Types of NCCIH Grant Awards (Activity Code)

Research Grants

• R01 Research Project
  To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies.
• R13 Conference
  To support recipient sponsored and directed international, national, or regional meetings, conferences, and workshops.
• R15 Academic Research Enhancement Awards (AREA)
  To support small-scale research projects conducted by faculty in primarily baccalaureate degree-granting domestic institutions and institutions otherwise unlikely to participate extensively in NIH programs in biomedical and behavioral research. Awards are for up to $150,000 for direct costs (plus applicable indirect costs) for periods not to exceed 36 months.
• R15 Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools
  The purpose of the Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools is to stimulate basic and clinical research in educational institutions that provide baccalaureate or advanced degrees for a significant number of the Nation's research scientists, but that have not been major recipients of NIH support.
• R21 Exploratory/Developmental Grants
  To encourage the development of new research activities in categorical program areas. (Support generally is restricted in level of support and in time.)
• R21/R33 Exploratory/Developmental Grants
  The R33 award is to provide a second phase for the support for innovative exploratory and development research activities initiated under the R21 mechanism. Although only R21 awardees are generally eligible to apply for R33 support, specific program initiatives may establish eligibility criteria under which applications could be accepted from applicants demonstrating progress equivalent to that expected under R33.
• R61/R33 Exploratory/Developmental Grants
  As part of a biphasic approach to funding exploratory and/or developmental research, the R61 provides support for the first phase of the award. This activity code is used in lieu of the R21 activity code when larger budgets and/or project periods are required to establish feasibility for the project.
• R33 Exploratory/Developmental Grants Phase II
  The R33 award is to provide a second phase for the support of innovative exploratory and development research activities initiated under the R21 mechanism. Although only R21 awardees are generally eligible to apply for R33 support, specific program initiatives may establish eligibility criteria under which applications could be accepted from those demonstrating progress equivalent to that expected under R33.
• R34 Planning Grants
  To provide support for the initial development of a clinical trial or research project.
• R41 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Grants—Phase I
  To support cooperative R&D projects between small business concerns and research institutions, limited in time and amount, to establish the technical merit and feasibility of ideas that have potential for commercialization. Awards are made to small business concerns only.
• R42 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Grants—Phase II
  To support in-depth development of cooperative R&D projects between small business concerns and research institutions, limited in time and amount, whose feasibility has been established in Phase I and that have potential for commercialization. Awards are made to small business concerns only.
• R43 Small Business Innovation Research Grants (SBIR)—Phase I
  To support projects, limited in time and amount, to establish the technical merit and feasibility of R&D ideas that may ultimately lead to a commercial product(s) or service(s).
• R44 Small Business Innovation Research Grants (SBIR)—Phase II
  To support in-depth development of R&D ideas with feasibility established in Phase I and likely to result in commercial products or services. SBIR Phase II grants are considered Fast-Track and do not require National Council Review.

Career Development Awards

• K01 Research Scientist Development Award—Research and Training
  For support of a scientist, committed to research, in need of both advanced research training and additional experience.
• K08 Clinical Investigator Award (CIA)
  To provide the opportunity for promising individuals with clinical doctoral degrees and demonstrated aptitude to develop into independent investigators, or for faculty members to pursue research aspects of categorical areas applicable to the awarding unit, and aid in filling the academic faculty gap in these shortage areas within the health profession’s institutions of the country.
• K18 Career Enhancement Award
  To provide either full-time or part-time support for experienced scientists who wish to broaden their scientific capabilities or make changes in their research careers by acquiring new research skills or knowledge.
• K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award
  To provide support for the career development of investigators who have made a commitment to focus their research endeavors on patient-oriented research. This mechanism provides support for a 3-year minimum up to 5-year period of supervised study and research for clinically trained professionals who have the potential to develop into productive clinical investigators. NCCIH is specifically interested in investigators who wish to pursue a career in complementary health patient-oriented research.
• K24 Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research
  To provide support for clinician investigators to allow them protected time to devote to patient-oriented research and to act as clinical research mentors.
• K99/R00 NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award
  This award will provide up to 5 years of support consisting of two phases. The initial phase will provide 1-2 years of mentored support for highly promising postdoctoral research scientists. This phase will be followed by up to 3 years of independent support contingent on securing an independent research position.

