Have you ever wondered what the differences are between the application process, lateness procedure, and review procedure for National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants and Research & Development (R&D) contracts?
NIH discussed the differences between grants and R&D contracts in their April 20, 2016 NIAID Funding Newsletter. For example:
“How does NIH handle lateness for grant applications versus contract proposals?
- Grants. During a two-week window of consideration after the application due date, NIH might consider accepting a late application in certain circumstances as stated in the Late Application Submission Policy.
- The cover letter must explain the reason for late submission and it must be in relation to the person listed in the PI role on the application.
- For multiple PI applications, the reasons may apply to any or all of the PIs.
- Contracts. NIH will not consider a proposal, modification, or revision received "late" by the government office designated in the solicitation unless it meets certain requirements as detailed in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.215-1. For example, accepting it must not unduly delay the acquisition and at least one of the following must be true:
- It is the only proposal received.
- It arrived electronically through the method authorized by the solicitation by 5 p.m. one working day before the due date and time.
- It arrived at the correct facility and was under our control before the due date and time.”
Please review the Office of Sponsored Programs previous Tip of the Week: Federal Grant VS. Federal Contract and quick reference table for details regarding grants vs. contracts.