Manage Your NIH Award With This Checklist

Read these common questions and answers to know the important details and processes necessary to manage your NIH award.

What needs to be resolved before an award is granted?

• Budget negotiation
• Certification on Education on Human Subjects
• Animals or human subject protection issues
• Additional support documentation

What can delay the award process?

• Missing information for key personnel
• Out-of-date institutional review board and institutional animal care and use committee approvals
• Lack of population data for clinical trials
• Budgets with inadequate justification
• Other support for an individual that exceeds 12 calendar months

What does the Notice of Award, a legally binding document, tell me?

• The grant number, grantee, and PI
• The funding level and support period
• All terms and conditions

How do I officially accept?

Indicate your acceptance of the award’s terms and conditions by drawing down funds from the Payment Management System.

After the initial award, in what instances do I need to contact NIH?

• Issues with the Notice of Award
• Annual progress reports
• Identified financial conflicts of interest
• Required prior approvals
• Award closeouts
• Other questions or problems

What should I submit throughout the year to manage my award?

• Annual progress reports
• Annual federal financial reports
• Invention reports
• Yearly audits (depending on your award)
• A closeout report

For more information, such as terms and conditions of every grant award and explicit definitions of all roles and responsibilities, read the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Adapted from NIH Office of Extramural Research. Original source: “NIH Top 10 Tips for Success.”