Research Training and Fellowships

• F30 Ruth L. Kirschstein Individual Predoctoral National Research Service Award for M.D./Ph.D. and Other Dual Degree Fellowships
  To enhance the integrated research and clinical training of promising predoctoral students who are matriculated in a combined M.D./Ph.D. or other dual doctoral degree training program and who intend careers as clinician-scientists.
• F31 Predoctoral Individual Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award
  To provide predoctoral individuals with supervised research training in specified health and health-related areas leading toward the research degree (e.g., Ph.D.).
• F32 Postdoctoral Individual Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award
  To provide postdoctoral research training to individuals to broaden their scientific background and extend their potential for research in specified health-related areas.
• F99/K00 Individual Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award
  The F99 supports the predoctoral phase of a predoctoral to postdoctoral transition award that provides 1-2 years of predoctoral support for highly motivated graduate students. The K00 supports the second phase of a predoctoral to postdoctoral transition award program that provides 3-4 years of career support.
• T32 Institutional Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award
  To enable institutions to make National Research Service Awards to individuals selected by them for predoctoral and postdoctoral research training in specified shortage areas.
• T35 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Short-Term Research Training
  To provide individuals with research training during off-quarters or summer periods to encourage research careers and/or research in areas of national need.

Program Projects/Center Grants

• P01 Research Program Projects (Prior approval required)
  For the support of a broadly based, multidisciplinary, often long-term research program that has a specific major objective or a basic theme. A program project generally involves the organized efforts of relatively large groups, members of which are conducting research projects designed to elucidate the various aspects or components of this objective. Each research project is usually under the leadership of an established investigator. The grant can provide support for certain basic resources used by these groups in the program, including clinical components, the sharing of which facilitates the total research effort. A program project is directed toward a range of problems having a central research focus, in contrast to the usually narrower thrust of the traditional research project. Each project supported through this mechanism should contribute or be directly related to the common theme of the total research effort. These scientifically meritorious projects should demonstrate an essential element of unity and interdependence, i.e., a system of research activities and projects directed toward a well-defined research program goal.

Cooperative Agreements

• U01 Research Project—Cooperative Agreements
  To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies.
• U24 Resource-Related Projects—Cooperative Agreements
  To support research projects contributing to improvement of the capability of resources to serve biomedical research.
• U41 Biotechnology Resource Cooperative Agreements
  To support biotechnology resources available to all qualified investigators without regard to the scientific disciplines or disease orientations of their research activities or specifically directed to a categorical program area.
• U44 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Cooperative Agreements—Phase II
  To support in-depth development of R&D ideas whose feasibility has been established in Phase I and that are likely to result in commercial products or services.
• UH2/UH3 Exploratory/Developmental Cooperative Agreement Phase I and Phase II
  To support the development of new research activities in categorical program areas. (Support generally is restricted in level of support and in time.) The UH3 award is to provide a second phase for the support for innovative exploratory and development research activities initiated under the UH2 mechanism. Although only UH2 awardees are generally eligible to apply for UH3 support, specific program initiatives may establish eligibility criteria under which applications could be accepted from applicants demonstrating progress equivalent to that expected under UH2.
• UG3/UH3 Exploratory/Developmental Cooperative Agreement
  As part of a biphasic approach to funding exploratory and/or developmental research, the UG3 provides support for the first phase of the award. The UH3 award is to provide a second phase for the support for innovative exploratory and development research activities initiated under the UG3 mechanism.

Trans NIH-Programs

• NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research
  To accelerate transformative discoveries in brain function in health, aging and disease. Blueprint is a collaborative framework that includes the NIH Office of the Director together with NIH Institutes and Centers that support research on the nervous system. By pooling resources and expertise, Blueprint identifies cross-cutting areas of research and confronts challenges too large for any single Institute or Center. Since its inception in 2004, Blueprint has supported the development of new research tools, training opportunities and resources to assist neuroscientists.
• BRAIN Initiative
  The Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative is aimed at revolutionizing our understanding of the human brain. By accelerating the development and application of innovative technologies, researchers will be able to produce a revolutionary new dynamic picture of the brain that, for the first time, shows how individual cells and complex neural circuits interact in both time and space. Long desired by researchers seeking new ways to treat, cure, and even prevent brain disorders, this picture will fill major gaps in our current knowledge and provide unprecedented opportunities for exploring exactly how the brain enables the human body to record, process, utilize, store, and retrieve vast quantities of information, all at the speed of thought.
• NIH Common Fund
  To support a series of short term, exceptionally high impact, trans-NIH programs known collectively as the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. As the Common Fund grows, and research opportunities and needs emerge in the scientific community, the portfolio of programs supported by the Common Fund will likely evolve to encompass a diverse set of trans-NIH programs, although the NIH Roadmap is likely to remain a central component.
• OppNet - NIH Basic Behavioral and Social Science Research Opportunity Network
  To inform new approaches to increase adoption of healthier practices, ensure adherence, and reduce risky behaviors. NIH initiated the Basic Behavioral and Social Science Opportunity Network (OppNet) in November 2009 to expand the NIH portfolio in basic scientific inquiry that explains the mechanisms and processes that influence individual and group health-related behaviors. By September 2018, OppNet provided $80,750,002 to 137 extramural research projects including out-year funding.

