NIGMS Funding Policies and Considerations

Through investment in investigator-initiated biomedical research NIGMS aims to drive fundamental scientific discoveries that reveal the underpinnings of human health and disease. The Institute strives to support a broad research grant portfolio of high scientific and technical merit in its mission areas.

NIGMS staff consider multiple factors in making funding decisions, including but not limited to (consistent with applicable law):

• the outcome of the peer review process
• the breadth of NIGMS’ research portfolio, approaches, and investigators
• the total amount of funding available to the investigator
  • investigators with substantial*, long-term, unrestricted research support (those with over $1,500,000 in annual total costs for research support (including the application under consideration) at the time of the Council meeting) may hold no more than one NIGMS research grant with limited exceptions. See below for examples.
• the priority of the research area for NIGMS’ mission
• Early-stage investigator status
• At-risk investigator status

NIGMS is unlikely to award more than one NIGMS R01 to a PI (including multi-PI R01s),​ and NIGMS generally prioritizes funding the MIRA program over R01 awards.

To fund as broad ​a portfolio of meritorious investigators as soon as possible and to improve overall returns on investments, NIGMS pays close attention to budget levels and gives large budget increases only in highly compelling cases. In calculating budgets for grants, NIGMS staff considers each budget carefully, considering the science being conducted, other support for the PI’s lab, the Institute’s budget, and other factors. PIs should not assume that they will be awarded the amount recommended by the study section. 

*Support of Research for Investigators with Substantial Unrestricted Support:

Awarding R01s and other research grants to investigators with substantial levels of long-term, unrestricted research fun​​​​ding requires careful consideration to sustain the research enterprise that has limited funds while maximizing opportunities for significant scientific advances.

Investigators with substantial, long-term, unrestricted research support may not hold more than one NIGMS research grant. Investigators with substantial, long-term, unrestricted support (“unrestricted investigators”) would have at least $400,000 in unrestricted support (direct costs per year excluding the principal investigator’s salary and direct support of widely shared institutional resources, such as NMR facilities) that extends at least 2 years beyond the onset of funding the NIGMS grant. If NIGMS funding of a grant to an investigator with substantial, long-term, unrestricted support would result in annual total costs from all sources exceeding $1.5 million, Council approval is required.

An unrestricted investigator with no other significant research support may be awarded one new or renewal NIGMS project-based research grant (e.g., R01 or R35).

Except in rare, well-justified situations within the sole discretion of NIGMS (such as highly unique scientific opportunities or research in areas that NIGMS considers to be of very high priority that would otherwise not be supported), an unrestricted investigator with additional significant research support (NIH or other grant) will not be awarded a new NIGMS research grant, consistent with NIGMS’ Council Review and Oversight Policy.

If an NIGMS-funded investigator who has two or more NIGMS research grants becomes an unrestricted investigator, the investigator can renew no more than one of the existing NIGMS grants. At the time the earliest competing continuation application is due, the investigator will need to choose which grant(s) to terminate.

Funded participation in an NIGMS center grant (e.g., P41, P50, U54) or multi-PI R01 will usually be counted as an unrestricted investigator’s NIGMS research grant support. An unrestricted investigator who participates in one of these grants as an associate member but derives no support from the grant would still be eligible to hold another NIGMS research grant.

The following types of grants are not counted for the purposes of these guidelines: training grants, support for educational programs, resource grants, conference grants, SBIR/STTR and clinical trial grants. Unrestricted investigators may be PIs on these types of awards without having it count as their one NIGMS research grant.

If a well-funded investigator is included as a member of a multi-principal investigator team on a grant application, it could adversely affect the chances that the application will be funded. In addition, although NIGMS encourages collaborations, principal investigators who are already well-funded are strongly encouraged to enter into collaborations using their current funding rather than requesting additional support.