Since 2019, NIH and its institutes and centers (ICs) have used notices of special interest (NOSIs) to invite applications on high-priority and high-opportunity areas of science; the NOSI then identifies one or more active notices of funding opportunity (NOFOs) through which an application can be submitted. In general, an IC publishes a NOSI rather than a NOFO if the initiative necessitates no major administrative divergences from an existing NOFO.
This approach, of issuing a NOSI that explains a critical research topic and directs applications through an active NOFO, typically a parent NOFO, is designed to reduce administrative burden on NIH staff and grant applicants alike. Our staff can publish a NOSI quickly and direct applicants to multiple activity codes simultaneously.
Over time, we’ve come to recognize three common misconceptions about NOSIs.
First, NOSIs often list nonresponsive criteria. If your application fulfills any nonresponsive criteria, NIAID will not consider it under the NOSI but will still review it under the NOFO through which you submitted so long as your application remains responsive to the NOFO. This differs from an application that is nonresponsive to a given NOFO, which NIAID would not review.
Second, NOSIs do not have set-aside funding, with rare exceptions. NIH ICs do not presuppose support levels ahead of time for a NOSI, as is common practice for several types of solicited NOFOs, i.e., requests for applications and program announcements with set-aside funds.
Third, applications sent in response to a NOSI are not reviewed separately from other applications submitted through the same NOFO*. Since a NOSI does not introduce unique peer review criteria, the applications they generate can be reviewed without NIH creating a special emphasis panel. Further, NIH does not ask peer reviewers to give special consideration to an application’s targeted NOSI and reviewers may not recognize that the application was submitted in response to a NOSI.
Those three points, taken together, may leave you wondering whether you as an applicant improve your odds of success by applying in response to a NOSI. There are no structural mechanisms that increase your likelihood of success when responding to a NOSI; however, your application should benefit from the NOSI having steered you to the cutting-edge of a priority scientific area and viable research approaches.
*Several active NOSIs reference the parent administrative supplements NOFO; those Type 3 applications would not undergo peer review, as noted in our Administrative Supplements to Grants and Cooperative Agreements SOP.
Learn more about how NOSIs function in our Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) SOP.