National Institutes of Health

NIH Grant Opportunities

The National Institutes of Health is the largest public funder of biomedical and behavioral research. Most NIH funding flows through a small set of recurring activity codes: research project grants (R), career development awards (K), individual fellowships (F), and small business programs (SBIR/STTR).

Each program below has its own page with eligibility, budget limits, deadlines, and answers to common questions. Funding opportunities open right now are listed further down, pulled from Grants.gov.

NIH grant programs

Recurring programs with eligibility, award size, and deadlines. Confirm current details on each official program page.

NIH R01R01

NIH's flagship, investigator-initiated grant for a discrete, mature research project.

Deadlines: Three standard cycles a year: new applications are generally due Feb 5, Jun 5, and Oct 5, and NIH no longer has separate AIDS-related due dates.

NIH R21R21

A shorter NIH grant for exploratory, high-risk/high-reward work that doesn't yet have extensive preliminary data.

Deadlines: Three standard cycles a year: generally Feb 16, Jun 16, and Oct 16 for new applications.

NIH R03R03

A small, short-term NIH grant for discrete, well-defined projects that can be completed with limited resources.

Deadlines: Three standard cycles a year: generally Feb 16, Jun 16, and Oct 16 for new applications.

NIH K99/R00K99/R00

A two-phase award that carries a promising postdoc through the last of mentored training and into their first independent faculty position.

Deadlines: Three standard cycles a year: generally Feb 12, Jun 12, and Oct 12.

NIH F31F31

An NIH fellowship that supports promising PhD students through their dissertation research and training.

Deadlines: Three standard cycles a year: generally Apr 8, Aug 8, and Dec 8.

NIH F32F32

An NIH fellowship supporting postdoctoral research training under an established sponsor.

Deadlines: Three standard cycles a year: generally Apr 8, Aug 8, and Dec 8.

NIH SBIR/STTRSBIR/STTR

NIH's small-business programs funding the development and commercialization of biomedical technologies.

Deadlines: Standard cycles are generally Apr 5, Sep 5, and Jan 5, alongside targeted solicitations and contract topics.

NIH K AwardsK series

NIH's career development awards provide protected time and mentoring for early-career scientists and clinicians on the path to research independence.

Deadlines: New applications Feb 12, Jun 12, Oct 12; resubmissions Mar 12, Jul 12, Nov 12.

Open NIH funding opportunities

Search all open opportunities

Posted on Grants.gov and refreshed several times a day, soonest deadline first. Each one opens a page with how to apply.

NIH6 days left

Secondary Analysis and Integration of Existing Data to Elucidate Cancer Risk and Related Outcomes (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

National Institutes of Health

PAR-25-095Closes Nov 6, 2026

NIH16 days left

Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) Small Research Grant (R03 Clinical Trial Optional)

National Institutes of Health

PAR-25-370Closes Nov 16, 2026

NIH17 days left

Feasibility Clinical Trials of Mind and Body Interventions for NCCIH High Priority Research Topics (R34 Clinical Trial Required)

National Institutes of Health

PAR-25-274Closes Nov 17, 2026

NIH17 days left

Investigator Initiated Clinical Trials of Complementary and Integrative Interventions Delivered Remotely or via mHealth (R01 Clinical Trial Required)

National Institutes of Health

PAR-25-268Closes Nov 17, 2026

NIH17 days left

Secondary Analysis and Integration of Existing Data to Elucidate Cancer Risk and Related Outcomes (R21 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)

National Institutes of Health

PAR-25-096Closes Nov 17, 2026

NIH18 days left

Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)

National Institutes of Health

PAR-25-371Closes Nov 18, 2026

NIH18 days left

Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)

National Institutes of Health

PAR-25-369Closes Nov 18, 2026

NIH24 days left

Competing Revisions to Existing NIH Single Project Research Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Clinical Trial Optional)

National Institutes of Health

PA-23-317Closes Nov 24, 2026

NIH33 days left

Emerging Global Leader Award (K43 Independent Clinical Trial Required)

National Institutes of Health

PAR-24-295Closes Dec 3, 2026

How to apply for NIH funding

Find a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), either a parent announcement or a targeted one, and confirm the activity code and due date.
Make sure your institution is registered in SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons, and that you have an eRA Commons account.
Prepare the application in your institution's system or NIH ASSIST, including the research plan, budget, biosketches, and a Data Management and Sharing Plan.
Route it through your sponsored programs office, which submits it by 5:00 PM local time on the due date.

Start here

NIH guides

NIH RPPR instructionsHow to complete the NIH Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR): annual, interim, and final RPPR due dates, a section-by-section checklist, the participants section, and what holds up funding.Grant closeout checklistEverything to submit and reconcile when a federal grant ends: final reports, financials, inventions, subawards, and the 120-day deadlines that can freeze future funding.Proposal submission checklistA pre-submission checklist for research proposals: solicitation review, internal routing, budget, compliance, and sponsor-system steps to hit the deadline cleanly.Understanding F&A ratesWhere your institution's F&A rate comes from, what it's applied to, and why small budgeting choices change how much indirect cost an award recovers.Effort reporting guideHow effort works on federal awards, the difference between committed, charged, and certified effort, and the pitfalls that turn into audit findings.Subrecipient monitoring checklistThe prime recipient's obligations when part of a project is subawarded: subrecipient determination, risk assessment, flow-down terms, and ongoing monitoring.Reading your Notice of AwardThe parts of a Notice of Award that determine what you can spend, when, and what needs prior approval, plus the terms that cause disallowed costs if missed.Cost transfers guideWhen a cost transfer onto a federal award is allowable, the documentation it requires, and why late or unexplained transfers draw audit scrutiny.Direct vs. indirect costsThe difference between direct and indirect costs on research grants, with examples of each, the gray areas like administrative salaries, and how indirect costs are calculated from your F&A rate.De minimis indirect cost rateThe de minimis indirect cost rate explained: the 15% rate under 2 CFR 200.414(f), why NIH awards still use 10%, who is eligible, and how to calculate it on modified total direct costs.No-cost extensionsWhat a no-cost extension is, NIH and NSF rules for first and subsequent extensions, deadlines, what to include in the justification, and reasons that do not qualify.NIH modular budgetHow NIH modular budgets work: the $250,000 threshold, $25,000 modules, consortium F&A, what goes in the personnel, consortium, and additional narrative justifications, and a worked example.

