NCCIH Research Blog

Many applicants and grantees haven’t yet heard of all the free resources available to them on how to apply for National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants and about the policies and processes that govern how NIH funds grants. Today, I’d like to tell you about some of the most popular among these resources. Other people in the research field, such as postdocs, trainees, research administrators, and grant writers, may also be interested. Below, you just may find a resource or two that can answer pressing questions on your mind: 

• The Grants and Funding website is the central resource for NIH grants and funding information.
• The 2023 virtual NIH Grants Conference and pre-conference events (PreCons) have passed, but the videos, PowerPoints, and transcripts are all available to you! Topics include navigating early career funding opportunities; many aspects of funding, policies, and processes; human subjects research; and international collaboration. Visit the events homepage to subscribe to the listserv on NIH Grants and Funding events.  
• The NIH Office of Extramural Research holds webinars on current and new policies and processes. If participating in a live webinar doesn’t work for your schedule, the video of the webinar and related resources are posted afterward (see “Recent Webinars”). As one example, a 2024 NIH Grants Policy Updates webinar was held on January 31, 2024.  
• Thinking about applying for a small-business grant? Explore the website of NIH’s Small Business Programs (Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, and Small Business Technology Transfer, or STTR), how they support our mission, and how you can apply. Many innovation and entrepreneurship events are also listed online.
• If you had to take out a loan for schooling for your professional degree, you may want to look at the NIH Loan Repayment Programs homepage and its Contact & Engage page. NIH repays up to a certain amount annually of a researcher’s qualified educational debt in return for their engaging in NIH mission-relevant research. These programs, established by Congress, are designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers. 
• Are you using laboratory animals in your research? A resource on this topic is the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, which provides information on policies, laws, and guidance as well as workshops, conferences, webinars, and other resources.