Funding Policy & Operating Guidelines

About Our Funding Policy

Final award decisions are based on a variety of criteria, including scientific merit, program relevance and balance, responsiveness to the center’s priorities, and availability of funds. We are strongly committed to supporting early career investigators and providing special consideration to applications that fill a significant gap in the research portfolio or propose a new or promising scientific approach. Because we consider these factors for each application, we do not have a “payline” or strict cutoff in scores that we will fund.

See details about the Funding Policy for this fiscal year and recent fiscal years.

See information on NCATS Support of Clinical Trials and NCATS Support of Phase III Clinical Trials for Rare Diseases.

Funding Policy

Fiscal Year 2025

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including National Institutes of Health (NIH), operates under Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (Public Law 118-83) signed by President Biden on Sept. 26, 2024. This Act (CR) continues government operations through Dec. 20, 2024, at the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 enacted level, with no reduction.

Competing Awards

In FY 2025, competing grants will be funded at levels and duration based on programmatic and Division of Extramural Activities funding recommendations. Salaries are limited to the levels published on Salary Cap Summary (FY 1990 – Present).

Noncompeting Awards

Consistent with NOT-OD-25-010, NCATS will generally fund noncompeting grants at 90% of the committed level while operating under a CR. This policy applies to most grants, with exception of the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA), career development, research education (R25), conference and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards. Once an appropriation has been enacted, and full year policies established, noncompeting grants that were awarded under this policy may be revised accordingly.

Fiscal Year 2024

The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 118-47), signed into law on March 23, 2024, provides funding to NIH for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2024. Applicants and award recipients should follow all applicable notices, including: NOT-OD-24-109 (Notice of Fiscal Policies in Effect for FY 2024), NOT-OD-24-110 (Notice of Legislative Mandates in Effect for FY 2024) and NOT-OD-24-104 (Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award [NRSA] Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2024).

Competing Awards

Competing grants will be funded at levels and duration based on programmatic and Division of Extramural Activities funding recommendations. Salaries are limited to the levels published on Salary Cap Summary (FY 1990 – Present). Inflationary increases in future year calculations will not be awarded.

Noncompeting Awards

NCATS noncompeting research grants will be awarded at 100% of the committed level.

Fiscal Year 2023

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328), signed into law on Dec. 29, 2022, provides funding to NIH for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2023. Applicants and award recipients should follow all applicable notices, including: NOT-OD-23-071 (Notice of Fiscal Policies in Effect for FY 2023), NOT-OD-23-072 (Notice of Legislative Mandates in Effect for FY 2023), and NOT-OD-23-076 (Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award [NRSA] Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2023).

Competing Awards

Competing grants will be funded at levels and duration based on programmatic and Division of Extramural Activities funding recommendations. Salaries are limited to the levels published on Salary Cap Summary (FY 1990 – Present). Inflationary increases in future year calculations will not be awarded.

Noncompeting Awards

NCATS noncompeting research grants will be awarded at 100% of the committed level.

Fiscal Year 2022

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law 117-103), signed into law on March 15, 2022, provided funding to NIH for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2022. Applicants and award recipients followed all applicable notices, including: NOT-OD-22-076 (Guidance on Salary Limitation for Grants and Cooperative Agreements), NOT-OD-22-105 (Notice of Fiscal Policies in Effect), and NOT-OD-22-108 (Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award [NRSA] Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels).

Competing Awards

Competing grants were funded at levels and duration based on programmatic and Division of Extramural Activities funding recommendations. Salaries were limited to the levels published on Salary Cap Summary (FY 1990 – Present). Inflationary increases in future year calculations were not awarded.

Noncompeting Awards

NCATS noncompeting research grants were awarded at 100% of the committed level.

Fiscal Year 2021

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260), signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020, provided funding to NIH for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2021. Applicants and award recipients followed all applicable notices, including: NOT-OD-21-057 (Guidance on Salary Limitation for Grants and Cooperative Agreements), NOT-OD-21-056 (Notice of Legislative Mandates in Effect), NOT-OD-21-058 (Notice of Fiscal Policies in Effect), and NOT-OD-21-049 (Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award [NRSA] Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels).

Competing Awards

Competing grants were funded at levels and duration based on programmatic and Division of Extramural Activities funding recommendations. Salaries were limited to the levels published on Salary Cap Summary (FY 1990 – Present). Inflationary increases in future year calculations were not awarded.

Noncompeting Awards

NCATS noncompeting research grants were awarded at 100% of the committed level.

Fiscal Year 2020

The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-94) was signed into law on Dec. 20, 2019. Applicants and award recipients followed all applicable notices, including: NOT-OD-20-065 (Guidance on Salary Limitation for Grants and Cooperative Agreements), NOT-OD-20-066 (Notice of Legislative Mandates in Effect), NOT-OD-20-068 (Notice of Fiscal Policies in Effect), and NOT-OD-20-070 (Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels).

Competing Awards

Competing grants were funded at levels and duration based on programmatic and Division of Extramural Activities funding recommendations.

Noncompeting Awards

NCATS noncompeting research grants were awarded at 100% of the committed level.

Fiscal Year 2019

The Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Act, 2019 and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019 was signed into law on Sept. 28, 2018. Applicants and award recipients followed the legislative mandates, salary limitations and NRSA funding levels published in NOT-OD-19-031.

Competing Awards

Competing grants were funded at levels and duration based on programmatic and Division of Extramural Activities funding recommendations.

Noncompeting Awards

NCATS noncompeting research grants were awarded at 100% of the committed level.

NCATS Support of Clinical Trials

Per NCATS’ authorization language in the PHS Act, NCATS may support clinical trials only through the end of phase IIB.  It may also support clinical trials through the end of phase III for rare diseases and conditions, so long as certain criteria are met.

NCATS Support of Phase III Clinical Trials for Rare Diseases

Notice of Intent to Support a Phase III Clinical Trial for a Rare Disease or Condition

Pursuant to the “NCATS Policy for Support of Phase III Clinical Trial Activities for a Rare Disease or Condition” (NOT-TR-18-025), NCATS provides a public notice period (defined as 120 calendar days) and opportunity for any public or private organization to submit a reply on the contemplation of NCATS to support a Phase III clinical trial activity for a rare disease or condition (as defined here). Specifically, NCATS seeks responses from any public or private organization with credible, timely plans to conduct Phase III clinical trials of a similar nature. Respondents must provide sufficient information to enable an accurate determination of whether the respondents’ clinical trial activities are timely and of a similar nature to the trial described below.

NCATS is currently seeking comments for the following Phase III Clinical Trial(s) for a Rare Disease or Condition which NCATS is considering supporting:

• None at this time

Responses should include a credible, timely plan and contact information. Please email NCATS Phase III Trials.

Please email inquiries to NCATS Policy Officer.

Prior Phase III Clinical Trial(s) for a Rare Disease or Condition for which NCATS Sought Public Comment

NCATS previously sought public comments on the following Phase III Clinical Trial(s) for a Rare Disease or Condition:

• “STeroids to REduce Systemic Inflammation After Neonatal Heart Surgery (STRESS),” details of which can be found at NCT03229538. (Posted on May 24, 2019. Responses were due by 5 p.m. ET on September 20, 2019.)