NINR Funding Policies and Considerations

Visit NIH Fiscal Policies for NIH-wide information on appropriations and other budgetary information (salary limits, stipends, tuition/fees) and Funding Decisions to learn about NIH's consistent and unified approach for making funding decisions. The NINR-specific information on this page builds on that general information.

On this page:

Fiscal Year 2026

Selection of Applications for Funding:
Funding decisions will be based on several factors, including programmatic priorities aligned with the NIH and Institute's mission. Final award decisions are considered with a holistic approach that is based on the following criteria:

  • Alignment with NINR scientific priorities as outlined by our scientific framework, including research priority areas
  • Scientific and technical merit as deemed by peer review
  • Programmatic portfolio balance and scientific gaps and needs related to NINR priority areas
  • Recommendations made by the National Advisory Council for Nursing Research (NINR Advisory Council)
  • Advancement of a broad portfolio balance to promote innovation and impact
    • This includes such considerations as new investigator status, institution (e.g., limited resource institutions, undergraduate-focused institutions), geographic and regional distribution, PI funding amount and/or number of grants, research team composition (e.g., disciplines, areas of expertise), and community partnerships.
  • Availability of funds

Funding Policies:
NINR is firmly committed to supporting early-stage investigators (ESIs). Therefore, consistent with the NIH Next Generation Researcher's Initiative (NGRI), NINR considers applications from ESIs as an Institute priority. Specifically, NINR encourages the stable integration of ESIs into the scientific workforce and no standard cuts are made to competing R01 award budgets for ESIs.

Research Project Grants (R01):
For competing R01 applications selected for funding, NINR will reduce budgets by 10% on average below the peer review recommended level of support. Final reductions may vary depending on the criteria listed above.

For other grant types, including Exploratory/Developmental Grants, STTR/SBIR, Career Development Awards, Fellowships, and Institutional Training Grants:
For other grant types, NINR adheres to the criteria listed above when making award decisions, with no standard funding cuts to competing applications. Programmatic adjustments may vary depending on the criteria listed above.

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