Understanding the NIH Peer Review Process
After you submit your application, the review process may seem mysterious. Here is a step-by-step guide to understand what is going on behind the scenes.
| Cycle | Due Date (F Series) | Scientific Review | Council Round | Earliest Start Date |
| I | April 8 | June – July | August or October | September or December |
| II | August 8 | October – November | January | April |
| III | December 8 | February – March | May | July |
Step 1: After you submit your application, your application will undergo the peer review process. It will first go to the Division of Receipt and Referral (DRR) at the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR) where they will check to make sure your application is complete, assign it to the right NIH Institute(s) and to the Scientific Review Group (aka Study Section) with the right expertise. Tip: you can request institute(s) assignment and study section assignment during the application process.
Step 2: The first level of review is carried out by the Study Section, which consists of a panel of scientists with expertise in areas relevant to your field. The role of the Study Section is to assess the overall impact that your proposed project will have on your training in biomedical research.
The Study Section meeting is run by a Scientific Review Officer (SRO), who is a PhD-level NIH staff scientist. Before the meeting, the SRO assigns at least three reviewers to assess each application: a primary reviewer and two additional reviewers (sometimes called secondary and tertiary). The SRO makes these assignments based on the reviewers’ expertise and ensures that anyone with a conflict of interest (i.e., from the applicant’s institution or a recent collaborator) is not assigned. Each assigned reviewer thoroughly reads the application, writes a summary outlining the overall strengths and weaknesses, and provides a preliminary overall impact score.
These preliminary scores are submitted before the meeting. The SRO and panel use the scores to rank applications. Typically, only the top 50% of applications are discussed at the meeting. The rest of the applications are “streamlined,” meaning they still receive written comments and scores, but are not discussed. This does not mean that the bottom half are weak, but sometimes strong applications can fall below the cutoff because other applications scored higher.
During the meeting, the SRO manages the discussion process to ensure a fair and consistent review. The primary reviewer leads the discussion by presenting the application to the group. The two additional reviewers then provide their perspectives and comments. After this, the rest of the panel (excluding those with a conflict of interest) join the discussion and all Study Section members vote on the final score.
Scoring: The NIH uses a 9-point scale for scoring fellowship applications:
- 1 = Exceptional (no weaknesses)
- 5 = Good (some moderate weaknesses)
- 9 = Poor (major weaknesses)
Reviewers focus their scoring on these three areas:
- Candidate’s preparedness and potential
- Research Training Plan
- Commitment to Candidate
They also assign an Overall Impact Score, which reflects their judgment of your potential to become an independent scientist.
Your final impact score is the average of all panel members’ Overall Impact Scores, multiplied by 10 (range: 10 = best, 90 = worst).
Some applications also receive a percentile ranking, which compares your score to the other applicants in that study section. Institutes often use percentiles (not raw scores) when making funding decisions.
Step 3: If your application passes peer review, it moves to the Advisory Council of the Institute. The council includes scientists and public representatives. They consider your score, reviewer comments, program priorities, and funding availability before making funding recommendations to the Institute Director.
Step 4: The Institute Director makes the final call on whether to fund your application. Even a great score does not guarantee funding – institutes also consider their priorities and available funds when deciding which proposals to fund. If funded, you will receive a Notice of Award (NOA). Until then, funding decisions are not official.
A more detailed guide to the review process can be found here.
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