Description of the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts

The NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts is the official publication for NIH medical and behavioral research grant policies, guidelines and funding opportunities. The Guide is published on a weekly basis and users may Subscribe/Unsubscribe to the weekly e-mail LISTSERV Table of Contents (TOC). It is also used by NIH Contracting offices and other HHS agencies, to announce their funding opportunities. The NIH Guide serves in lieu of the Federal Register, in compliance with the Administrative Procedures Act. Occasionally, unofficial notices of interest to the scientific research community are published. The NIH considers applications for the support of basic or clinical biomedical, behavioral, and bioengineering research. New extramural grant programs and priorities are implemented by publication of one of the following:

• Program Announcement (PA):
  Funding announcement for grants relating to areas of increased priority and/or emphasis on particular funding mechanisms for a specific area of science. Applications are usually accepted on standard receipt dates on an on-going basis.
• PAR:
  A PA for which special referral guidelines apply, as described in the PAR announcement.
• PAS:
  A PA that includes specific set-aside funds, as described in the PAS announcement.



• Request for Applications (RFA):
  Funding announcement for grants that identifies a more narrowly defined area for which one or more NIH institutes have set aside funds for awarding grants. An RFA usually has a single receipt date, as specified in RFA announcement.



• Request for Proposals (RFP):
  Solicits contract proposals. An RFP usually has one receipt date, as specified in RFP solicitation.



• Notice (NOT):
  Announces policy and procedures, changes to RFA or PA announcements, RFPs and other general information items.

Inquiries about specific Notices, PAs, and RFAs published in the NIH Guide, should be directed to the NIH staff member(s) identified in each announcement.

• PA Numbering (e.g. PA-04-008): Indicates a PA issued in 2004 or for funding in 2004 (04) with an associated serial number (008).



• RFA Numbering (e.g. RFA-HL-04-004): Indicates an RFA issued by NHLBI (HL) in 2004 or for funding in 2004 (04) with an associated serial number (004).



• Notice Numbering (e.g. NOT-OD-04-025): Indicates a Notice issued by the Office of the Director (OD) in Fiscal Year 2004 (04) with an associated serial number (025).

For a complete listing NIH organization names, initials and two-letter codes, see Activity and Organization Codes and Program Definitions (PDF), "Table 2: Administering Organizations" section.