Important Information
- Institutional Requirements: Queen's meets the institutional requirements to submit NIH grants (i.e., Queen's is registered in SAM and has UEI and EIN numbers). Queen's researchers DO NOT have to register as individuals in any of these systems. Applicants will require an eRA Commons ID, which can be created by Research Services.
- Indirect Costs: The Queen’s NIH indirect cost rate is 8% of the total direct costs (excluding equipment over $5000, tuition, patient care costs, rent, and sub-award costs (after the first $25,000)).
- Foreign Justification: Foreign (non-US) applicants must include a foreign justification explaining why the research must be conducted in a non-US setting. NIH reviewers assess whether the project presents special opportunities for furthering research programs through the use of unique talent, resources, facilities, populations, or environmental conditions that are either not readily available in the US or augment existing US resources.
- Sub-recipient Arrangements: If you are the nominated PI and have co-applicants from other institutions, they will be required to provide documents as part of a subaward agreement with Queen’s (see NIH Applications where Queen's is a Subaward ). Please contact a Research Projects Advisor for more information.
- Research Services Submits the Application to NIH: Research Services submits all NIH grants on behalf of the institution. If you are planning to submit an NIH application as PI, contact a Research Projects Advisor 2-3 months before the deadline. They can advise on NIH requirements, review your grant, and help to ensure that your application follows NIH guidelines.
- Step 1. Review the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA): The FOA will cover important information such as which NIH Institutes are supporting the funding call, NIH notices, eligibility information, due dates, application requirements, and review criteria. See this annotated FOA (PDF 224 KB) for an explanation of each section of the FOA.
- Step 2. Select the Submission Portal: There are 2 submission options . ASSIST is managed by NIH prepopulates fields from eRA Commons profiles, and is the most commonly used portal. Workspace is managed by Grants.gov and requires additional user registrations through that system.
- Step 3. Review Grant Application Instructions: A typical NIH application consists of several forms and freeform written sections (e.g. research proposal, facilities description, resource sharing plan). Detailed application instructions are available online on completing and submitting applications.
- Step 4. Subaward Arrangements: There are specific forms and requirements that must be completed when an NIH application involves co-applicants from other universities who will receive funding. Please contact a Research Projects Advisor for information on subaward agreements.
- Step 5. Review Sample Applications: The NIH Institute NIAID has sample applications (with reviewer feedback) available online. NIAID staff consider them examples of good grantsmanship, but note that the samples may not represent the most recent NIH application format or rules.
- Contact a Research Projects Advisor (2-3 months before NIH deadline): Research Services can advise on NIH requirements, liaise with sub-recipient institutions, review your grant, and help ensure that your application follows NIH guidelines.
- Submit a TRAQ DSS (1-3 weeks before NIH deadline): PIs must submit a TRAQ DSS for NIH grants before Research Services can submit the application to NIH. Applicants must submit the TRAQ DSS 3 weeks in advance of the deadline (for hospital-based ) or 1-week in advance if the research is not hospital-based.
- Submit Subaward Documents to Queen’s (2 weeks before NIH deadline): Co-applicants from other institutions will be required to complete Queen’s subaward documents and submit their RR budget to Queen’s 2 weeks in advance of the NIH deadline. Contact your Research Projects Advisor for details.
- Submit Application (1-week before NIH deadline): Research Services submits NIH applications on behalf of the institution. When the full application is submitted, Grants.gov will validate the application. Any errors preventing submission will be identified, so it is important to submit in advance to allow time to correct errors before the NIH deadline. Processing may take several hours. Because of the potential for errors that can prevent submission, Research Services recommends that PIs make their first online submission attempt 1-week before the NIH deadline.
The NIH requires the disclosure of all sources of research support, foreign components, and financial conflicts of interest by all senior/key personnel named on a grant application. These disclosures are made prior to grant submission, and throughout the duration of the award.
Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI): All senior/key personnel must complete the following FCOI forms prior to grant submission, and yearly if awarded, in order to comply with NIH financial conflict of interest policies. These forms will be kept on file at Queen’s.
- National Institutes of Health - Financial Conflict of Interest Form - MEMO Document (PDF 332 KB)
- National Institutes of Health - Financial Conflict of Interest Form - Consent & Disclosure Form (PDF 331 KB)
Biosketch and Other Support Documents: All senior/key personnel must disclose all positions and scientific appointments, and all resources and financial support for research activities, as part of the NIH Biosketch documents.
- NIH Disclosures – Biographical Sketch and Other Support (PDF 89 KB): A table created by the NIH outlining types of activities to be disclosed pre- and post-award.
- Faculty Memo – Other Support (PDF 103 KB): Details on who, what, and when to disclose Other Support to the NIH.
Mandatory FCOI Training: The NIH requires that all senior/key personnel complete the NIH FCOI Training Tutorial . Once completed, the FCOI Training Certificate is kept on file at Queen’s.
Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs: NIH applicants and grant holders are prohibited from providing funding to or making an award of a fundamental research project proposal in which a covered individual is participating in a malign foreign talent recruitment program (MFTRP) or to an institution that does not have a policy addressing malign foreign talent programs.
PIs can expect to certify that they are not a party to a MFTRP at the Just in Time and RPPR stages of the grant lifecycle; as well as at the Notice of Award and Transfer payment agreement stages. PIs must continue to disclose all Foreign supports and affiliations for senior/key personnel under “Other supports” on Biographical sketch CVs and Other support declarations.
For more information, refer to the following documents:
Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plans: As of January 25 2023, NIH requires all applicants planning to generate scientific data to prepare a DMS Plan that describes how the scientific data will be managed and shared.
Please see:
- NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy ;
- Writing a Data Management and Sharing Plan ;
- NIH DMP template ;
- and Sample Plans .
The recommended page limit is 2 pages. DMS Plans should NOT include hyperlinks or URLs .
A Queen's NetID is required to view the following documents.
- Finding & Applying for NIH Funding (PDF 1.7 MB) - Overview presentation on finding & applying to National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunities
- NIH Panel Discussion (PDF 773 KB) - Summary of a Research Services Panel Discussion titled "A PI's Perspective on Navigating NIH Programs"
- NIH Full Application Checklist (PDF 233 KB) - checklist for applicants that highlights key components of NIH grant applications
Contact Information
| Jennifer Robinson, Ph.D. |
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| Research Projects Advisor (Health Sciences) University Research Services / Faculty of Health Sciences Phone: 613-533-6000 ext. 32944 |