FAQ for Foreign Institutions and Scientists

 

Does NINDS support international research?
Do I need U.S. affiliation or citizenship to be a grantee?
Do I need U.S. affiliation or citizenship to be a trainee on a training grant or receive a career award or fellowship?
Do foreign organizations have an additional step for electronic applications?
If I'm applying from a foreign institution, do I need to indicate this on the application?
Are foreign companies eligible for Small Business Innovation Research grants?
What is different about the review of foreign applications?
Are there special budget requirements for applications from foreign institutions?
Will NIH funding support foreign postdoctoral fellows?

  Does NINDS support international research?

Yes. The NINDS Office of International Activities(OIA) supports the coordination and development of programs and initiatives that foster international research, training and collaborations relevant to the institute’s mission. 

Foreign institutions and international organizations are also eligible to apply for several types of NIH grants.  See Table 1 for complete information.

 

  Do I need U.S. affiliation or citizenship to be a grantee?

No. You don't need U.S. affiliation or citizenship to become a grantee.  If you are working at a U.S. institution that is receiving the award, you have to remain there long enough to finish your project.

• If you do not have a permanent visa, state in your application that your visa will allow you to remain in the U.S. long enough for you to be engaged on the project.
• Your institution ensures that you have an appropriate visa.

 

  Do I need U.S. affiliation or citizenship to be a trainee on a training grant or receive a career award or fellowship?

Yes, with a couple of exceptions: the Pathway to Independence Award(K99/R00) and the International Neuroscience Fellowship (F05). For most other career development and trainingawards, you must be a U.S. citizen, a noncitizen national, or a permanent resident with a valid Alien Registration Receipt Card (i.e. Green Card) at the time of award.

 

  Do foreign organizations have an additional step for electronic applications?

Yes. Foreign organizations must obtain a NATO Commercial and Government Entitycode. NIH does not require international organizations to obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for application submission.  International organizations may use 44-4444444 for the Employer Identification field in the SF424 (R&R) Cover Component of the application package.  For more information on registering, see the Grants.gov Registration Instructions for Domestic and Foreign Organizations.

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  If I'm applying from a foreign institution, do I need to indicate this on the application?

Yes.  Both paper and electronic applications have a checkbox for foreign institutions and domestic institutions with a foreign component.

 

  Are foreign companies eligible for Small Business Innovation Research grants?

No. To be eligible for an SBIR grant, a company must have majority ownership by U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens, and conduct all the research funded by the grant in the U.S. This condition makes subsidiaries of foreign companies ineligible unless they are majority owned by U.S. citizens.

For more information on small business funding opportunities, see the NINDS SBIR and STTR Program.

 

  What is different about the review of foreign applications?

In addition to standard review criteria, the following criteria are considered:

• Whether the project presents special opportunities for furthering research programs through the use of unusual talent, resources, populations, or environmental conditions in other countries that are not readily available in the United States or that augment existing U.S. resources.
• Whether the proposed project has specific relevance to the mission and objectives of the NIH and has the potential for significantly advancing health sciences in the United States.

These criteria are not applied to applications from U.S. organizations containing a foreign component.

 

  Are there special budget requirements for applications from foreign institutions?

Yes. NIH announced a requirement for detailed budgets in an August 23, 2006, Guide notice.

Foreign institutionsmay use an F&A rate of no more than 8 percent. See Grants to Foreign Institutions, International Organizations, and Domestic Grants with Foreign Components for more information.

 

  Will NIH funding support foreign postdoctoral fellows?

Foreign postdoctoral fellows may work on NIH-funded research grants, but they may not work on a National Research Service Award fellowship or training grant.

According to the NIH Grants Policy Statement, PIs and other personnel supported by NIH research grants are usually not required to be U.S. citizens, though some programs have citizenship requirements. Check the program announcement or request for applications to be sure.

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