The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS), the largest biomedical research agency in the world.

NIH began humbly in 1887 as a one-room Laboratory of Hygiene located on Staten Island in New York until 1891, when it was moved to Washington, D.C.  It is now headquartered in Bethesda, MD, with a current operating budget of just over $32 billion per year.

Today the NIH is one of the world’s foremost medical research centers with the mission “To seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.”

Organization: Centers & Institutes

The NIH is made up of 27 different centers and institutes (ICs).  Each has its own specific research agenda, often focusing on a particular disease or body system. Many of the ICs receive their funding directly from Congress and administer their own budgets.  Because each IC operates fairly independently, not all will use all of the available grant types offered by the NIH (grant types outlined below).  Be certain to carefully read the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to determine which ICs participate before applying.

Grant types (or Mechanisms):

In addition to traditional research grant programs (R series), the NIH offers a number of training programs (T), fellowships (F), and career development programs (K) designed to mentor students, postdocs, and researchers early in their careers to becoming independent investigators.  The administrative requirements for these grants can be cumbersome, so be certain to contact your OSP representative if you have questions.

Program project/center grants (P) are large, multi-project efforts that include a wide array of research activities.  Investigators looking to submit a P grant should contact the CSU Research Acceleration Office (RAO), as they can assist with the coordination of multi-investigator submissions.

Following is a small sampling of research grant programs (R series) offered by the NIH and to which CSU researchers have successfully applied.

Find, Apply, Succeed

In order to help decide which NIH program/solicitation is most appropriate, consult the NIH Guide.  The NIH Guide lists program announcements for grants, cooperative agreements and contracts currently available.

The NIH has a number of tutorials, Frequently Asked Questions, and step-by-step guides to aid investigators and their administrators in successfully finding, applying to, and administering NIH funding.

Tutorials on Applying to the NIH and Budget Assistance 

How to Apply:  https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/prepare-to-apply.htm

Develop your Budget:  https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/format-and-write/develop-your-budget.htm

Join us for “NIH Detailed & Modular Budgets” on September 5, 9-11 AM in 382 LSC– register via My Learning.

Join us for “Applying to NIH using KRPD, Assist & Workspace” on September 12, 9-11 AM, 382 LSC– register via My Learning.

Learn more about applying to the NIH and NIH award administration by subscribing to NIH listservs, reading through their FAQs or by attending an upcoming NIH Regional Seminar.

NIH Listservs:  https://grants.nih.gov/news/subscribe-and-follow/listservs_and_rss.htm

NIH FAQs:  https://grants.nih.gov/grants/frequent_questions.htm

NIH Seminars:  https://grants.nih.gov/news/contact-in-person/seminars.htm

Join us for “NIH Awards” on September 26, 9-11 AM, 382 LSC– register via My Learning.