Scientific meetings, conference grants, general, symposia, symposium

14.1 General

NIH supports scientific meetings, conferences, and workshops (hereafter "conferences") that are relevant to its scientific mission and to public health under the R13 and U13 activity codes. NIH's support of conferences is contingent on the interests and priorities of the individual ICs. Most ICs provide conference support although their budget guidelines may vary. Prior approval (advance permission) is required before submission of an application for conference support. Advance permission to submit an application must be requested early in the process and no later than 6 weeks before the application submission date. Permission to submit a conference grant application does not assure funding or funding at the level requested. The letter from the NIH IC conference grant contact person documenting advance permission to submit an application must be included as part of the PHS 398 Cover Letter component of the application. Potential applicants must contact the funding IC before submission for specific information as well as to ensure compliance with submission requirements. Applications for conference support must be submitted based on the published receipt dates. In general, NIH will not issue a conference grant award unless the Federal award date can precede the conference start date. Awarding a conference grant after a conference has been held should only be done when an IC can determine or document that funding of post-conference activities is consistent with the approved application.