National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The NIH is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and is the largest biomedical research agency in the world. The NIH is made up of 27 different components called Institutes and Centers. Each component has its own specific research agenda, often focusing on particular diseases or body systems. All but three of these components receive their funding directly from Congress and administrate their own budgets.

Grant Submission Process, Deadlines & Timelines

A. NIH Funding Opportunities

i. Search for NIH Funding Opportunities

Search for NIH funding opportunities on the NIH website or Grants.Gov. Note: UM only uses ASSIST for all NIH application submissions.

The following list are the more popular NIH funding opportunities:

ii. Notify ORS of Intention to Apply

Notify Michelina Violi, Research Grants Specialist (RGS) (Health and International), with the NIH funding opportunity link as soon as you are considering submitting an application so she can guide and assist you in the timelines and setting deadlines.

iii. eRA Commons Account

An eRA Commons account is required for both the Principal Investigator (PI) and all Co-Investigators. The NIH only allows one account per investigator. If you already have an eRA Commons account with a previous institution, contact the RGS to set up an affiliation with the UM or if you have any concerns with that account. Once you’ve been affiliated with UM, then contact your previous institution to “un-affiliate” you from them. 

B. Application Stage

i. Principal Investigator (UM Lead)

  1. Log in to ASSIST and complete the application.
  2. Non-UM Co-Investigators - If you plan to have non-UM Co-Investigators participating in this project, you must provide their contact information to the RGS. This is necessary for the Office of Research Services (ORS) to obtain required documents and to provide the deadline for their submission.
  3. Complete the NIH Application Checklist (UM Lead) (see quick link).
  4. No institutional signatures are required on your application since it will be submitted electronically by ORS on your behalf.
  5. Review the information on the US Government Funding Agency Requirements document (see quick link). The Office of Research Security will contact you to discuss possible security issues.

 ii. Co-Investigator on a Subsite Application (Non-UM Lead)

  1. Provide the contact information to the RGS for the lead institution submitting the application. This is necessary for ORS to obtain the list of required documents and the submission deadline for these documents. Note: The non-UM lead institution may require these documents up to two weeks in advance of the NIH deadline.
  2. Complete the NIH Subsite Application Checklist (Non-UM Lead) (see quick link).
  3. RGO will be responsible for completing any institutional documentation requiring an institutional signature requested by the non-UM lead institution such as a Subrecipient Commitment Form or a Letter of Intent to Establish a Consortium.

C. Financial Conflict of Interest and NIH Compliance

UM must report any FCOIs directly to the NIH within 30 days and make information available promptly following a request by the NIH. 

Investigators who are applying for (as principal investigators or co-investigators) NIH funding opportunities or hold NIH funds are subject to NIH reporting and training requirements related to:

To comply with PHS requirements, the UM Directive (FCOI) in Public Health Service (PHS) Funded Research has been put in place (in addition to all other University Responsible Conduct of Research policies and procedures), regarding financial conflicts of interest and the responsible conduct of research for all UM investigators who apply for, or choose to participate in, research funded by the NIH and any other US PHS sponsoring agencies.

Prior to submission of a grant application, upon annual renewal or within 30 days of a new conflict arising on an awarded grant or subaward, UM investigators, and any UM co-investigators on the project, must ensure they have submitted a completed and signed UM FCOI Declaration.

Before the submission of an NIH grant application or a sub-award application, and every four (4) years, UM investigators participating in that project must complete the NIH FCOI Training Tutorial designed by the NIH to provide guidance on its policies and practices on FCOI. Investigators who have completed the tutorial will receive a dated certificate which must be sent to the RGO to be kept on file.

D. Internal ORS Submission Deadline

Both UM PIs and UM Co-Investigators (on a subsite application) must be submitted to ORS at least 10 business days prior to the NIH deadline, or the non-UM lead’s institution's deadline. This will allow sufficient time for a comprehensive review of the application, answer questions, support technical submission issues, and endorse a research application for institutional review.

NIH grant application packages must include all documents listed on the appropriate checklist provided in quick links above.

NIH Deadline Structures:

  • Standard Due Dates are for general calls for each NIH application cycle.
    • Note that there are multiple types of deadlines for each activity code:
      • New application
      • Renewal/Resubmission/Revision
      • AIDS/AIDS-Related Application (All Activity Codes)
  • Refer to the Key Dates section located within each funding opportunity for specific deadlines.

E. Post-Award Monitoring, Reporting, and NIH Funding Compliance

By accepting a grant award, grant recipients agree to comply with the requirements in the NIH Grants Policy Statement unless the notice of award states otherwise. It is recommended that UM investigators read the Notice of Award thoroughly for post-award requirements. Subaward reporting requirements will be outlined in the Subaward/Consortium Agreement.

The NIH monitors grants during the award period to identify potential problems through: 

  • the review of reports and correspondence from the grantee:
  • audit reports,
  • site visits, and 
  • other information available to NIH. 

Specific post-award reporting requirements and due dates can be found on the NIH Notice of Award or Subaward/Consortium Agreement.

Note: the NIH does not release the entire grant funds when a project is awarded; Notices of Awards are issued yearly for each year of the grant or subaward agreement. 

Post-Award requirements and reporting include:

  • Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR),
  • Invention Reports,
  • Final Invention Statements, and
  • Close-out Report.

Resources

Documents and Forms

To assist investigators/institutions that are submitting fewer applications, the NIH has developed this resource to help clarify the process, highlighting institution and investigator-specific information, including key actions that must be taken well in advance of application submission.

Contact us

For more information regarding NIH funding opportunities, please contact:

Michelina Violi
Research Grants Specialist (Health and International)