committed to conducting NIH-relevant research at a domestic, non-profit, or government organization.
When you’re ready to publicize your scientific discoveries, let NIAID help spread the word. Through a variety of communication vehicles, our News and Science Writing Branch highlights the work of NIAID-funded researchers.
While many NIAID careers require expertise specific to our area of science, other positions don’t require an advanced or scientific degree. 
NIH grant recipients have 120 days from the end of a performance period to liquidate obligations by drawing funds from the Payment Management System.
We cover role-related terms that have caused confusion like co-investigator, collaborator, consultant, other significant contributor, and staff scientist.
Collaborators may use different types of agreements to facilitate partnerships, including research collaboration agreements, material transfer agreements, and data transfer agreements.
Know how to respond if you get the error message “Data Management and Sharing Costs can only be entered on one of the lines in Section F Other Direct Costs within the same budget period."
In practice, most mentees need a developmental mentoring network that consists of multiple social relationships each fostering career development and personal growth.
Foreign applications need to propose talent, resources, populations, or environmental conditions not in the United States, e.g., access to a unique study population.
In order to spend unobligated funds from an earlier budget period during a no-cost extension, absent automatic carryover authority, you first need to confirm NIAID’s prior approval of a carryover.
The eligibility of a principal investigator differs from that of an institution. This is important in the context of fellowships and career development awards, where non-citizens may be working at U.S. institutions, or U.S. citizens may be working at international institutions.
NIAID strongly encourages consultations to apprise principal investigators of the time, cost, and regulatory obligations that come with seeking and receiving an investigator-initiated clinical trial award.
NIH expects researchers to use unbiased and well-controlled experimental design, methodology, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of results.
Use the Human Subjects System to electronically report, view, and update human subjects enrollment, inclusion, and clinical trial data for your NIH applications and grants.
Your application is not improved by identifying scientists who aren't significantly advising or participating in your proposed project, and you may inadvertently create conflicts of interest for peer review.
Within a no-cost extension (NCE), your project’s originally approved scope cannot change. That means you may not use an NCE to pursue a new line of investigation at the twilight of a project period.
Each funding opportunity announcement has an Eligibility section that indicates whether foreign institutions, foreign components of U.S. institutions, or foreign components are allowed to apply.
Overlap may be scientific, budget, or commitment related. To resolve concerns around overlap, you’ll need to provide Other Support information as part of the Just-in-Time process.
The letters’ text should demonstrate your significant contributors' commitment and summarize the agreements you have in place to support your proposed research project.
Contract solicitations likely to generate scientific data will include proposal instructions that direct offerors to submit a Data Management and Sharing Plan to the funding institute as part of the technical proposal.
NIH allows childcare costs for dependent children living in the eligible full-time appointed predoctoral or postdoctoral trainee’s home from birth until the age of 13 or, for children who are disabled, until age 18.
NIH recently posted a new Stipend and Salary Questions and Answers section to help clarify common points of confusion. It covers funding levels, salary and fringe benefits, stipend levels by year, rebudgeting, and other topics.
If you find a limited competition of interest but your organization is not invited to apply, devise an investigator-initiated application in the same scientific field and apply through a parent announcement.
Have you ever wondered what it means when NIH staff or publications refer to a grant application as “type 2” or “type 5”? The type of application matters for your due dates, submission requirements, and relevant NIH rules.
Research Education Program (R25) and Short-Term Institutional Research Training (T35) grants both offer five-year awards to supplement established training and education programs with part-time educational opportunities.
Institutions should possess values and behaviors that emphasize safety in both the laboratory and clinical setting, and those who are working in labs must take safety seriously and take precautions to protect themselves.
If your study qualifies as a clinical trial, you need to apply to an appropriate funding opportunity announcement and complete the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information section.
You can request some prior approvals using the Prior Approval Module in the eRA Commons. Make your request at least 30 days before you want it to take effect.
If you plan to change institutions, plan well ahead for your ongoing award's corresponding transfer, not after you have moved to the new institution or just before your project ends.
Trainees and instructors, get a quick overview of recent updates to NIH’s responsible conduct of research policy and new recommendations for your instruction in the 2022 to 2023 academic year.
Three new high-scoring, successful G11 samples reflect excellent grantsmanship and serve as educational resources for other applicants and award administrators.
The Plan To Promote Safe Environments should detail how conference organizers will ensure a safe and respectful setting for all attendees by providing an environment free from discrimination and harassment.
Whenever you plan research project changes that would shift your research emphasis from one disease area to another, the action likely indicates a change in scope and you thus need to follow NIAID's prior approval procedures.
Learn the reasons why the approved budget listed in your Notice of Award may differ from what you requested in your application.
Do you know what to do if you ever spot potential misconduct such as plagiarism, misuse of NIH funds, harassment, human subjects at risk, or other similar issues at an NIH awardee institution?
Write your application to both impress your assigned reviewers and explain your proposed research clearly and concisely to the remaining study section members.
NIAID cannot correct an error spotted in your application after the receipt deadline on your behalf, even if an overlooked content error would render your application nonresponsive to an initiative's requirements.
Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories is an advisory document recommending best practices for safely conducting work in biomedical and clinical laboratories from a biosafety perspective.

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Email us at deaweb@niaid.nih.gov for help navigating NIAID’s grant and contract policies and procedures.