Templates

Grant Budget TemplateA five-year research grant budget in Excel that calculates fringe, the NIH salary cap, the MTDC base, and F&A automatically.Budget Justification TemplateA free budget justification (budget narrative) template for research grants, organized by the federal R&R budget categories, with example language for personnel, fringe, equipment, travel, other direct costs, subawards, and F&A.Letter of Support Template for Grant ApplicationsA free letter of support template for NIH and other research grant applications, with collaborator and consultant versions, what NIH asks letters to include, and how NIH's move to letters of collaboration affects them.NSF Letter of Collaboration TemplateA free NSF letter of collaboration template using the single-sentence format in the NSF PAPPG, with rules on endorsements, where to upload, and the NIH version planned under NOT-OD-26-094.Grant Tracking Spreadsheet TemplateA free grant tracking spreadsheet in Excel for proposals, active awards, and deadlines, with burn rate and time-elapsed formulas, days-until-due countdowns, and status flags.Grant Letter of Intent TemplateA free grant letter of intent (LOI) template with two versions: the short NIH letter of intent requested in many funding opportunities, and a foundation LOI that pitches the project before a full proposal.Grant Application Cover Letter TemplateA free cover letter template for NIH grant applications, with when a cover letter is required, what to include, who reads it, and why assignment requests now go on a separate form.NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan TemplateA free NIH Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plan template in the updated 2026 format required for due dates on or after May 25, 2026, with every element, word limits, and example answers.No-Cost Extension Request Letter TemplateA free no-cost extension request letter template for prior-approval extensions at NIH, NSF, DoD, and other sponsors, with a justification structure, required details, and reasons that do not qualify.Grant Management ChecklistA free grant management checklist for research awards, organized by stage: before submission, at award, during the award, and at closeout, with the deadlines and approvals that most often slip.

Calculators

NIH salary cap 2026The NIH salary cap for 2026 is $228,000 (Executive Level II, effective January 1, 2026). See the cap by year and calculate the allowable salary and over-the-cap amount at any effort level.Person months calculatorConvert percent effort to person months and back, for 12-month calendar appointments and 9-month academic appointments with summer effort.Salary & fringe calculatorCalculate requested salary and fringe benefits for every person on a grant, across up to 10 budget years, with annual escalation and an optional NIH salary cap.F&A & MTDC calculatorBuild the Modified Total Direct Cost base, apply your F&A rate, and see total direct costs, indirect costs, and the full award total, with the usual MTDC exclusions handled.NIH modular budgetRound direct costs up to $25,000 modules for each budget year, check eligibility for a modular budget (up to $250,000 a year), and total the request with consortium F&A.Grant burn rateCompare the share of a grant spent and encumbered with the share of the award period elapsed, see the average monthly burn, the monthly spend needed to finish on budget, and the projected run-out date.

Forms and submission systems

Grants.govFederal grant applications and forms for NIH, USDA, and many others.NIH eRA CommonsNIH application status, progress reports (RPPR), and award management.SciENcvBiosketches and Current & Pending (Other) Support documents.NIH Salary CapCurrent and historical NIH salary cap amounts.NIH RPPRInstructions and resources for the NIH progress report.

Key NIH terms

Modular Budget Salary Cap Person-Months Research Performance Progress Report Letter of Intent Specific Aims Biographical Sketch Current & Pending (Other) Support Data Management & Sharing Plan Just-in-Time (JIT)Resubmission (A1)Administrative Supplement Expanded Authority Financial Conflict of Interest Responsible Conduct of Research Public Access Policy (PMCID)Research Security & Disclosure

For any federal award

Guides, templates, and definitions that apply to NIH awards and every other federal sponsor.

Notice of Funding Opportunity System for Award Management Unique Entity Identifier Authorized Organization Representative F&A (Facilities & Administrative) Costs Modified Total Direct Costs Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200)

Frequently asked questions

When are NIH grant deadlines?

NIH uses three standard due-date cycles a year, and the dates vary by activity code. For example, new R01 applications are due February 5, June 5, and October 5, and new R21 and R03 applications February 16, June 16, and October 16. K awards and fellowships have their own dates, and some funding opportunities set their own.

Which NIH grant should I apply for?

Early-stage, exploratory work often fits an R21 or R03. A mature research program with preliminary data fits an R01. Postdocs and early-career clinicians usually start with an F fellowship or a K award.

How do I find open NIH funding opportunities?

NIH posts funding opportunities in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts and on Grants.gov. The open opportunities on this page are refreshed from Grants.gov several times a day.

Opportunities from other sponsors

NSF grants DoD / CDMRP grants DOE grants NASA grants USDA / NIFA grants

Track NIH proposals and awards

GrantsManager keeps every deadline, budget, and report in one place for PIs and research administrators.

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