Pre-award
Specific Aims
The one-page statement of what an NIH project will accomplish: its objectives and hypotheses.
The Specific Aims page is the heart of an NIH application: a single page stating the problem, the gap in knowledge, the project's objectives, and the two or three aims that will address them. Reviewers often form their first impression here.
Because it frames everything that follows, it's usually the first thing written and the most heavily revised part of a proposal.
Why it matters
Reviewers judge a proposal's significance largely from this page: a weak Aims page can sink strong science.
Related terms
Track this in GrantsManager
GrantsManager gives PIs and administrators one real-time view of proposals, awards, budgets, and compliance, so terms like this stop living in spreadsheets.