foreign grants, foreign organizations, international organizations, foreign components, foreign sites, eligibility

16.2 Eligibility

In general, foreign organizations and international organizations, including public or private non-profit or for-profit organizations, are eligible to apply for research project grants, but are not eligible to submit a modular grant application. International organizations are treated as foreign organizations for the purpose of eligibility. If the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) allows foreign organizations to apply, international organizations may apply. If the NOFO does not allow foreign organizations to apply, international organizations may not apply. Foreign organizations and international organizations are not eligible to apply for Kirschstein-NRSA institutional research training grants, program project grants, center grants, resource grants, SBIR/STTR grants, or construction grants. However, some activity codes, such as program project grants (P01), may support projects awarded to a domestic institution with a foreign component. For purposes of this policy, a foreign component is defined as performance of any significant element or segment of the project outside the United States either by the recipient or by a researcher employed by a foreign organization, whether or not grant funds are expended. Activities that would meet this definition include the following:

• The involvement of human subjects or vertebrate animals at a foreign site.
• Extensive foreign travel by recipient project staff for the purpose of data collection, surveying, sampling, and similar activities.
• Any activity of the recipient that may have an impact on U.S. foreign policy through involvement in the affairs or environment of a foreign country.

Examples of other grant-related activities that may be significant are:

• collaborations with investigators at a foreign site anticipated to result in co-authorship;
• use of facilities or instrumentation at a foreign site; or
• receipt of financial support or resources from a foreign entity.

Foreign travel exclusively for consultation is not considered a foreign component.

See Support of Scientific Meetings (Conference Grants) chapter for NIH policy on support of international conferences.

Grants may not be made to individuals in a foreign location (i.e., outside of the United States and its territorial possessions). Occasionally, a Kirschstein-NRSA individual fellowship award is made to a U.S. citizen or a non-citizen national to study in a foreign organization. (A "non-citizen national" is a person who although not a citizen of the United States owes permanent allegiance to the United States, such as a resident of American Samoa.) See Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards-Individual Fellowships for additional information.