Program Officials Are Here to Help

Program Officials (POs) in the NIH institutes/centers (ICs) serve as your scientific and programmatic contacts. Among their many responsibilities, POs develop research and research training initiatives, write funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) to solicit applications in support of those initiatives, manage a scientific portfolio, and monitor grant progress. Many of them were even in your shoes prior to joining NIH and have first-hand knowledge of the challenges you may be facing. So, who better to provide guidance to investigators pre- and post-award? Although they can answer many questions, it is important to understand what a PO can and can’t do for you. What POs Can Do What POs Can’t Do —  Provide feedback on the fit of your proposed work with the mission and scientific priorities of the IC —  Provide feedback on suitability of your proposed work for a specific FOA —  Clarify program requirements —  Clarify administrative policies —  Provide general tips/strategies on writing strong applications —  Suggest resources that might help you in preparing a strong application —  Co-write or rewrite any portion of an application Propose copy edits to your proposal Provide specific edits to specific aims or research plan Recommend specific advice on experimental design —  Share information that is not a part of the FOA or is not in the public domain   Identifying the correct PO The steps for identifying a program official to reach out to var...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Tips Before You Submit NIH contacts program officials Source Type: funding