Notice Number: NOT-OD-19-107

Key Dates
Release Date: June 14, 2019

Issued by
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH)

Purpose

This Notice informs the extramural community that NIH is expanding and formalizing the use of Notices of Special Interest (NOSI) posted in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts to announce interest in specific scientific research topics.

NIH currently has a large number of non-parent program announcements (PAs) with standard submission and review requirements that vary from one another only in the scientific topics highlighted. These PAs will be phased out over time and will be replaced with Notices of Special Interest that direct applicants to use one of the parent or other existing announcements for submission. This change in no way diminishes our interest in these scientific topics. It simply streamlines how we announce our interests. We will continue to post full funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) for requests for applications (RFAs), program announcements with special receipt/referral/review considerations (PARs), and program announcements with set-aside funds (PASs).

Notices of Special Interest

• Succinctly highlight a specific topic of interest, for example a specific area of research or program
• Direct applicants to one or more active FOAs (often parent announcements) for submission of applications for the initiative described

As always, applicants must follow guidance found in the FOA used for submission and the How to Apply Application Guide. Applicants must also adhere to any additional submission guidance described in the Notice of Special Interest. Applications that are not responsive to the NOSI may be withdrawn. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Program Official listed on the NOSI for clarification prior to submission.

Most Notices of Special Interest require applicants to include the notice number in the Agency Routing Identifier field (4b) of the SF424 (R&R) form so NIH can assign and track applications and awards for the described initiative. It is critical that applicants adhere to this notice instruction. The notice number must be included in the Agency Routing Identifier field (field 4b on the SF424 R&R form) at the time of application submission.

We are updating our Weekly NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices emails which summarize postings in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts to include a special section highlighting Notices of Special Interest (subscribe). For more information, please see frequently asked questions (FAQs) here.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

NIH Office of the Guide for Grants and Contracts
Office of Extramural Research
Email: [email protected]