Glossary

Appeal

A procedure for contesting the peer review of a grant application.

Courtesy: NIH Office of Extramural Research

Approach

The method by which you carry out your research. This is one of the criteria on which the NIH bases its overall impact score. The study design, methods, and analyses should be well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project. Potential problem areas and pitfalls should be acknowledged and alternative strategies considered accordingly.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Harvard Grant Writers

Related Terms: Overall Impact Score

Approval Letters

Letters indicating institutional approval for the submission of a grant proposal requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs for any year, a conference grant, or an investigator-initiated clinical trial.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Biographical Sketch

Also referred to as 'biosketch.' A short summary of your CV or resume, intended to highlight important aspects of your training, experience, and areas of interest.

Courtesy: Harvard Grant Writers

Career Mentor

A senior colleague who gives guidance on career matters and faculty development.

Courtesy: Harvard Grant Writers

Collaborator

An individual who will be working with you on your project who brings expertise, cell or animal models, and/or samples that you need for your research. A method of establishing a significant collaboration is having published with that individual named in your grant. This is generally neither your scientific mentor nor your career mentor.

Courtesy: Harvard Grant Writers

Related Terms: Research Study Team

Core Facilities

Centralized laboratories or facilities that provide resources including materials, training, data analysis, instruments and/or quality control to facilitate research.

Courtesy: Harvard Grant Writers

Direct Costs

The costs in a grant that support a research project. Allowable direct costs include salaries of principal investigators and supporting staff, equipment and supplies, travel expenses, consultant services, inpatient and outpatient costs for human subjects, alterations and renovations to facilities, and publications. This differs from facilities and administrative costs (formerly known as indirect costs).

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Early Stage Investigator (ESI)

A researcher who is within the first ten years of his/her terminal research degree, medical residency, or equivalent. This qualification is considered special status by the NIH. ESIs should be sure to include institutional investments in their success in the Facilities section of the grant application. Additional Information

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Related Terms: Special Status

Environment

The facilities and services available to you within your institution, as well as the institution's likelihood of contributing to the project's success. This should be as detailed as possible in your application, with supporting materials to emphasize your institution's commitment to your research success. This is one of the criteria on which the NIH bases its overall impact score.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Harvard Grant Writers

Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Costs

Costs associated with the general operation of an institution and the conduct of its research activities. This is also known as indirect costs. Allowable F&A costs include facilities operations and maintenance, general administration and expenses, department administration, sponsored project administration, and libraries. F&A costs generally do not apply to equipment. This differs from direct costs.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Related Terms: Direct Costs

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)

A document by which a federal agency or private institution makes known its intentions to award discretionary grants or cooperative agreements, usually as a result of competition for funds. NIH FOAs can be Requests for Applications (RFAs) or Program Announcements (PAs).

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Goal

The desired result an investigator will work to achieve in his/her research proposal. In regards to a grant proposal, the goal is a proposition, or set of propositions, set forth as an explanation for the occurrence of some specified group of phenomena. The goal is addressed by the investigator's objectives or specific aims. Note: for some grant applications, the goal is called the hypothesis.

Courtesy: Harvard Grant Writers

Related Terms: Specific Aims, Hypothesis, Objectives

Grant Mentor

A senior colleague who has completed several successful grant applications, preferably grant funded by the same funding agency to which you are applying (highly recommended). His/Her role is to be a sounding board for ideas, as well as the principal reviewer of your application draft. This should be someone who can guide you in putting together a successful grant application, and may or may not be your scientific mentor.

Courtesy: Harvard Grant Writers

Related Terms: Scientific Mentor

Hypothesis

Also referred to as a "testable hypothesis". A proposition, or set of propositions, set forth as an explanation for the occurrence of some specified group of phenomena. The testable hypothesis should yield a yes or no result, as opposed to a descriptive one. This is what your Specific Aims address. The most common reason given for proposal rejection is 'this is not hypothesis-driven research' (no hypothesis given). Note: for some grant applications, the hypothesis is called the goal.

