Types of Research Support

Step 1 - Determine if your proposal fits within the mission of NINDS 

If results from Matchmaker are unclear, and/or if your application involves a clinical trial or you are considering any non-parent NOFO, it's important to check with an NINDS program officer before submitting. Matchmaker will also suggest a top matching program officer which is often the best person to reach out to first with questions. 

You may also want to review active Highlighted Topics that NINDS participates in to learn more about research priority areas for NINDS. Highlighted Topics (HTs) will publicize specific areas of high research priority for the Institute for applications that are submitted to a Parent Announcement.  Note, these reflect a very narrow segment of NINDS's priorities. Only a minority of NINDS’s funded grants will be assigned to Highlighted Topics (HT). They are a call out to the community for research in a specific area because a specific opportunity or gap has been designated for special funding consideration.  

Step 2 - Select the appropriate grant type or mechanism 

Once you’ve determined that your proposal is within the mission of NINDS, you’ll want to identify the best grant type or mechanism (officially known as an "activity code" - e.g. R01, F32, U54, etc.) to support your work. Choosing the best mechanism of support is important and should match the needs and stage of your proposal.

Use the links below to explore and identify a grant mechanism that fits your work. Once you have identified a mechanism that looks to be a good fit, procced to step 3 - Finding a Funding Opportunity.

Step 3 - Identify a Funding Opportunity to apply to

Now that you've identified a type of grant/mechanism for your work, it's time to find an appropriate  Parent or solicited Notice of Funding Opportunity or NOFO that NINDS participates in. For any application you submit to NIH, you must apply through an NOFO, which will tell you everything you need to know about who is eligible to apply and what is required.

Parent Announcements

The majority of NINDS funding is awarded to applications that are submitted to the Parent Announcements for Unsolicited or Investigator -Initiated Applications that fall within the NINDS mission.  Parent announcements are broad funding opportunities that applicants can use to submit investigator-initiated applications for a range of popular programs. These announcements do not specify any particular area of scientific interest. They simply provide the standard forms and instructions needed to apply. Parent announcements are open for up to three years and are typically reissued to ensure continuity. They use standard due dates with three application, review, and award cycles each year.

NINDS dose not participate in all parent announcements. Before submitting your application, make sure that NINDS is listed as a participating organization in the funding opportunity. You can review currently available parent announcements on their own or with all funding opportunities by following the instructions below.

Specific or Solicited Funding Opportunity Announcements

Aside from parent announcements, NIH and NINDS also issue or participate in NOFOs soliciting applications on specific topics. You can find these (as well as parent announcements) on the Explore NIH Grant Opportunities page. As stated above, NINDS does not participate in all NOFOs so be sure NINDS is listed as a partcipating component on the NOFO if you are seeking NINDS support.

Step 4 - Review the NOFO Carefully

Applying to the most appropriate NOFO is critical for a number of reasons: