NIH Extramural Nexus (News)

You have likely come across the Public Health Service (PHS) assignment request form when putting together your grant application. It’s optional, but we encourage applicants to fill it out. This form is available in nearly all competing NIH application form packages and allows you to provide specific application assignment and review information to referral and review staff. 

Contacting an NIH Program Officer (PO) at the right time can be an important part of preparing a competitive research application.  Early communication helps establish a connection with NIH staff who understand your scientific area and the priorities of their Institute, Center, or Office (ICO). 

NIH supports a wide range of scientifically sound approaches to advance our understanding of human health and disease. As we continue to encourage approaches that enhance human relevance and translational potential, investigators should still select the models most appropriate for their specific research questions.

In short, Highlighted Topics are a way to understand NIH priorities and start a conversation. it is important to note though that NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs) continue to fund a wide range of high-quality research beyond areas identified as a Highlighted Topic.

If you are preparing a Collaborative International Research Project (PF5) application, understanding what belongs in each required and optional component can help ensure your submission is complete, responsive, and clearly structured for review. 

NIH would like to remind the extramural research community that NIH requires recipients to submit a certification to NIH that all nonexempt research involving human subjects has been reviewed and approved by an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Get an overview of reference letters and letters of support: when to use them, who writes them, and what key information you should include for reviewers and NIH staff.

Have you explored the NIH Highlighted Topics recently? If not, now is a great time to take a look and learn more about this centralized list of selected research priority areas within the NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs).  

Follow these tips to keep tabs on the latest NIH policies, processes, and resources to help as you develop your application or manage your award.  

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.