The longest-standing NIGMS program for supporting collaborative research is the program project (P01) grant. Although program project grants are supported by most NIH Institutes, NIGMS has specific requirements for program projects that are detailed in the funding opportunity announcement and outlined below.
An excellent program project grant application:
- Aims to solve a significant biological problem, important for the mission of NIGMS, through a collaborative approach involving outstanding scientists who might not otherwise collaborate.
- Provides research support in areas distinct from those for which the participants are already funded.
- May establish collaborations with investigators already funded in the area of research of the program project by folding in a participant’s already funded research grant or through associate membership.
- May make excellent use of core facilities although the existence of a core is not sufficient justification for a program project.
Receipt, Review and Funding
As noted in the program project announcement cited above, NIGMS does not fund program projects in all areas that nominally fall within its mission. Therefore, potential applicants are urged to contact NIGMS program staff prior to submission to avoid a situation where an otherwise outstanding program project grant application is not funded because it is lacking in programmatic interest.
Following submission, NIGMS program project grants are reviewed either by the NIH Center for Scientific Review or the NIGMS Office of Scientific Review. A site visit is not normally conducted as part of the review.
Following peer review, each program project grant is reviewed individually by the National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council.
At the beginning of each fiscal year, NIGMS senior staff decides the maximum amount of money that will be set aside for funding P01s. Following Council review, a committee composed of NIGMS senior staff and chaired by the NIGMS associate director for extramural activities decides which program project grants will be funded from these set-aside funds. Because of the limited budget for program project grants, it is possible that even highly rated program project applications will not be funded.