CeTIR is committed to advancing trauma research, education, and collaboration. The Research How To Series offers practical, step-by-step guidance on key topics in research development. These resources are designed to support trainees, researchers, and clinicians working to improve trauma care and outcomes. New content is added regularly.
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How to Talk to your NIH Program Officer
Contacting your NIH Program Officer before you start writing your NIH grant is an important step in the grant writing process. In fact, NIH encourages you to contact and set up a short meeting before getting too into the weeds on the grant writing process. NIH Program Officers (POs) can help you choose the right funding opportunity, offer insight into whether your project fits the particular Institute’s priorities, and answer questions about the grant application process, in addition to many other helpful things. Here’s a guide to contacting your program officer and what to expect.
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Find your potential Program Officer
You should aim to contact your PO as early as possible before your submission due date. If you’ve already identified a funding opportunity, the name of a contact should be at the end of the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO).
If you haven’t identified a funding opportunity, search your project idea on RePORTER using the regular database or Matchmaker tool. Look for projects NIH has funded that are similar to your project idea. This search may help you target an Institute (or more than one!) that may fund your project, and a good PO(s) to talk to about your project. -
Prepare a description of your potential research project to share with the Program Officer
Prepare a brief description of your project that gives the PO an idea of the current state of the field, what the knowledge gap is, and how your proposed project will fill that knowledge gap. Most often, this description will take the form of a Specific Aims page (see here for a brief guide on Specific Aims: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/funding/preparing-your-application/preparing-research-plan/writing-specific-aims). Keep it short; 1 page or less is ideal. It doesn’t have to be final, but it should be polished and professional to make a good first impression.
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Email the identified Program Officer to request a meeting
Email your potential PO to request a meeting. Be polite and courteous. Include in the email:
- Name
- Project Title
- Short project description (1-2 sentences)
- What makes your project stand out
- What is your project’s potential impact? (how will it advance science, help patients, etc.)
- Attach your draft Specific Aims page/project description.
- Make it clear you have done your due diligence, e.g., “I would like your input on deciding between 2 NOFOs”, not “I need help deciding on a NOFO”.
- State that you look forward to a brief call/virtual meeting at their earliest convenience to answer a few specific questions.
- If you are contacting multiple POs, list them in the email. If they have overlap in their research portfolios, the POs will help you decide where your project fits best.
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References & Resources
Cherry, S. Why—and How—to Talk with Program Officers at Funding Agencies. Career Volt: Supporting and Accelerating Academic Careers. https://career-volt.com/grant-funding/why-and-how-to-talk-with-program-officers-at-funding-agencies/
Bouvier, M and Widmer D. Teach Your NIH Applicants These Critical Preparation Steps. NORDP ReCON ForwaRD Conference; November 1-3, 2023; virtual.
Talking to NIH Staff About Your Application and Grant. NIGMS. https://www.nigms.nih.gov/grants/Pages/Talking-to-NIH-Staff-About-Your-Application-and-Grant
NIH Requirements: Contacting Your Program Officer. University of California, Los Angeles, Clinical and Translational Science Institute. https://ctsi.ucla.edu/nih-requirements/contacting-program-officer