The below proposal guide provide commons steps and sample forms necessary for submitting grant proposals to the National Institutes of Health.
Please note: There is NOT a universal form set available for download that can be used to submit a grant application to NIH. Required forms vary by funding opportunity. The individual application forms below are for reference only. These forms CANNOT be uploaded to Workspace or ASSIST and CANNOT be used for submission to NIH. Only forms accessed, prepared and submitted through ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace will be accepted.
For more resources for preparing a NIH proposal, visit the NIH virtual Grants Conference website (with several recordings) or jump to selected NIH Virtual Seminars
NIH requires the Principal Investigator(s)/Program Director(s) to have an NIH eRA Commons account. The NIH eRA Commons account allows the PI to submit an application and review and administer certain aspects of their own NIH submissions. If you have not previously applied to the NIH, please send the below information to your Sponsored Research Officer for an account to be created for you:
After your account is created, you will receive an automated “Account Created” notification email from NIH containing the username and a randomly generated password. Please activate your account and populate your profile as soon as possible.
When submitting a Progress Report to NIH, NIH requires associated undergraduate and graduate students on NIH-funded projects for at least one person month or more to have an NIH eRA Commons account. Follow the same instructions above to request the creation of an account for undergraduate and graduate students who participate in NIH-funded projects.
1. Find an opportunity
2. Choose a submission option
3. Initiate an application
Note: There is NOT a universal form set available for download that can be used to submit a grant application to NIH.
File Names |
All file names must be descriptive and contain 50 characters or less. Do not use the ampersand (&) character in file names. Use one space (not two or more) between words and characters. A space counts as one character. |
Pagination |
Do not paginate individual sections of the proposal or add other information to the headers or footers. eRA Commons will automatically assemble, paginate, and add PI’s name to the header. |
Font |
Recommended typefaces of 11 points or larger include: Arial, Georgia, Helvetica, and Palatino Linotype. Other fonts may be used if the font adheres to the NIH Format Requirements. A “symbol” font may be used for Greek letters or special characters, but the font size requirement still applies. |
Citations |
Use whatever format for citations that you want.
Remember to comply with our public access policy by including the PMC reference number (PMCID) when citing applicable papers that you author or that arise from your NIH-funded research. |
Margins | All documents must have at least one-half inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right). |
Figures | Smaller type size may be used in figures, graphs, diagrams, charges, tables, figure legends, and footnotes, but must be in a black font color, and follow the font typeface requirement. Color may be used in figures but all text must be in a black font color, clear, and legible. |
Hyperlinks |
Hyperlinks and URLs are only allowed when specifically noted in funding opportunity announcement (FOA) and form field instructions. The use of hyperlinks is typically limited to citing relevant publications in biosketches and publication lists. It is highly unusual for a FOA to allow links in Specific Aims, Research Strategy and other page-limited attachments. Hyperlinks and URLs may not be used to provide information necessary to application review. Reviewers are not obligated to view linked sites and are cautioned that they should not directly access a website (unless the link to the site was specifically requested in application instructions) as it could compromise their anonymity. When allowed, you must hyperlink the actual URL text so it appears on the page rather than hiding the URL behind a specific word or phrase. |
Page Limits |
Page limits apply in most sections. A listing of page limits for each section by activity code is available online. |
For more NIH format erquirements: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/format-and-write/format-attachments.htm
The SF 424 request applicant and institutional information. Please reference the current SU Institutional Profile in the Institutional Information section of our website for help completing this form.
You'll also provide your project title - limited to 200 characters including spaces and punctuation. The title must be different than any other NIH or PHS agency application submitted by the same PI
Provide a project start and end date.
(Note: This form is for reference only. This form CANNOT be uploaded to Workspace or ASSIST and CANNOT be used for submission to NIH. Only forms accessed, prepared and submitted through ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace will be accepted.)
In addition to questions about the type of research being conducted, this form asks for uploads of the following documents:
Sample R&R Other Project Information
(Note: This form is for reference only. This form CANNOT be uploaded to Workspace or ASSIST and CANNOT be used for submission to NIH. Only forms accessed, prepared and submitted through ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace will be accepted.)
This form requests the location of the project (typically SU address). SU's congressional district is: WA-009
For projects with subawards, all subaward recipient sites must be included along with their Congressional District.
Sample Project/Performance Site Location(s)
(Note: This form is for reference only. This form CANNOT be uploaded to Workspace or ASSIST and CANNOT be used for submission to NIH. Only forms accessed, prepared and submitted through ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace will be accepted.)
