Our boilerplates and sample text for selected application sections may be used as a starting point for your applications, and should be modified to meet sponsor's requirements and to align with your proposed research plan.
Cover letters should be printed on RU stationery.
Basic Guidelines
Use the format provided below and delete sections that do not apply to your application.
List one request per line and provide explanations for each request in a separate paragraph.
_______________________________
Date [ ]
Division of Receipt and Referral
Center for Scientific Review
National Institutes of Health
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 1040, MSC 7710
Bethesda, Maryland 20817
Principal Investigator [ ]
Application Title [ ]
Funding Opportunity Number and Title [ ] and [ ]
[Provide additional information related to your application, see list below for typical cover letter items]
Sincerely,
[name]
Principal Investigator
________________________________
Standard Information to Include in Your Letter as Applicable
- If a video will be submitted as post-submission material, then your intention to include a video with your application must be stated in your cover letter (details in NOT-OD-12-141).
- For Individual Research Career Development Award Applications (“K” Series) and Individual Fellowship Applications ("F" Series), applicants must include a list of referees (including name, departmental affiliation, and institution; K Series Checklist; F Series Checklist).
- Explanation of any subaward budget components that are not active for all periods of the proposed grant.
- When submitting a Change/Corrected Application after the submission date, explain the reason for the Change/Corrected Application. The system does not retain any previously submitted cover letters; therefore, you must repeat all information previously submitted in the cover letter as well as any additional information that emerged since the initial submission.
- Name in your Cover Letter the program official who approved your request for an application for $500,000 or more in direct costs per year, or approval for a Conference Grant or a Cooperative Agreement (R13 or U13), etc. (Supporting documents should be appended to your Cover Letter and uploaded as a single attachment.)
- For late applications, include an explanation of the delay.
- For PIs eligible for Continuous Submission, information on the NIH committee service (e.g. study section, Advisory Council) and period of service should be included in the Cover Letter.
Be sure to check the specific sponsor guidelines, in case some of the above is not allowed.
- State if your research may result in the generation of large-scale human and/or non-human genomic data per the genomic data sharing policy and guidelines.
Note that requests for specific Institute/Center and/or study sections assignments should be made using the PHS Assignment Request Form. To include this optional form, select the PHS Assignment Request Form box in the Setup Questions section of your InfoEd proposal.
Other Resources
NIH Center for Scientific Review Cover Letter information
NIH/NIAID Create a Cover Letter
