CSR’s primary role is to handle the receipt and review of all grant applications that NIH receives. NIH separates the review process from funding decisions.
For Reviewers
Reviewers are critical to our mission to see that NIH grant applications receive, fair, independent, expert, and timely scientific reviews. We appreciate the generosity with which reviewers give their time.
Study Sections
Applications are reviewed in study sections (Scientific Review Groups, SRGs). Review Branches (RBs) are clusters of study sections based on scientific discipline.
Review Meetings
Applications are reviewed in study sections (Scientific Review Groups, SRGs). Review Branches (RBs) are clusters of study sections based on scientific discipline.
Evaluation Initiatives
Access data visualizations, reports, and analytical tools to track progress.
About CSR
Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.
The NIH Clinical Center (the research hospital of NIH) is open. For more details about its operating status, please visit
cc.nih.gov.
Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at
OPM.gov.
Most competing grant applications to NIH require electronic submission using the SF424 (R&R) application forms. Electronic submission involves two separate systems working together – the federal portal Grants.gov and the NIH eRA Commons. The Office of Extramural Research provides information on…
Richard K Nakamura, Lee S Mann, Mark D Lindner, Jeremy Braithwaite, Mei-Ching Chen, Adrian Vancea, Noni Byrnes, Valerie Durrant, Bruce Reed (2021) An experimental test of the effects of redacting grant applicant identifiers on peer review outcomes. eLife 2021;10:e71368. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.…
I’m extremely busy this semester and don’t see how I can finish all my critiques in time. What’s the harm in asking my senior postdoc to help me out?
Which relationships constitute a conflict of interest in initial peer review?
Which relationships do NOT constitute a conflict?
Are training…
Dr. Robert Unfer received his Master of Science and Ph.D. in microbiology from Iowa State University. Prior to joining the NIH, Dr. Unfer held four postdoctoral fellowships, including at Fort Dodge Animal Health Laboratories; Rush University, Department of Immunology/Microbiology; the University of…
Who is included in the small business peer-review study sections?
What are the differences between the SBIR and STTR programs?
What is a Fast-track award?
How do I become an NIH SBIR/STTR application reviewer?
Who is included in the small business peer-review study sections?
Small business…
Dr. Bo Hong did her Ph.D. training in chemistry at Texas A&M University (1993) and her postdoctoral training at the University of Texas at Austin (1993-95). She came to NIH National Center for Research Resources Office of Review in 2003 and served as Scientific Review Officer (SRO) in the areas…
After receiving a Ph.D. in anatomy from University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Ahlgren trained at the University College London and then at the California Institute of Technology. She also trained undergraduates in neurochemistry and developmental neurobiology at California State…
Welcome to the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) Dr. Bruce Reed is Acting Director of CSR. In this role he works to optimize peer review at the NIH through implementation of CSRs strategic plan. He has led multiple special efforts to develop new review practices and policies. He plays a…
Dr. Bruce Reed is Acting Director of CSR. Prior to being appointed Acting Director, he served as the Deputy Director at CSR, beginning in 2019. In his role, he works to optimize peer review at the NIH through implementation of CSR’s strategic plan. He has led multiple special efforts to develop new…
Dr. Carl White earned a Ph.D. in physiology from Queen’s University Belfast in the United Kingdom and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania, where he investigated calcium-dependent cell-signaling mechanisms. Dr. White then joined the faculty of Rosalind Franklin…
Dr. Sergei Ruvinov received his Ph.D. in chemical enzymology from the Moscow Lomonosov University in Russia. He came to NIH under a Fogarty International Center fellowship and conducted enzyme structure and function studies in the Laboratory of Biochemistry and Pharmacology at the National…
Dr. Noni Byrnes is Director of the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In this capacity, she leads a staff of more than 500 scientific, support and contract personnel and manages an operating budget of over $130 million.
CSR handles the receipt and…
Ask the Right Person for Help:Before you submit your application-Speak with a program officer (PO) at the NIH institute or center that you think might be interested in funding your application. You can identify potential program officers by using NIH RePORTER to search for funded grants in your…
Dr. Ingrid Li received a doctorate in pharmacy after which she became a faculty member in the Department of New Drug Research in Shanghai, China. She has held research scientist positions at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Meyers Squibb Pharmaceutical Division, and Bayer Pharmaceutical Division…
She came to CSR from the National Human Genome Research Institute at NIH, where she was a staff scientist for the last ten years. Prior this, she worked at the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Topol is a graduate of the Moscow State University with a bachelor degree in physiology, and she has a Ph.D…
Dr. Syed Moin earned his Ph.D. in molecular virology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, conducting his thesis research on host-pathogen interactions involving hepatitis E virus at the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, India, and the US Centers for Disease Control…
Dr. Heidi Friedman received her Ph.D. in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. Dr. Friedman began her career at NIH working on the epidemiology of AIDS in the Epidemiology and Biometry Branch of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).…
Dr. Raul Rojas received his Ph.D. in molecular cell biology and physiology at the School of Medicine of the University of Pittsburgh. There he investigated the role that small G proteins play in the regulation of vesicular trafficking and polarity establishment/maintenance in epithelial cells. He…
For purposes of NIH policy, which organisms are considered “model organisms,” and which are related research “resources” that must be added?
How will the adequacy of my sharing and distribution plan be evaluated?
What is expected of Scientific Review Officers (SROs) and reviewers?
For…
New to IAR? Want to know what happens once you receive a meeting invitation from your Scientific Review Officer? Or how to access grant applications and meeting materials? Or look up conflicts of interest? We have just the tools for you.
A new series of video tutorial on navigating the IAR module…
Dr. Aftab A. Ansari received his Ph.D. in biochemistry/immunology, then had postdoctoral training at the NIAID. His research interests include inflammatory diseases, asthma, allergy, autoimmunity, clinical immunology, clinical trials, immunogenetics, antigen presentation, T cells, and cytokines.…
Dr. Barbara Mallon received her D.Phil. in biochemistry at the University of York, UK, where she studied signal transduction in glial cells. She then went to the Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, where she completed her postdoctoral training in its department of…
Dr. Brian Chadwick received his Ph.D. in human genetics from Imperial Cancer Research Fund and University College London, he then trained in molecular neurogenetics at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital before continuing his training in epigenetics and human X chromosome…