These resources can be valuable as you write a National Institutes of Health application.
How to Apply -- Application Guide: Use the application instructions found on this page along with the guidance in the funding opportunity announcement to submit grant applications to NIH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. All current versions of the SF424 Application Guide are available.
Annotated Form Sets: The documents are a visual resource for understanding many of the business rule checks NIH will run against your submitted application.
Preparing Your Application Using ASSIST: The Application Submission System & Interface for Submission Tracking (ASSIST) system is used to prepare and submit grant applications electronically to NIH and other Public Health Service agencies. Check out this step by step guide for using ASSIST.
Grants.gov Workspace Training: Applicant Training: Whether you need a high-level introduction to the Grants.gov application process, or you are looking for a step-by-step explanation of a particular applicant task, consult the resources on this page.
Grants Process Overview: Learn about the steps required for an application to proceed from planning and submission through to award and closeout.
Write Your Application: This information may assist you in developing a strong application that allows reviewers to better evaluate the science and merit of your proposal. This page provides tips for demonstrating to reviewers and NIH staff the high quality of the personnel involved in you project and documenting resources and institutional support of the project. Information is provided for new investigators and foreign applicants, as well.
How to Apply -- Video Tutorials: This four-part series will walk you through the basics of preparing, writing, and submitting an NIH application.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: Sample Applications & More: Check out NIAID's sample applications and summary statements. Below the list of applications, you'll also find example forms, sharing plans, letters, emails, and more.
NIH All About Grants Podcasts: The Office of Extramural Research (OER) talks to NIH staff members about the ins and outs of NIH funding. Designed for investigators, fellows, students, research administrators, and others just curious about the application and award process, we provide insights on grant topics from those who live and breathe the information.
Grant Writing Webinar Series for Institutions Building Research and Research Training Capacity: This webinar series is designed for faculty and sponsored programs/research development personnel at institutions building research and research training capacity. During the webinars, NIH shares suggestions for navigating the process of seeking NIH funding. You will also learn considerations for determining research idea and grant writing readiness, selecting opportunities to apply for, effectively writing your grant application and seeking appropriate feedback.
Biosketch Format Pages, Instructions and Samples: This page includes instructions on completing the biosketch, a sample biographical sketch, and frequently asked questions. A summary of changes to the format for January 2022 can be found in Sponsored Programs Administration's Biosketch Cheat Sheet.
NIH Pre-award and Post-award Disclosures Relating to the Biographical Sketch and Other Support: NIH requires the disclosure of all sources of research support, foreign components, and financial conflicts of interest. NIH uses this information when making its funding decisions to determine if the research being proposed is receiving other sources of funding that could be duplicative, has the necessary time allocation, or if financial interests may affect objectivity in the conduct of the research. This table details what you should disclose in both the biographical sketch and the Other Support document.
NIH has released a new Data Management and Sharing Policy applicable to grants and other funding mechanisms submitted or executed on January 25, 2023, and after. Information on the policy and its implementation, as well as resources to help with writing the plan and budgeting for its cost in grant applications, are available at the following links:
Authentication of Key Biological and/or Chemical Resources Plan Examples: Wondering how to translate NIH's application instructions to successfully demonstrate rigor in your application? Learn more about how to prepare a rigorous application with authentication plan examples.
Rigor and Reproducibility: Scientific rigor and transparency in conducting biomedical research is key to the successful application of knowledge toward improving health outcomes. The information provided on this website is designed to assist the extramural community in addressing rigor and transparency in NIH grant applications and progress reports.
NIH: Develop Your Budget: Here you'll find tips and reminders NIH has found to be helpful for preparing a research grant application, mainly geared towards the SF424 (R&R) application.
NIH: How Do You Convert Percent Effort into Person Months?: A step-by-step guide on converting percent effort into person months when working on an NIH budget.
NIH Frequently Asked Questions: Usage of Person Months: More guidance on this important budget item.
NIH: Frequently Asked Questions about Senior/Key Personnel: Learn about the difference between subawardees, consultants, other significant contributors, and more.
General Guidelines for Authorship Contributions: This chart can help you determine whether someone's contribution to a manuscript means they should be considered an author. It can also help determine whom should be included as key personnel on a grant proposal.
NCBI PMCID/PMID/MSID/DOI Converter: If you have a standard identifier (PMCID, PMID, Manuscript ID or DOI) for an article in PMC and would like to find the other unique identifiers that apply to the article, you have the option of using the ID Converter tool (below) or the ID Converter API. PMCID numbers are required in NIH biographical sketches and references.
Clinical Trial Requirements for Grants and Contracts: NIH has launched a series of initiatives to enhance the accountability and transparency of clinical research. These initiatives target key points along the whole clinical trial lifecycle from concept to results reporting. Learn more about these changes and how they will affect your research.
NIH Notice NOT-OD-19-083: Update to the NIH/AHRQ/NIOSH Policy on Post-Submission Materials: This notice updates and clarifies the NIH, AHRQ, and NIOSH policy for post-submission materials for applications submitted for due dates on or after May 25, 2019. Post-submission materials are those submitted after submission of the grant application but prior to initial peer review.
NIH Frequently Asked Questions: Post-Submission Materials Policy: Learn what you can (and can?t) submit to NIH as post-submission materials for a grant application.
CSR Peer Review Videos: CSR has produced a series of videos to give you an inside look at how scientists from across the country review NIH grant applications for scientific and technical merit. New and established applicants will find insights and understanding that can empower them to improve the applications and increase their chances for receiving a more positive review.
Setting Up and Using Login.gov for eRA Commons: To make eRA user accounts more secure with two-factor authentication (also known as multi-factor authentication), eRA has move to the use of Login.gov. This option shoudl be used instead of an eRA account username and password to access eRA modules. The document linked here includes detailed steps and screenshots for the initial setup and ongoing use of Login.gov for eRA Commons.
Respond to Pre-Award Requests ("Just-in-Time"): Some important time-sensitive information isn?t part of your application. Instead, you prepare it separately and send it before award, a process called just-in-time (JIT). Learn how to interpret the NIH and NIAID JIT information requests, whether you need to send JIT information, what information to prepare, and finally how to send it.
NIH Other Support Page: Information on other active and pending support may be requested (often as part of Just-in-Time procedures for grant applications or in progress reports) to ensure there is no scientific, budgetary, or commitment overlap. "Other Support" is sometimes referred to as "current and pending support" or "active and pending support." Instructions, blank format pages, and sample Other Support documents are included.
Frequently Asked Questions: Other Support and Foreign Components: The NIH and its individual Institutes/Centers offer an array of Frequently Asked Questions (and Answers) in response to inquiries on disclosing other support and foreign components in research grants.
