PHS Assignment Information

NIH Institutes/Centers(ICs)

NIH Institutes/Centers are the funding Components of NIH. More Information about the scientific missions/Centers can be found by browsing the links in the section "Funding Components of NIH". You may also use the NIHRePORTER System for keyword searches which can identify applications funded by the various NIH Institutes/Centers.  A tool in NIHRePORTER, called "Matchmaker", allows you to paste your abstract/specific aims in a query box and get information about which NIH Institutes/Centers may have funded similar work in the past. NIH Institute/Center requests are not required.  However, if you wish to make an assignment request, please use the correct short abbreviation for that institute.

Short Abbreviation NIH Institute/Center
NCI National Cancer Institute
NEI National Eye Institute
NHLBI National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
NHGRI National Human Genome Research Institute
NIA National Institute of Aging
NIAAA National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
NIAID National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
NIAMS National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
NIBIB National Institute of Biomedical Image and Bioengineering
NICHD Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
NIDCD National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
NIDCR National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
NIDDK National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
NIDA National Institute on Drug Abuse
NIEHS National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
NIGMS National Institute of General Medical Sciences
NIMH National Institute of Mental Health
NIMHD National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
NINDS National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
NINR National Institute of Nursing Research
NLM National Library of Medicine
FIC Fogarty International Center
NCCIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
NCATS National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
ORIP Office of Research Infrastructure Programs

CDC Centers, Institutes and Offices (CIOs)

Short Abbreviation CDC Centers, Institutes and Offices
NCIRD National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD)
NCEZID National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)
NCHHSTP National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP)
NCBDDD National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD)
NCCDPHP National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
NCEH National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH)
NCIPC National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH)
NIOSH The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
CGH (Global Health) Center for Global Health (CGH)
COTPER (Terrorism)  Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response – (OPHPR)
NCHS National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)

Other Department of Health and Human Services Funding Components

With the exception of SBIR/STTR programs, applications assigned to other operating divisions (see list, below) of the Department of Health and Human Services will be reviewed there. See Section VII (Agency Contacts) section of the Funding Opportunity for additional information about these reviews.

Short Abbreviation NIH Agency Partner
AHRQ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
CDC Center for Disease Control and Prevention
FDA Food and Drug Administration
ACF Administration for Children and Families
ACL Administration for Community Living

IC vs CSR Review

Although the majority of NIH reviews are conducted by the Center for Scientific Review (CSR), some applications are reviewed in-house at one of the NIH Institutes/Centers.  The Peer Review Contact listed in Section VII (Agency Contacts) section of the Funding Opportunity will be able to provide additional information about the review.  If the Peer Review contact is listed as being at one of the NIH Institute/Centers, the review will be held there; if they are listed as being at CSR (or no contact is listed) the review is likely being held at CSR.  If your application is getting reviewed at an IC, then you do not need to request a study section. See our Locus of Review FAQ for more information.

Center for Scientific Review (CSR) Study Sections and Special Emphasis Panels

Applications are reviewed in Study Sections (Scientific Review Groups, SRGs) or Special Emphasis Panels (SEPs). Integrated Review groups (IRGs) are clusters of SRGs and SEPs that are related based on scientific discipline. You may also use the NIH RePORTER system to learn more about which study sections reviewed funded applications.

See the complete listing of CSR Study Sections and Special Emphasis Panels

See the complete listing of CSR Integrated Review Groups


This page last updated on: September 27, 2024
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