Review

Application Receipt and Referral

Learn what happens once your application is received by NIH, including how we determine which study section it will go to for peer review and how we assign it to an NIH institute, center, or office for funding consideration.

First Level: Peer Review

The first level of review is carried out by a scientific review group (SRG), also referred to as a study section, composed primarily of non-federal scientists who have expertise in relevant scientific disciplines and current research areas. The role of SRGs is to assess the overall impact that your proposed project (or resource, or training, or center, etc.) will likely have on the biomedical research field(s) involved. Learn more about how the first level of peer review works, scoring, roles, and more.

Second Level: Advisory Council Review

National Advisory Councils or Boards perform the second level of peer review for research grant applications and offer advice and recommendations on policy and program development, program implementation, evaluation, and other matters of significance to the mission and goals of the respective Institutes or Centers (ICs). The advisory council makes funding recommendations to the Institute or Center Director, who ultimately makes the funding decision.

After Review

If you receive a favorable review outcome, you may be asked to submit additional information. If you don't receive a favorable review outcome, reach out to your Program Official to discuss next steps.