Supplements

• Administrative Supplements
  Noncompeting awards that provide additional funding to a currently funded grant to meet increased costs that are within the scope of the approved project but were unforeseen when the new or competing renewal application was awarded.

• Administrative Supplements for Clinician-Scientists
  NCCIH is collaborating with the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) through its Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program to provide early career complementary and integrative health clinician-scientists with clinical and translational research training opportunities. This research experience enhances the scholar’s transition to an independent research career as principal investigator or subject matter expert with a collaborative team science approach.

• Diversity Supplements
  The NIH recognizes a unique and compelling need to promote diversity in the biomedical, behavioral, clinical and social sciences research workforce. The NIH expects efforts to diversify the workforce to lead to the recruitment of the most talented researchers from all groups; to improve the quality of the educational and training environment; to balance and broaden the perspective in setting research priorities; to improve the ability to recruit subjects from diverse backgrounds into clinical research protocols; and to improve the Nation's capacity to address and eliminate health disparities.

Infrequently Used Mechanisms

NCCIH uses the following types of award mechanisms occasionally. Investigator-initiated applications are not accepted for these mechanisms. See all Active Funding Announcements (PAs, RFAs, RFPs).

• D43 International Research Training Grants
  To support research training programs for U.S. and foreign professionals and students to strengthen global health research and international research collaboration.
• P50 Specialized Center
  To support any part of the full range of research and development from very basic to clinical; may involve ancillary supportive activities such as protracted patient care necessary to the primary research or R&D effort. The spectrum of activities comprises a multidisciplinary attack on a specific disease entity or biomedical problem area. These grants differ from program project grants in that they are usually developed in response to an announcement of the programmatic needs of an Institute or Division and subsequently receive continuous attention from its staff. Centers may also serve as regional or national resources for special research purposes.
• R03 Small Research Grants
  To provide research support specifically limited in time and amount for studies in categorical program areas. Small grants provide flexibility for initiating studies that are generally for preliminary short-term projects and are nonrenewable.
• R24 Resource-Related Research Projects
  To support research projects that will enhance the capability of resources to serve biomedical research.
• R25 Education Projects
  For support to develop and/or implement a program as it relates to a category in one or more of the areas of education, information, training, technical assistance, coordination, or evaluation.
• T90/R90 Interdisciplinary Research Training Award/Interdisciplinary Regular Research Training Award
  This clinical research training program is aimed at improving the capacity of the integrative health field to carry out rigorous research.
• U13 Conference—Cooperative Agreements
  To support international, national, or regional meetings, conferences, and workshops where substantial programmatic involvement is planned to assist the recipient.
• U19 Research Program—Cooperative Agreements
  To support a research program of multiple projects directed toward a specific major objective, basic theme, or program goal, requiring a broadly based, multidisciplinary, and often long-term approach.
• UH3 Exploratory/Developmental Cooperative Agreement Phase II
  The UH3 award is to provide a second phase for the support for innovative exploratory and development research activities initiated under the UH2 mechanism. Although only UH2 awardees are generally eligible to apply for UH3 support, specific program initiatives may establish eligibility criteria under which applications could be accepted from applicants demonstrating progress equivalent to that expected under UH2.
• X02 Preapplication
  A program to invite eligible institutions to submit a preapplication (also known as a “white paper” or “précis”) to facilitate certain approaches or economies, such as reducing burden on the applicant community, for a funding opportunity.

Sources:

• Types of Grant Programs (NIH OER)
• Activity Codes Search (NIH OER)