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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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. 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. Vonda Smith is an Assistant Director in the Division of Receipt and Referral (DRR) at the Center for Scientific Review (CSR).Prior to this position, she served as Scientific Review Officer(SRO) of the Small Business: Bioanalytical Chemistry, Chemistry, Biophysics, and Assay Development Study…
As Branch Chief for the Scientific Review Evaluation Activities (SREA) Branch, Mr. Wheat has oversight of the organization responsible for managing the review meeting hotel contracts, non-Federal traveler contract, and reviewer reimbursement. Each and every one of these activities make review…
Help Shape the Future of Medical and Behavioral Research Become a CSR Scientific Review OfficerCSR is actively seeking individuals to fill several openings for Extramural Support Assistants (ESAs). They assist CSR’s Scientific Review Officers and work with talented scientists from across the…
When you are ready to resubmit your application, you should contact your assigned program officer for guidance in addressing the comments in your summary statement.
See Frequently Asked Questions about resubmissions of applications for details about current NIH policy and to learn about the…
Dr. Miriam Mintzer received her Ph.D. in experimental psychology (human memory and cognition) from New York University, Dr. Mintzer received postdoctoral training in the human behavioral pharmacology of substance abuse in the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,…
Dr. Michelle M. Timmerman is the Associate Director/Guide Liaison Officer at the Division of Receipt and Referral (DRR) at CSR.Prior to joining DRR, she served in the Office of Extramural Research as the Acting Director and Guide Policy Officer of the NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts. She also…
After receiving his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois, where he worked in the area of solid state NMR of membrane proteins, Dr. Bowers worked on the development of fast chemical shift imaging techniques and non-invasive magnetic resonance-based assays for liver graft viability.He…
Dr. Vinod Charles serves as Chief of the Bioengineering, Biodata, and Biomodeling Technologies Review Branch (BBBT RB).
Dr. Vinod Charles returned to CSR after working in the Division of Extramural Activities at NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), where he served in multiple…
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…
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…
Dr. Aster Juan received her Ph.D. in developmental biology from Yale University and completed her postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). She later became a staff scientist at NIAMS and was involved in mentoring PhD students…
Dr. Tang-Toth received her Ph.D. degree from Johns Hopkins University and did her postdoctoral training as an IRTA fellow within the Cell Biology and Metabolism Program at the NIH National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Prior to joining CSR, Dr. Tang-Toth was an associate…
Dr. Kathryn Koeller is an Associate Director in the Division of Receipt and Referral and the Research Integrity Officer at the Center for Scientific Review.
Prior to assuming this position, she was a Scientific Review Officer in the Biological and Macromolecular Biophysics Integrated Review Group…
Dr. Vanessa Boyce received her Master’s degree in biology from Duquesne University and Doctoral degree in Neuroscience from Drexel University College of Medicine. She completed post-doctoral research at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and was also an associate of the International…
Dr. Stacey Williams earned her Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy. Her graduate training was in neuropharmacology and her research was focused in the area of drug addiction, where she investigated the involvement of brain-derived neurotrophic factor…
May I submit many post submission items, or only one?Why is there a 30-day cutoff for notification that a paper has been accepted?Will NIH accept articles that have been accepted for publication?Why aren’t late-breaking research findings allowed as post-submission material?May I submit newly-…
Benefits of the ECR Program
Work side-by-side with some of the most accomplished researchers in your field to help NIH identify the most promising grant applications
Learn how reviewers determine overall impact scores
Improve your own grant writing skills by getting an insider’s view of how…