National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), part of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), funds basic, translational and clinical research in fields relevant to human health. In addition to research grants, support is also provided for research-related activities, including fellowships and training programs, career development, loan repayment, scientific conferences, and shared resources.

NIH Funding

The NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (NIH Guide) is the official publication for NIH biomedical and behavioral research grant policies, guidelines and funding opportunities. Researchers may also wish to sign up to receive weekly updates via the NIH listserv.

The NIH Grants Basics page provides an overview of programs, eligibility, application types and the peer review process.

NIH Programs for Postdoctoral Researchers and Clinical Residents.
Support is provided through a variety of individual and institutional grant programs that support individuals as they advance from trainee to independent researcher. Information is also available about NIH Loan Repayment Programs.

Early career faculty, those who have recently transitioned, or will soon, to fully independent positions, and are in the process of establishing themselves as experts in their chosen research field.  Early Career Development Resources.

See also: New and Early Stage Investigator Policies.

The NIH Loan Repayment Program may repay up to $35,000 of qualified student loan debt per year to outstanding health professionals who commit at least two years to conduct biomedical, behavioral, social, or clinical research, and who agree to engage in such research for an average of at least 20 hours per week based on a 40-hour work week. This includes most undergraduate, graduate, and medical school loans. Loan repayment benefits are in addition to the institutional salary received for research.

The NIH has launched its new Online Partnership to Accelerate Research (OnPAR) program. Operated by Leidos Life Sciences, OnPAR helps match meritorious yet unfunded NIH applications with private funders.

For more information regarding OnPAR, please see Science Magazine's Funding Unfunded NIH Research Applications.