Profiles must be provided for all senior/key persons, as well as other significant contributors and consultants.
All individuals listed as PI/PD must include their eRA Commons ID. To request an eRA Commons ID, please contact your Sponsored Research Officer or osp@seattleu.edu
After the PI/PD, remaining senior/key person profiles should be listed in alphabetical order.
Biographical Sketches are limited to 5 pages per person and should include:
Unless otherwise indicated, do NOT provide Current and Pending Support documents for each individual.
Please use our Budget Template for Federal/Public Funding and Budget Justification Forms for budget development.
Salary and effort is limited to the NIH Salary Cap.
Foreign organizations may include limited F&A Costs (up to eight percent MTDC less equipment).
R&R Budget Form (for proposals requesting between $250,001 and $300,000 in direct costs):
PHS 398 Modular Budget (for proposals requesting less than $250,000):
Sample PHS398 Modular Budget Form
(Note: These forms are for reference only. These forms CANNOT be uploaded to Workspace or ASSIST and CANNOT be used for submission to NIH. Only forms accessed, prepared and submitted through ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace will be accepted.)
The PHS 398 Research Plan form is used only for research, multi-project, and SBIR/STTR applications.
The Research Plan, together with the rest of your application, should include sufficient information needed for evaluation of the project, independent of any other documents (e.g., previous application). Be specific and informative, and avoid redundancies.
Learn more about this form here.
This form includes fields to upload several attachments, including:
(Note: This form is for reference only. This form CANNOT be uploaded to Workspace or ASSIST and CANNOT be used for submission to NIH. Only forms accessed, prepared and submitted through ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace will be accepted.)
Effective January 25, 2023 - All proposals submitted to the NIH producing scientific data must submit a Data Management and Sharing Plan in accordance with the NIH Policy.
The plan must not exceed 2 pages and address the following:
Review NIH's full "Writing a Data Management and Sharing Plan" guidance
Download the: NIH Data Mangement and Sharing Plan template
Optional form. Applicants may select up to three institutes/centers for assignment application and up to three SRGs or SEPs. This information no longer may be included in the Cover Letter.
Sample PHS Assignment Request Form
(Note: This form is for reference only. This form CANNOT be uploaded to Workspace or ASSIST and CANNOT be used for submission to NIH. Only forms accessed, prepared and submitted through ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace will be accepted.)
Below are selected webinars recorded during the October 2020 NIH Virtual Seminar. We encourage you to review these materials if you are considering a proposal to an NIH agency. Additionally, the below resources may be of assistance in preparing your application:
View the Application Preparation and Submission webinar February 2023
Webinar description: How do you get your great research idea to NIH for funding consideration? You must find an appropriate opportunity; prepare your application; submit your error-free application through Grants.gov to NIH on-time; and confirm NIH received it correctly. Learn about the NIH grant application process and the NIH resources available to complete each step.
View the Grant Writing for Success webinar (February 2023)
Webinar description: Are you a new or junior investigator? Do you assist in the preparation of the scientific portions of grant applications to NIH? If you answered “yes” to either question, then check out this popular presentation from NIH experts that provides insights and helpful hints on preparing an application for submission. Learn how to avoid the most common mistakes in writing grant applications and correct some typical misconceptions about the grant review process.
View the Let's Look at Peer Review webinar February 2023
Webinar description: What happens after your application has been submitted? How will it be evaluated? This video follows a typical application from submission through peer review to funding consideration, with key steps and important factors to note along the way. Understanding the NIH peer review is fundamental to a successful grant application. So don’t miss this opportunity to know the score on peer review!
View the Research Enhancement Award (R15) Program webinar
Webinar description: The NIH Research Enhancement Award program (R15) supports faculty research at campuses that have received no more than $6 million in total costs of NIH funding in the past 4 of 7 fiscal years. It is designed to support meritorious research, strengthen the research environment of the institution and to expose students to research. This video describes NIH’s goals for the program and provides perspective on how to write a competitive application.
Research Enhancement Award (R15) Powerpoint - NIH October 2020
Research Enhancement Award (R15) Transcript - NIH October 2020
View the mock study session here
Join us for a brief look at what a peer review study section meeting might look and sound like as applications are discussed. During this 45-minute session, you’ll get a better idea of how the meeting is conducted, as well as hear a sampling of common questions asked by reviewers and mistakes by applicants. Recorded on October 28, 2020 during session at 2020 NIH Virtual Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration.