NIH staff is here to help. The best people to talk with you about the scientific or administrative information in your particular application or award are in the NIH institute or center that may fund the grant. We strongly encourage you to communicate with NIH staff throughout the grant life cycle. The information on this page can help you understand the roles of NIH staff and help you contact the right person at each phase of the application and award process.
For technical assistance using our systems please contact our eRA Service Desk.
Role |
Responsibility |
When to Contact |
Where to find contact information |
---|---|---|---|
Program Officials |
Develop research and research training initiatives Write funding opportunity announcements Provide scientific guidance to investigators pre- and post-award Monitor the programmatic, scientific, and/or technical aspects of a grant Work in partnership with grants management staff on post-award administration, including review of progress reports |
To identify the right type of grant program and/or funding opportunity for you and your research For approval to submit an application with budget >$500,000 direct costs for any single year or an R13 conference grant To discuss the summary statement and outcome of review To talk about progress or scientific and administrative issues that arise with the grant after award |
When exploring NIH: Use our Matchmaker tool in RePORTER to find NIH funded grants on topics related to yours. A Program official tab identifies the program officials associated with the matched projects and includes its own filters for Institute/Center and Activity Code.
After finding an FOA:
After application submission or award: |
Scientific Review Officers |
Review applications for completeness and conformance with application requirements Ensure fair and unbiased evaluation of scientific and technical merit Provide a summary of the evaluation in the form of summary statements for applicants |
Point of contact for applicants during the review process to:
|
After finding an FOA:
After application submission: |
Grants Management Officials |
Evaluate applications for administrative content and compliance with policy Negotiate Awards Interpret grants administration policies |
To discuss financial or grants administration issues For interpretation of grants policies |
After finding an FOA:
After application submission and/or award:
|
Division of Receipt and Referral in NIH’s Center of Scientific Review |
Evaluate applications for compliance with policy Assign applications to institutes/centers or partner agencies for funding consideration Assign applications to appropriate group for initial peer review |
To identify institutes/centers at NIH or a Scientific Review Group (SRG) that might be appropriate for your application. To request a reassignment of an application to an institute, center or review group seems inappropriate, the Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) may request reassignment in writing. To officially withdraw an application from funding consideration prior to review. |
When Exploring NIH: To request reassignment or withdrawal of an application: Send an email to csrdrr@mail.nih.gov with an attached letter including: an ink signature of an authorized organization representative, name of contact PD/PI, application number, and the details of the request. |