How does NIH make decisions about the assignment of applications to study sections?
Upon receipt of an application, the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR) assigns it to the appropriate study section according to the scientific emphasis of the proposed research and guidelines that delineate the scientific expertise of each study section. Assignments are made by senior science administrators who have had research and scientific review administrator experience. Applicants may include a cover letter requesting assignment of their applications to specific study sections, as well as referral to specific institutes or centers, but final decisions regarding assignment and referral rest with CSR. Reviews of applications for certain funding mechanisms, such as Individual Fellowships (F31s and F32s) and Institutional Research Training Grants (T32s), as well as responses to requests for applications (RFAs), are conducted by review committees convened by the institutes and centers to which the applications have been assigned. Certain institutes’ and centers’ training grants ar
