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The Payline 

for investigator-initiated grants, is set 3 times a year in conjunction with meetings of the NHLBAC 

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council (NHLBAC)
an independent group commonly called Council that considers applications and advises the institute and recommends funding for applications that show promise of making valuable contributions. NHLBAC Homepage.

, and is based on the percentile 

Percentile
represents the relative position or rank of each priority score (along 100.0 percentile band) among the scores assigned by a particular study section.

for most grants, or the Priority Score 

Priority Score
a numerical rating that reflects the scientific merit of the proposed research relative to the "state of the science." Average of individual ratings of scientific merit given by reviewers of an initial peer review scientific review group.

for some.  Awards made for RFA 

Requests for Applications (RFA)
initiatives sponsored by one or more NIH institutes or centers that stimulate research by requesting grant applications in a well-defined scientific area.

programs and PPGs are determined based on the Priority Score; these grants are not percentiled.  The pay lines for various research mechanisms are posted on the NHLBI 

National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute (NHLBI)
a NIH 

National Institutes of Health (NIH)
the United State's medical research agency, a federal government agency composed of diverse Institutes and Centers that conduct and support biomedical and behavioral research. NIH Homepage.

Institute that provides leadership for a national program in diseases of the heart, lung, and blood as well as blood resources, sleep disorders and the Woman's Health Initiative. NHLBI Homepage.

public web site in the General Funding Guidelines.

Once the pay lines have been set, the to Office of Grants Management ( OGM 

) provides official notification of each new, competing continuation, non-competing continuation, and supplemental award by e-mailing a Notice of Awards ( NOA 

Notice of Award (NOA)
a legally binding document, notifying the grantee and others that an award has been made, including all terms and conditions of the award and outlining the obligation of Federal funds. Previously known as Notice of Grant Award(NGA).

) to a central e-mail address at a grantee institution. Grantee institutions are responsible for notifying Principal Investigators ( PI 

Principal Investigator (PI)
a qualified person designated by an applicant institution to direct a research project or program, oversee scientific and technical aspects of a grant and the day-to-day management of the research.

) and appropriate officials of awards. Authorized institution users can view NOAs using the NIH Commons.  Each grant application has a unique identifier as seen here:

Application Type	Activity Code	Institute	Serial Number	Suffix Year	Amendment	Supplement
1	R01  R01 grant mechanism used by NIH to provide support for health-related research which can be investigator-initiated or in response to a program announcement or request for application.	HL	83723	07	A1	S1

This unique identifier describes:

• Grant 
  Grant
  financial assistance mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity. A grant is used whenever the NIH Institute or Center anticipates no substantial programmatic involvement with the recipient during performance of the financially assisted activities.
  Application Type (e.g., new is type 1)
• Activity Code 
  Activity Code
  three digit identifier of a specific award type, e.g., R01 is a research project grant. Major series of activity codes are: F -- fellowships, K -- career development awards, N -- research contracts, P -- program project and research center grants, R -- research project grants, S -- research-related programs, T -- training grants, U -- cooperative agreements, and Y -- interagency agreements.
  (e.g. research project grant is R01),
• organization to which it is assigned (e.g. NHLBI is HL),
• serial number assigned by the Center for Scientific Review ( CSR 
  Center for Scientific Review (CSR)
  the portal for NIH grant applications and their review for scientific merit. It organizes the peer review groups that evaluate the majority (70%) of the research grant applications sent to NIH. CSR Homepage
  ),
• suffix year showing the support year (budget period),
• amendment (if resubmitted),
• and other information, e.g., an administrative supplement, or fellowship institutional allowance. 

Each NOA / Award 

of Contract 

Contract
award instrument establishing a binding legal agreement between NIH and an award recipient for products or services. The Office of Acquisition 

Office of Acquisition (OA)
OA is part of the NHLBIs Division of Extramural Research Activities. OA provides support during the planning, negotiation, award and administration of research contracts. (Not be confused with the NIH Office of Acquisition Management and Policy)

Management and Policy (OAMP) web site provides additional information

includes:

• Issue date
• Type of grant / contract
• Budget and project periods
• NIH contact information, including the names of the assigned Program Official (PO) 
  Program Official (PO)
  staff member who oversees a scientific program and the progress of grants and contracts in a portfolio. This title is most frequently used to refer to the scientific or technical representative for grants, but the generic "program official" term also may refer to a Project Officer 

  Project Officer
  the NIH staff member designated as a Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) to coordinate the substantive aspects of an acquisition from its development through to contract award and administration. Also known as Contracting Officer's Technical Representative ( COTR ).

  if the funding mechanism is a contract. Also known as Health Scientist Administrators or Program Director.
  and Grants Management Specialist ( GMS 
  Grants Management Specialists (GMS)
  staff members who are the focal point for all business and policy activities associated with the negotiation, award and administration of a grant or cooperative agreement, and who interpret and apply grants policies.
  ) or Contract Specialist 
  Contract Specialist
  individual who performs many of the duties required by the contracting officer but is not authorized to sign contract documents or provide authorizations.
  .
• Terms and Conditions of Award (Terms and Conditions of Awards for Cooperative Agreement 
  Cooperative Agreement (U series)
  a support mechanism used when there will be substantial Federal scientific or programmatic involvement. Substantial involvement means that, after award, scientific or program staff will assist, guide, coordinate, or participate in project activities.
  )
• Terms and Conditions of Award (contracts may include Advance Understandings)
• Statement of Work ( SOW 
  Statement of Work (SOW)
  a detailed description of work written in a proposal to be performed under a contract.
  ) (for Contracts only)
• Funding level
• Statutes and regulations that authorize the award

You should thoroughly read the terms and conditions of award outlined in Section III of the NOA. By spending grant funds, grantees agree to comply with these legal requirements, which may include special program- or award-specific conditions. NHLBI sends a NOA for each budget period of an award.  For most grants, this will be every year, though recipients of multiyear grants may receive only one NOA (for more information see the NIH Grants Policy Statement on Notice of Grant Award).

If you are not funded, it may be difficult to decide what to do next. Talk with your Program Official (PO) who can advise you and answer questions you may have. NIAID has prepared an excellent resource called “Advice for Unfunded Applicants”, which answers many questions that you may have.

Page Last Updated: February 2011
Content Manager: ClinicalResearchPolicyManager@nhlbi.nih.gov