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NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts

Every day the National Institutes of Health (NIH) publishes announcements for grants and contracts in medical, behavioral and bioengineering research. These announcements include opportunities available through NIH, Department of Health and Human Services agencies, and NIH contracting offices.

Because of the sheer volume of announcements, NIH organizes the information into the NIH Guide, a searchable online federal publication. In order to apply for and obtain these grants and contracts, you need to understand how to find and identify federal funding and contracts in the NIH Guide.

  1. Finding NIH Grants and Contracts

    • Obtain the daily announcements of NIH grants and contracts by subscribing to the free NIH Guide Listserv from the Office of Extramural Research website. As a subscriber, you'll receive a weekly email that organizes all of the daily announcements for that week. The email notice includes a table of contents that links to the grants and contracts.

      Another option is to browse opportunities by announcement release date or to read the weekly issue of the NIH Guide directly from the Office of Extramural Research website. The website also provides an advanced search option where you can enter keywords to search the NIH Guide by research topic.

    Understanding NIH Grants

    • NIH grants provide money or property to conduct an approved research project or activity. Grants are categorized as Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), Program Announcement (PA) and Request for Application (RFA). An FOA is a document from a federal agency that announces its plans to award discretionary grants. Generally, researchers and agencies compete for the available funding in FOAs.

      A PA deals with more specific areas of funding in an emerging or priority area of science. Applications are generally accepted on an ongoing basis for up to three years unless NIH indicates a specific expiration date. Consideration for PA funding is based on the merits of the research project you are seeking funding for.

      When an RFA is issued, funds have been reserved for a narrowly defined research topic. Funding applications must be submitted by a specific date then reviewed by a scientific group.

    Understanding NIH Contracts

    • An NIH research and development contract is a legal procurement agreement between the federal agency and an individual, business, private agency or organization providing the product or service. NIH contract opportunities are handled by the NIH Office of Acquisition Management and Policy.

      Contract opportunities are known as a Request for Proposal (RFP). The NIH uses an RFP to solicit contract proposals. The RFP specifies the type of product or service needed within a certain timeframe. Most RFPs have a due date for proposals. An RFP can also be linked to a grant. The individual or agency receiving an NIH grant may contract with a third party to obtain goods or services necessary to carry out their research project.

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