Courtesy: NIH Office of Extramural Research, Harvard Grant Writers

Related Terms: Specific Aims, Objectives, Goal

Impact/Significance

The likelihood that your project will have a strong, sustained influence on your field of research. This differs depending on the funding source. For example, the Thrasher Research Fund defines impact as studies in the pediatric population that within two years may change the standard of care. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds research that has global impact and has the potential to advance science and technology to save lives in developing countries.

Courtesy: NIH Office of Extramural Research

Innovation

The extent to which your project challenges existing paradigms or clinical practices, and the novelty of your concepts and approaches. This is one of the criteria on which the NIH bases its overall impact score.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Harvard Grant Writers

Related Terms: Overall Impact Score

Institute-Specific Program Announcement

A Program Announcement (PA) in which the NIH has solicited investigation into a broad area of science.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Institutional Commitment

Your home institution's financial backing. This includes retaining you on faculty during your research project and/or providing you with any personnel needed to help you conduct your research. A letter stating this may be required for certain types of grant applications.

Courtesy: Harvard Grant Writers

Institutional Support

Your home institution's intention to make available to you the lab space, office space, specific common equipment, technologies, and core facilities you will need to conduct your research. This may also include resources through a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). At Harvard Medical School, this is Harvard Catalyst | The Clinical and Translational Science Center.

Courtesy: Harvard Grant Writers

Related Terms: Core Facilities

Intellectual Property (IP)

In the medical field, intellectual property consists of inventions, patents, trademarks, and industrial designs. Your home and funding institutions may have differing policies regarding any IP generated as a result of your funded research. It is important to consult your home institution's Office of Sponsored Programs, Research Ventures and Licensing Office, or equivalent IP office when securing institutional support. Be sure to clearly outline any parts of your research that may become marketable or patentable.

Courtesy: World Intellectual Property Organization, Harvard Grant Writers

Related Terms: Institutional Support

Investigator(s)

The level to which you and your collaborators are qualified to carry out the work proposed, based on training, technical expertise, experience, and funding. This is one of the criteria on which the NIH bases its overall impact score.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Harvard Grant Writers

Related Terms: Collaborator, Overall Impact Score

Letter(s) of Support

A letter from a collaborator, mentor, and/or department or division chief detailing their intentions to aid you in your proposed project. When you request a letter of support, it generally is helpful to provide your Specific Aims page and a paragraph or two summarizing the major scientific elements of your grant application, novelty, and what is likely to make your project successful within your institution.

Courtesy: Harvard Grant Writers

Related Terms: Collaborator, Scientific Mentor, Specific Aims

Long-Term Goals

The effect you want the research to have on your field of research and the scientific community as a whole.

Courtesy: Harvard Grant Writers

New Investigator

A principal investigator who has not previously competed successfully for an NIH-supported research project. This qualification is considered special status by the NIH. Please refer to the NIH for further guidelines and exceptions. Additional Information

Courtesy: NIH Office of Extramural Research

Related Terms: Special Status

NIH RePORTER

A searchable repository of NIH-funded research projects, including publications and patents that resulted from them. Additional Information

Courtesy: Harvard Grant Writers

Non-standard Time

A classification of an NIH grant deadline. Members of NIH study sections and investigators applying to some grants pertaining to AIDS research are not required to meet otherwise applicable deadlines. Refer to the funding institution for more information about these exemptions.

Courtesy: NIH Office of Extramural Research, Harvard Grant Writers

Not Discussed

A grant application that does not receive a full review or overall impact score. This generally happens when the grant application is in the bottom 50 percent, causing reviewers to triage it. In this case, a more limited summary statement/critique is provided.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Objectives

The specific actions of a research project that will clearly test the validity of your hypothesis or goal. Note: for some grant applications, the objectives are called specific aims.

Courtesy: Harvard Grant Writers

Related Terms: Specific Aims, Hypothesis

Overall Impact Score

Average of the individual ratings of overall merit given by all reviewers of a study section. Overall impact score quantifies the reviewers' assessments of the project's ability to exert a sustained, powerful influence on its field, considering the five core initial peer review criteria and any additional ones.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Harvard Grant Writers

Parent Program Announcement

A vehicle for an individual to submit an investigator-initiated application.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Preliminary Data

Initial data that tests your hypothesis, such as a cell or animal model.

