CSR’s primary role is to handle the receipt and review of ~ 75% of the 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.
News & Policy
The latest news and policy updates from CSR. Read about our outreach programs and publications.
Study Sections
Applications are reviewed in study sections (Scientific Review Group, SRG). Review Branches (RBs) are clusters of study sections based on scientific discipline.
Review Panels & Dates
Applications are reviewed in study sections (Scientific Review Group, SRG). Review Branches (RBs) are clusters of study sections based on scientific discipline.
Dr. Low received her early education in Australia and Canada. Pursuing an interest in studying how animal behavior arises from brain physiology, she received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from Northwestern University. Her thesis work studying circadian rhythmic behavior in Clock mutant chimeric mice…
Selection CriteriaScientists must meet general requirements, expertise requirements, and requirements specific to the given study section/scientific review group. Balancing experience and diversity when developing rosters for a scientific review group is one of the most challenging tasks a…
Some Observations from the NIH Director – Dr. Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., NIH Director
CSR Advisory Council Update – Dr. Noni Byrnes, Ph.D., CSR Director
ENQUIRE – Evaluating Panel Quality in Review – Dr. Valerie Durrant, Ph.D., CSR DABP Director
ENQUIRE – Evaluating Panel Quality in Review…
While there is no administrative requirement that the science in a new A0 application be substantively different from any previously reviewed submission, it is not allowable to have duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time as per 2.3.7.4 Submission of Resubmission…
Prior to the meeting, reviewers are assigned to your application.
Your scientific review officer (SRO) will analyze the content of your application, check for completeness and compliance with policies, and decide which reviewers can best evaluate it.
Reviewers have access to your application…
Dr. Bruce Reed is CSR’s Deputy Director. In close collaboration with the Director 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 major role with respect to…
I've read the definitions of Significance and Overall Impact but the two still seem rather similar. Can you provide some additional guidance?When determining the Overall Impact score, should it equal the arithmetic mean of the scores for the scored review criteria?Is it possible for an application…
The policy says there is a two week late window after the due date during which time NIH might accept a late application. How is that late window calculated?I'm a reviewer, can I submit my application late?Can I get approval in advance from NIH to submit my application late?What is allowed in the…
Dr. Jennifer Meyers earned her Ph.D. in immunology from Harvard Medical School, focusing on autoimmunity, and then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at NIAID in the Laboratory of Immunoregulation, studying immune responses to HIV infection. She then served as science manager at The American…
Does the NIH policy on rigor and transparency apply to all types of NIH grants?
Where in grant applications should applicants address the four focus areas of the NIH policy on rigor and transparency?
I’m confused about the term “scientific premise or rigor” and how it is different from “…
For questions about the appropriateness of the scientific review group assignment, the investigator should contact the scientific review officer.
For questions about the assigned funding institute, contact the Division of Receipt and referral at csrdrr@mail.nih.gov.
When…
Dr. Tina Tang received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the NIH Graduate Partnerships Program jointly hosted by the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom and the NIH Intramural Program. She conducted her graduate research at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke studying…
Mark D. Lindner, PhD, is currently serving as Acting Branch Chief of the Analysis, Informatics, and Automation (AIA) Branch within the Division of Planning, Analysis, and Information Management (DPAIM) at CSR—a role he assumed in August 2023 following seven years as leader of the Office of Planning…
ENQUIRE 2019 - These reports detail the changes in scientific scope for study sections evaluated under the ENQUIRE process in 2019. ENQUIRE integrates data and input from multiple stakeholders – the external scientific community, extramural programs at NIH, and CSR staff to consider changes…
Dr. Christopher Mahone earned his Ph.D. in biological chemistry from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he studied activating signals of bacterial cell wall remodeling for division. Following his Ph.D., he joined the Milken Institute’s Pillar for Philanthropy as a senior associate,…
Dr. Milene Brownlow earned her Ph.D. in medical sciences with a neuroscience concentration from the University of South Florida, where she investigated diet-induced ketosis and calorie restriction's effects on Alzheimer’s pathology. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Air Force Research…
Early Career Reviewer Working Group – A working group was convened in 2019 to re-evaluate the Early Career Reviewer Program. The working group was comprised of two CSR Advisory Council members, two CSR scientific review officers, and four members of the scientific community who recently served as…
Does the NIH policy on rigor and transparency apply to all types of NIH grants?
Where in grant applications should applicants address the four focus areas of the NIH policy on rigor and transparency?
What is the difference between "rigor of the prior research" and "significance"?
Should…
Dr. Steven Frenk came to CSR after serving as an epidemiologist at CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics where he managed the questionnaires of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES). While at CDC, he also served as an advisor for the National Death Index and as a…
Dr. Roger Janz received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Cologne, Germany, and then did postdoctoral training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas with Dr. Thomas Südhof (Nobel laureate 2013). Before joining CSR, Dr. Janz was an associate professor in the…
Dr. Mark Vosvick is a behavioral scientist who was trained at and received degrees from Yale, Rutgers, Harvard and Stanford and completed an NRSA postdoctoral fellowship at the NIH-funded Center for AIDS Intervention Research at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Immediately prior to CSR, Dr.…
Dr. Joonil Seog received his Sc.D. in polymer science and Technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He then performed his postdoctoral research on conformational regulations of cell adhesion molecules under force at the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Seog joined the University of…
Dr. Emily Foley completed her Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular pharmacology at Harvard University, where she studied the mechanisms that control eukaryotic DNA replication and ensure it occurs only once per cell cycle. She then pursued postdoctoral training at The Rockefeller University,…