What Are the Differences Between Highlighted Topics and Funding Opportunities?

Applicants, take advantage of this overview to learn how NIH Highlighted Topics differ from Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs). There are significant distinctions that you should understand when planning a project for your next application.

Highlighted Topics are a communication tool to promote a particular area of science within the NIH mission and encourage investigator-initiated applications from the community. They provide quick, simple information that is specific to the research topic area.

In contrast to NOFOs, Highlighted Topics:

• Give the applicant more freedom and creativity in responding to a topic.
  • Are less prescriptive than a science-specific NOFO.
  • Do not direct the applicant to use a particular NOFO, a particular due date or budget, or set other eligibility or application criteria.
  • Provide topic inspiration. Applicants use an appropriate funding opportunity, such as one of the NIH Parent Funding Announcements or other broad NIH opportunities on Grants.gov.
• Are not funding opportunities. NIH may or may not have dedicated funding for applications in any given topic area.
• Do not impact referral or peer review of applications.
• Expire after 1 year. However, NIH may choose to update or renew a topic.

Highlighted topics and NOFOs are two ways to find a good fit at NIH for your research idea. Find more advice at Find Your Opportunity.

Resources

• Subscribe for Emails on Highlighted Topics
• Highlighted Topics FAQs
• August 2025 Extramural Nexus, “Introducing Highlighted Topics: A Centralized and Simple Resource to Learn About Research Areas of Interest to NIH”
• NIH Funding