Courtesy: Harvard Grant Writers

Related Terms: Hypothesis

Program Announcement (PA)

A request for investigator-initiated applications. There are two types of PAs: Parent Program Announcements and Institute-Specific Program Announcements

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Program Officer

The person responsible for the programmatic, scientific, and/or technical aspects of a grant program. This person will be your main contact at the funding institution.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

R01 Grant

Standard NIH research project grant designed to support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing the investigator's specific interest and competencies, based on the mission of the NIH. It is the initial independent (not mentored) research grant investigators receive from the NIH and is often a foundational element for supporting a C/T research career. Additional Information

Courtesy: NIH Office of Extramural Research

Request for Applications (RFA)

An announcement requesting funding in a specific scientific area.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Research Study Team

Members of your research staff, as well as collaborators, who will work with you on your project. They should fill any gaps in your experience or abilities, and their support should already be confirmed when you apply.

Courtesy: Harvard Grant Writers

Related Terms: Collaborator

Resubmission

The process of interpreting reviewer comments on a rejected application, rewriting it with the comments in mind, and finally submitting the revised project. Generally, this can be done only once for the same project.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Reviewer(s)

An individual or group of individuals who assess grant applications at the invitation of the funding institution. Do not assume that they are particularly knowledgeable in your field. At the NIH, this group is called a study section.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Harvard Grant Writers

Related Terms: Study Section

Scientific Mentor

A senior colleague who gives guidance on scientific matters. They should be consulted with regards to the impact, feasibility, and scope of your project.

Courtesy: Harvard Grant Writers

Scientific Review Officer (SRO)

The person in charge of the review process for the application. This person typically enters the process once you submit your application. S/he should be contacted for questions regarding your assignment to a study section. The SRO is specific to the NIH.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Significance

Your project's ability to address a certain problem or barrier in your field, and the pertinence of that problem or barrier. This is one of the criteria on which the NIH bases its overall impact score.

Courtesy: NIH Office of Extramural Research

Related Terms: Overall Impact Score

Special Areas

Any involvement of human subjects, select agents, genome-wide association studies or study data, or other areas with special requirements in your research proposal. Refer to your funding institution's guidelines for areas with special requirements.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Special Status

Certain external factors can affect your grant application. The NIH awards first time R01s to New Investigators and Early Stage Investigators (ESIs). When applying for an R01, make sure you meet the criteria for one of these classifications. Also, researchers who belong to significant demographics (such as minorities, veterans, or persons with disabilities) are given priority with certain institutions. Be sure to include any significant demographic information with your proposal.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Specific Aims

The objectives and milestones of a research project. The specific aims should simply and clearly test the validity of the hypothesis. Note: for some grant applications, specific aims are called objectives.

Courtesy: NIH Office of Extramural Research, Harvard Grant Writers

Related Terms: Hypothesis, Goal, Objectives

Start-Up Funds

Funds from your home institution given to cover the generation of preliminary data and any other costs that may be associated with your project. This may or may not be applicable to all institutions.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Related Terms: Preliminary Data

Study Section

Also referred to as the 'Scientific Review Group.' The group that conducts the review of grant applications at the NIH. Other funding institutions may have similar formations for review groups. Refer to the funding institution's website for more information regarding its review process.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Related Terms: Reviewer(s)

Sub-Aims

Items listed within the specific aims section which are in fact components of larger aims listed. These should be avoided if possible.

Courtesy: NIH Office of Extramural Research

Related Terms: Specific Aims

Subaward

A collaboration between a grantee institution and one or more participating profit or nonprofit institutions in support of a research project.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Summary Statement/Critique

Also referred to as the 'pink sheet.' The official document showing the outcome of your grant review. It will include your overall impact score, strengths and weaknesses, areas of concern, and a recommended budget. Most summary statements also have a short synopsis prepared by a scientific review officer based on peer reviewer critiques.

Courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

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Glossary

Funded by the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences through its Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program, grant number UL1TR002541.

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