A notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is a formal announcement inviting grant award applications from extramural investigators.
For years, NIH has referred to such a notice as a funding opportunity announcement (FOA); although in deference to HHS-wide practices, effective immediately, NIH is changing its nomenclature.
Each of the following is a type of NOFO:
- Program announcement (PA)
- Request for applications (RFA)
- PA with set-aside funds (PAS)
- PA with special receipt, referral, and/or review considerations (PAR)
Learn about the attributes that distinguish those NOFO types at Solicited, NIAID-Requested Research.
Most investigator-initiated applications are submitted through a parent NOFO, which is a generic program announcement that lists the requirements of its activity code (e.g., R01, R21) but not specific scientific priorities.
A notice of special interest (NOSI) is not a type of NOFO. Instead, it is a statement of scientific priorities that encourages investigators to apply using a particular NOFO (typically a parent NOFO) on a topic of concern for the sponsoring institute.