National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

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Mission Statement

The NIGMS Mission is to support basic research that increases our understanding of biological processes and lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. NIGMS also supports research in specific clinical areas that affect multiple organ systems: anesthesiology and peri-operative pain; clinical pharmacology common to multiple drugs and treatments; and injury, critical illness, sepsis, and wound healing. NIGMS-funded scientists investigate how living systems work at a range of levels—from molecules and cells to tissues and organs—in research organisms, humans, and populations. Additionally, to ensure the vitality and continued productivity of the research enterprise, NIGMS provides leadership in supporting the training of future scientists and developing research capacity throughout the country.

Interest Areas

General Topics

NIGMS supports fundamental research to uncover the basic principles, mechanisms, and processes that underlie living organisms, without a focus on specific diseases, organs, life stages, or populations. NIGMS also supports the development of fundamental methods and new technologies to achieve its mission. Supported research may utilize specific cells or organ systems if they serve as models for understanding general principles. Research with the overall goal to gain knowledge about a specific organ or organ system or the pathophysiology, treatment, or cure of a specific disease or condition will, in most cases, be more appropriate for another institute or center. 

Scientific Topics

  • Multi-scale computational modeling, bioinformatics, and biostatistics
  • Technology development for biomedical research
  • Biophysics of proteins, nucleic acids, membranes and their complexes
  • Anesthesia, pain, drug metabolism, inflammatory responses, critical care, organ physiology, drug delivery, sepsis, and wound healing
  • Cellular and molecular processes
  • Chemical synthesis, catalysis, chemical probes, natural products, and glycosciences
  • Cells and cellular component structure and function
  • Mechanisms of inheritance
  • Gene expression and development
  • Clinical Trials (with limitations and further considerations) in:
    • anesthesiology
    • clinical pharmacology
    • injury and critical illness
    • sepsis
    • wound healing

Other Topics

  • Research, infrastructure improvements, and research workforce development in states and institutions across the U.S. that do not receive high levels of NIH funding
  • Training and biomedical research workforce development, including:
    • dual-degree clinician scientist research training
    • training opportunities at federally recognized Tribal entities
    • fellowship programs for clinician scientists
    • individual predoctoral and postdoctoral and institutional basic biomedical research training programs
  • Research, research training, and workforce development meetings and conferences 

Assistance Listing

Assistance listings are detailed public descriptions of federal programs used across government agencies that provide grants, loans, scholarships, insurance, and other types of assistance awards. They are maintained in the System for Award Management (SAM) and can be used to search for opportunities in Grants.gov.

View NIGMS Assistance Listing Numbers

  • 93.859 - Biomedical Research and Research Training

Funding Opportunities and Notices

Search for NIGMS’s funding opportunities and notices

ICO Funding Policies and Considerations

Visit NIH Fiscal Policies for NIH-wide information on appropriations and other budgetary information (salary limits, stipends, tuition/fees) and Funding Decisions to learn about NIH's consistent and unified approach for making funding decisions.

NIGMS Funding Policies and Considerations builds on that general information.

Additional Information by Funding Category

Administrative Supplements
In addition to our Administrative Supplements overview, consider the following NIGMS-specific information.
Administrative Supplement Interest Areas:
  • Acquisition of a single unit of equipment for the benefit of the project's research plan.
    • For RPGs, the direct costs may not exceed $250,000.
    • For centers and resources, direct costs should not exceed $250,000 without prior consultation with the assigned Program Officer (PO).
    • If requesting a partial amount of the purchase price, explain how the balance of funds will be provided from institutional/other sources via a letter of support.
    • This type of supplement cannot be made in the first year of a new award and generally will not be made in the final year.
  • Modernization of IDeA CTR clinical trial and human subjects management software systems, electronic health record systems interoperability .
  • Enhancements of the IDeA CTR practice-based research networks (PBRNs), particularly electronic health record systems.
  • Consolidation of core facilities supported by IDeA COBRE, INBRE, and CTR grants

For questions about eligibility, please contact your PO(s) prior to submitting applications.

Administrative Supplement Due Dates:

Applicants are encouraged to submit requests on or before April 18th to be considered for the current fiscal year. Requests received after April 18th may not be considered until the next fiscal year.

Administrative Supplement Contact:

Program Contact:

The Program Officer listed on the NoA of the most recent parent award.

 

Grants management Contact:

The Grants Management Specialist or Grants Management Officer listed on the NoA of the most recent parent award.

Conferences and Meetings
In addition to our Conferences and Meetings overview, consider the following NIGMS-specific information.
Conferences and Meetings Interest Areas:
  • NIGMS will only support conferences or meetings that:
    • Are focused on basic biomedical research and research training topics closely aligned with NIGMS’ central mission and interests, and
      • Include participants and speakers who do not frequently interact in other venues, and
      • Are held at domestic sites.
  • NIGMS will consider support for meetings that focus on research training and/or workforce development or are in support of programs that build research capacity.
  • NIGMS anticipates funding very few conference or meeting grants. Simply because a meeting falls within the general areas of science or training and workforce development supported by NIGMS does not mean that the Institute will support the meeting. NIGMS rarely supports an R13 application as a secondary assignment.
Conferences and Meetings Budget Considerations:
  • In general, NIGMS support for meetings and conferences is limited to under $10,000.
Conferences and Meetings Key Date Considerations:
  • The earliest start date for an award must be prior to the meeting start date.
  • Apply early to provide at least 10 months before the meeting start date.
Conferences and Meetings Project Period Considerations:
  • Meetings funded by NIGMS may be awarded for up to 5 years. NIGMS does not support recurring or potentially recurring meetings except for those that focus on research training, workforce development, or research capacity building.
Conferences and Meetings Contacts:

NIGMS DEA Mailbox

[email protected]

Small Business
In addition to our Small Business overview, consider the following NIGMS-specific information.
Small Business Interest Areas:

NIGMS supports the development of technologies to address complex and interdisciplinary research questions in i) basic research, ii) clinical areas that impact multiple organs systems and iii) biomedical workforce development/training through educational activities, that may require additional resources.

Phase IIB & Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP):
  • NIGMS accepts Phase IIB SBIR projects
  • NIGMS accepts Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) projects
Clinical Trials:
  • NIGMS accepts clinical trials through the SBIR programs
  • NIGMS accepts clinical trials through the STTR programs
  • NIGMS accepts clinical trials through the Phase IIB SBIR program
  • NIGMS accepts clinical trials through the Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP)
Small Business Contact:

NIGMS Small Business Program
[email protected]

 

NIGMS Grants Administration Branch
[email protected]

See Also

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

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