NIH Grants and Funding
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NIH Staff 
As you begin your journey in search of NIH grant funding, the information in this section can help you understand the structure of NIH and why it is important to successfully navigate the grants process.
Where’s the Money?
NIH is made up of 27 institutes and centers, 24 of which can make grant awards.
Our institutes, centers, and offices (ICOs) award more than 80% of the NIH budget each year to support investigators at more than 2,500 universities, medical schools, and other research organizations around the world. About 10 percent of the NIH budget supports scientists in our own laboratories here at NIH, most of which are on our campus in Bethesda, Maryland.
Each ICO has a separate appropriation 
from Congress. The director of each IC decides which grants it will fund, taking into consideration input from their staff, the results of the scientific peer review of the grant application, public health need, scientific opportunity, and the need to balance its scientific portfolio. NIH only funds research that has been judged highly meritorious in the peer review process.
Institute, Center, and Office Missions and Priorities
Each ICO has a distinct mission that focuses on a specific disease area, organ system, or stage of life. Prospective applicants should investigate which NIH ICOs are most likely to be interested in supporting their research idea.
Learn how to Find a Fit for Your Research: NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs).
