Most NIH grant programs are research projects. These provide funds for salaries, equipment, supplies, travel, and other allowable direct and indirect costs to the sponsoring institution or organization.
Purpose
Research project grants support discrete, specified, circumscribed biomedical research and development at universities, medical and other health professional schools, colleges, hospitals, research institutes, for-profit organizations, and government institutions. Projects are performed by named project directors/principal investigators in scientific areas representing their specific interests and competencies.
Review Criteria
To find the criteria reviewers will use to evaluate your application, see Section V of your funding opportunity.
Still looking for a funding opportunity? Check out the Research Project Parent Announcements, which are broad funding opportunities allowing applicants to submit investigator-initiated applications. Parent Announcements include the minimum standard review criteria appropriate for their program.
Search for Research Projects Funding Opportunities
The NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts is NIH's official publication of notices of grant policies, guidelines, and funding opportunities.
View Current Funding OpportunitiesPrograms
The following represent frequently used research grant programs. A comprehensive list of All Activity Codes is also available.
- Small Research Grants (R03)
- Research Enhancement Awards (R15)
- Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) Cooperative Agreements (UA5)
- Research Transition Award (R00)
- Exploratory Grants (P20)
- Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
- Exploratory/Developmental Cooperative Agreement Phase I (UH2)
- Exploratory/Developmental Cooperative Agreement Phase II (UH3)
- Linked Exploratory/Development Grant (RL2)
- Exploratory/Developmental Grants Phase II (R33)
- Phase 1 Exploratory/Developmental Grant (R61)
- Phase 1 Exploratory/Developmental Cooperative Agreement (UG3)
- Research Program Projects (P01)
- Exploratory Grants (P20)
- Resource-Related Research Multi-Component Projects and Centers (P2C)
- Center Core Grants (P30)
- Animal (Mammalian and Nonmammalian) Model, and Animal and Biological Material Resource Grants (P40)
- Biotechnology Resource Grants (P41)
- Hazardous Substances Basic Research Grants Program (NIEHS) (P42)
- Specialized Center (P50)
- Primate Research Center Grants (P51)
- Comprehensive Center (P60)
- Linked Center Core Grant (PL1)
Also Consider...
- Resources—for research centers and shared resources.