The Review of Your NIH Grant Application Begins Here Richard Nakamura, Ph.D. Director NIH Center for Scientific Review
Dec 29, 2015
The Review of Your NIH Grant Application Begins Here
Richard Nakamura, Ph.D.
Director
NIH Center for Scientific Review
Your Application Could Be Funded by One of 24 NIH Institutes or Centers
Eunice KennedyShriver National Institute
of Child Health andHuman Development
Eunice KennedyShriver National Institute
of Child Health andHuman Development
National Instituteon Alcohol Abuseand Alcoholism
National Instituteon Alcohol Abuseand Alcoholism
National Instituteof Arthritis and
Musculoskeletaland Skin Diseases
National Instituteof Arthritis and
Musculoskeletaland Skin Diseases
National CancerInstitute
National CancerInstitute
National Instituteon Drug Abuse
National Instituteon Drug Abuse
National Instituteof Environmental Health Sciences
National Instituteof Environmental Health Sciences
National Instituteon Aging
National Instituteon Aging
National Institute onDeafness and Other
CommunicationDisorders
National Institute onDeafness and Other
CommunicationDisorders
National EyeInstitute
National EyeInstitute
National HumanGenome Research
Institute
National HumanGenome Research
Institute
National Instituteof Mental Health
National Instituteof Mental Health
National Instituteof NeurologicalDisorders and
Stroke
National Instituteof NeurologicalDisorders and
Stroke
National Instituteof General
Medical Sciences
National Instituteof General
Medical Sciences
National Instituteof Nursing Research
National Instituteof Nursing Research
National Libraryof Medicine
National Libraryof Medicine
Center for Scientific Review
Center for Scientific Review
National Centerfor Complementary
and AlternativeMedicine
National Centerfor Complementary
and AlternativeMedicine
National Instituteof Allergy and
Infectious Diseases
National Instituteof Allergy and
Infectious Diseases
John E. FogartyInternational
Center
John E. FogartyInternational
Center
National Centerfor Advancing
Translational Research
National Centerfor Advancing
Translational Research
Clinical Center
Clinical Center
National Institute on Minority Health andHealth Disparities
National Institute on Minority Health andHealth Disparities
National Institute of Biomedical Imagingand Bioengineering
National Institute of Biomedical Imagingand Bioengineering
Office of the DirectorOffice of the Director
Center for InformationTechnology
Center for InformationTechnology
National Heart,Lung, and Blood
Institute
National Heart,Lung, and Blood
Institute
National Instituteof Dental andCraniofacial
Research
National Instituteof Dental andCraniofacial
Research
National Instituteof Diabetes andDigestive and
Kidney Diseases
National Instituteof Diabetes andDigestive and
Kidney Diseases
Spending at NIH
NIH Extramural & Intramural FundingFY 2012 Enacted: $30.9 Billion
83%
17%
Spending Outside NIH$25.7 B
– Supports over 300,000 Scientists & Research Personnel
– Supports over 2,500 Institutions
– $3.4 B Intramural Research – $1.5 B Research Management & Support – $0.3 B Buildings and Facilities, Other
$5.2 B
Performance History
NIH-Supported Nobel Prize Winners: 144
2013 Winners
Physiology or Medicine Chemistry
James Randy Thomas Martin Michael Arieh
Rothman Schekman Südhof Karplus Levitt Warshel
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
66
68
70
72
74
76
78
80
The Benefits of Biomedical and Public Health AdvancesU.S. Life Expectancy
Source: CDC National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol 60, No 4, January 11, 2012
Why Has NIH Been So Successful?
Peer Review
• Focus is on funding ideas not institutions.
• Ideas spring from local researchers.
• Researchers must compete – like entrepreneurs – for funding.
• Scientific experts do the judging.
• Institutions receive funds only when their scientists submit successful applications.
• NIH program and review staff are separated.
• Scientists manage the peer review process.
National Institutes of Health
Center for Scientific Review
Study Section
Institute
Advisory Councils and Boards
Institute Director
Assigns to IC & IRG/Study Section
Reviews for Scientific Merit
Evaluates for Relevance
Recommends Action
Takes Final Action
ResearchGrant Application
School or OtherResearch Center
InitiatesResearch Idea
ConductsResearch
Allocates Funds
Submits Application
Review Process for a Research Grant
• Receives all NIH applications
• Refers them to NIH Institutes/Centers and to scientific review groups
• Reviews for scientific merit about 70% of all NIH applications
The Center for Scientific Review
The Gateway for NIH Grant Applications
CSR Peer Review – Fiscal Year 2013
• 84,000 applications received
• 17,000 reviewers
• 236 Scientific Review Officers
• 1,500 review meetings
CSR Mission
To see that NIH grant applications receive fair, independent, expert, and timely reviews – free from inappropriate influences – so NIH can fund the most promising research.