Have an idea for an NIH application? Here is when/what/who to email about your idea!

Posted: 5/2/2024 ()

At a recent meeting, Rebecca Clark, chief of the Population Dynamics Bureau (PDB) at NICHD, provided useful insights on how researchers developing new proposals should contact officials at NIH. Her remarks were focused on PDB at NICHD, but the advice seems broadly generalizable to other institutes as well. She states: If you have specific aims, please send them to just one PDB Program Officers in one email. (NB: Do not send separate emails to each program officer within a branch, since they all confer and collaborate on any incoming inquiries.)

All potential applicants, including those who have prepared specific aims, should send responses to the following items and attach to the email inquiry:

1. One- or two-page description of your proposed project, including: 

(a) What is the research topic? What is the primary research question and why is it important to answer this research question? What research gap will this research address?

(b) Describe the relevance of this research to public health. How will this research—directly or indirectly—enhance human health, lengthen life, or prevent or reduce illness or disability?

(c) What are the specific hypotheses? Specify the dependent and independent variables; Describe the expected relationship between each of the dependent and independent variables; Discuss the mechanisms through which the independent variables affect the dependent variables.

(d) What methodology will be used? Why is this methodology appropriate to address the hypotheses? What data collection methods will be used? If existing data are to be used, describe the data set.

(e) Estimated budget (direct costs).

(e) A timeline.

2. In addition, for K (career) and F (fellowship) awards and supplements, include: 

(a) your disciplinary background and institutional affiliation;

(b) the name, disciplinary background, research interests, and institutional affiliation of your primary mentor, your secondary mentor (if you have one), and other advisors;

(c) the types of training and career development you plan and how this training and development will advance your ability to do your proposed research.

And if you’re wondering how to find an appropriate contact in the first place—the answer is to explore the web pages for the NIH institutes that seem most relevant. They all differ from one another, but, for instance, for NICHD you can turn to this page, and click on “Find a Program Officer” in the right-hand menu.

Besides the above…..

The CSDE Development Core is here to help, too.

As always, the CSDE development core team, Steve Goodreau (goodreau@uw.edu) or Sara Curran (scurran@uw.edu), are happy to help you in preparing these documents and figuring out who to contact at NIH.