Negotiate Your Award

Although it is uncommon for award terms and conditions to be negotiated, there are a few potential circumstances when negotiation may be necessary. Explore the examples below to learn more.

 
Start Dates

It may not always be possible to accommodate the requested start date listed in the application. Applicants may need to work with their Grants Management Specialist if there are special circumstances which will require a particular start date. Additionally, in some situations, NINDS may award a shortened first budget period (this is called recycling). In these situations, the budget end date for the first year of the award may be pushed back by up to 3 months. As noted in section IV of your Notice of Award (NoA), recycling does not result in a reduction of funding.

 
Overlap

Scientific, budgetary or commitment overlap that requires the award budget or length to be adjusted to eliminate the overlap.

 
Milestones

While most NOFOs require milestones within the initial application, negotiation is often required to account for review feedback, as well as subsequent program considerations. While you should follow the instructions for milestones as described in Section IV of the NOFO you are applying to, you may also wish to review some general best practices for milestone development.

If negotiation of your award is required, NINDS program and/or grants management staff will reach out to you to initiate these discussions. Find staff contact information on the Find Your NINDS Program Officer page.