The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) is one of the world’s largest public funders of biomedical and health research, supporting projects that advance fundamental knowledge and improve health outcomes globally. While NIH funding is primarily directed to U.S. institutions, Canadian researchers are eligible to apply for certain NIH funding opportunities, and to participate as collaborators in NIH-funded projects.
NIH funding opportunities
Researchers can consult NIH Grant and Funding portal for NIH funding opportunities, and subscribe to receive customized notifications of new opportunities.
The three types of funding opportunities are:
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parent announcements: broad, ongoing opportunities that allow researchers to submit investigator-initiated applications
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program announcements: ongoing opportunities launched by one or more NIH institute, centre, or office to highlight areas of scientific interest
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requests for applications: highlight well-defined areas of areas of scientific interest to accomplish specific program objectives, and usually have a single due date
Please note:
Not all opportunities are open to foreign (non-U.S.) organizations.
Refer to each notice of funding opportunity for eligibility criteria; each notice will indicate if clinical trials are eligible.
Applicants should review the NIH clinical trials definition to determine if their project is eligible.
Next steps and application process
Agency contacts: Every NIH funding opportunity posting includes a scientific or research contact listed in the "agency contacts" section. We recommend that principal investigators (PI) reach out to these contacts before applying — they can advise on whether or not your project is a good fit for the funding opportunity.
Deadlines: Some NIH funding opportunities will not specify a particular deadline but will, instead, note that "standard dates apply." To determine which dates apply to your program, identify the activity code in the posting and visit the standard due dates web page. Enter the activity code in the search bar. NIH has multiple submission periods per year. Please note that different deadlines will apply for new applications (vs. renewals, re-submissions, and revisions) and AIDS-related applications.
Type of application: Requirements are different for projects where Queen's is the lead institution and for projects led by other organizations where Queen's is a sub-project. Consult our application guidance folder (see link below) for more information.
Find support
Our Research Projects Advisors can advise on NIH requirements, help ensure your application matches NIH guidelines, work with partner universities to complete required documentation, and provide an administrative review of your application.
Reach out early! The earlier you contact us, the more we can help.
- If you are the PI of the grant, we recommend that you contact us two to three months in advance of submission.
- If Queen's will be involved as a sub-project (i.e., the grant is being led by another institution), we recommend that reaching out to our team at least three weeks in advance of the deadline.
Guidance and supporting materials
Are you applying for NIH grants? Our team has prepared a comprehensive resource folder that includes:
- step-by-step guidance on how to prepare and submit your application
- how to comply with NIH disclosure requirements
- full application checklist
- information for principal investigators
- guidance for submitting a proposal with Queen's as a subproject
Queen's NetID is required to access these files.
Resources for NIH applicationsConsiderations for applications
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Institutional requirements: Queen's meets the institutional requirements for participating in NIH grants (i.e., Queen's is registered in SAM, and has DUNS, UEI, and EIN numbers). Queen's researchers do not have to register as individuals in any of these systems. Applicants will require an eRA Commons ID — our team can help you with that.
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U.S. single audits: In order to comply with U.S. federal grant regulations, Queen's has external audits completed yearly.
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Indirect costs of research: Please note, the NIH budget must include funds for indirect costs. Queen’s NIH indirect cost rate is 8% of the total direct costs, excluding equipment over $5000, tuition, patient care costs, rent, and sub-award costs (after the first $25,000).
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Faculty remuneration: Full-time faculty members are not permitted to receive salary as income from sponsored research operating grants while concurrently receiving a full-time institutional base salary covering a 12-month period. When considered an eligible expense by a funding agency, requests for faculty member salary on research grants would be directed towards the faculty member’s Department/School or Faculty. Read the procedure on Faculty Remuneration from Sponsored Research Grants.
Disclosure requirements
All senior/key personnel must complete the following Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) forms prior to grant submission, and yearly if awarded, in order to comply with NIH financial conflict of interest policies. These forms will be kept on file at Queen’s.
Financial Conflict of Interest Form - MEMO Document (PDF 331 KB)
Financial Conflict of Interest Form - Consent & Disclosure Form (PDF 332 KB)
Mandatory FCOI training: The NIH requires that all senior/key personnel complete the NIH FCOI Training. Once completed, the FCOI Training Certificate is kept on file at Queen’s.
All senior/key personnel must disclose all positions and scientific appointments, and all resources and financial support for research activities, as part of the NIH Biosketch documents. Access Biosketch format pages, instructions, and samples.
NIH applicants and grant holders are prohibited from providing funding to or making an award of a fundamental research project proposal in which a covered individual is participating in a malign foreign talent recruitment program (MFTRP) or to an institution that does not have a policy addressing malign foreign talent programs. For more information, refer to the following documents:
Principal investigators (PIs) can expect to certify that they are not a party to a MFTRP at the Just in Time and RPPR stages of the grant lifecycle, as well as at the Notice of Award and Transfer payment agreement stages. PIs must continue to disclose all foreign supports and affiliations for senior/key personnel under “Other supports” on Biosketch CVs and other support declarations.