High Priority, Short Term Project Award (R56)

Purpose

This support is designed to enable the principal investigator to gather additional data to revise a new or competing renewal application. It helps early career stage scientists trying to establish research careers and experienced scientists who can benefit from interim funding while they revise their applications. 

Application Selection for Conversion to R56 Award

Competing applications prepared and submitted in accordance with NIH procedures, are peer reviewed, assigned a priority score, and receive a percentile rating. The institute or center can nominate applications for conversion to an R56 from the pool of R01 applications pending award for the current fiscal year. Nominees for the award must be in the most meritorious half of the priority or percentile range and are selected based on the scientifically creative and innovative approaches that meet the mission of the institute or center. Previously approved, but inactivated, applications from this time period may be considered and, if awarded, will be converted to an R56 award.

Special Considerations

• Are you an early stage investigator (ESI)?
  • If all the PD/PIs on an R01 (or R01-equivalent, including R56) application have ESI status on the date an application is submitted, the application will be flagged as ESI and will receive special consideration during the review and funding process. See Early Stage Investigator (ESI) Policies to learn more.

Organization Eligibility

• Only applicable to R01 applications from domestic organizations.

 

Award Information

• Funding Instrument: Grant
• Funding Category: Research and Development
• Budget Mechanism Code: RP - Research Projects

• Award amounts can range up to the requested level and are funded with indirect costs at the negotiated rate.
• If a revised competing application is funded while an R56 award is active, the balance of the R56 Award will be deducted from the total approved amount of the competing award.
• Limited to two years
• Not renewable

Application and Submission Information

• Applicants do not apply for High Priority, Short-Term Project Award (R56) awards. Recipients of R56 awards are selected by institute and center staff from R01 applications that fall at or near the payline margins. 
• Recipients are encouraged to revise and resubmit their original competing application at the earliest convenient date to be considered for future funding. Standard resubmission guidelines apply. 
• A final research performance progress report (RPPR), final federal financial report (FFR), and final invention statement (HHS 568) are required 120 days after the end of the R56 award period. The progress report must identify those portions of the original proposal pursued with the R56 Award. If the recipient is successful with a subsequent application, a final invention statement is not required.