Staying at the cutting edge involves more than just keeping up with the journals and attending scientific conferences. You can leverage NIH databases to learn about emerging research in your field, find potential collaborators for future projects, identify promising research areas, and much more.
Use the tips and links on this page to explore these free NIH databases:
- Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT)—find historic and current data on all NIH-supported grants, contracts, and award recipients.
- ClinicalTrials.gov—search for summaries and details of NIH-funded clinical trials.
- More Data Sources—check PubMed, eRA Commons, and more.
Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT)
NIH’s Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT) displays interactive charts, reports, and tables of historic and current data on grants, contracts, and award recipients.
RePORT has the following five major sections:
1. RePORT Expenditures and Results (RePORTER)
RePORT Expenditures and Results (RePORTER) to customize queries on funded projects, investigators, publications, and patents. This can be a great way to get a snapshot of research areas in your field and look for potential collaborators or competitors. You may spot research areas that are underrepresented or highly supported.
Try the Quick Search field or Advanced Project Search. Your search results include tabs to check Publications and more.
Export and share your search results, save MyRePORTER queries, or download raw data through ExPORTER. Advanced users can retrieve data for analysis and/or reuse in other applications through the RePORTER Application Programming Interface (API).
2. Matchmaker
Matchmaker allows you to enter scientific text (e.g., an abstract) and find similar projects or NIH program officers:
- The Similar Projects option helps you find potential collaborators or determine which NIH institute and study section your application could target. (Note that Special Emphasis Panel labels start with a “Z”. You cannot request assignment to a SEP.)
- The Similar Program Officials option lists relevant NIH institutes and program officers.
3. Awards by Location and Organization
Check RePORT’s NIH Awards by Location and Organization for year-by-year NIH funding by institution, state, congressional district, principal investigator, funding mechanism, and more. Similar to the options above, you can use this to find collaborators and evaluate support for your area of science.
4. Categorical Spending (RCDC)
The Categorical Spending option on the RePORT main page brings you to the Estimates of Funding for Various Research, Condition, and Disease Categories (RCDC) section.
RCDC shows you the annual support level for each category of research. NIH determines the category for each project based on application text. RCDC includes historic data since fiscal year (FY) 2008 and projections for the current FY.
5. NIH Data Book
The NIH Data Book section of RePORT offers interactive charts and reports on extramural grants and contracts, awardee organizations, and the national biomedical workforce. Most reports include controls to fine tune the details and dates displayed. You can also use the Data, Export, and View More options.
Learn more about RePORT in the Frequently Asked Questions. Direct your feedback, corrections, or questions to RePORT General Inquiries.
ClinicalTrials.gov
Search public information about NIH-funded clinical trials at ClinicalTrials.gov. Use it to find other researchers’ projects, uncover new developments in clinical research, and find potential collaborators.
The main ClinicalTrials.gov page offers a basic keyword search form. Select the “More Filters” button at the bottom of the search box to create detailed queries, e.g., by study phase or date range. Learn How to Search for Clinical Studies. As a working example, here are Search Results for Clinical Trials Related to COVID-19.
Once you’re familiar with searching, learn How to Use Search Results and How to Download Study Records.
Check ClinicalTrials.gov Questions and Answers for more detail or Write to the Help Desk.
More Data Sources
Find many more Electronic Databases and Directories at NIH and beyond. For example:
- Learn about scientific findings in your field through PubMed.gov. Use the Advanced Search for more than 35 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books.
- If you have an eRA Commons account, try LikeThis, a thesaurus-based search tool to find funded projects and publications.
- The NIH Intramural Database indexes scientific projects in NIH’s own laboratories and clinics. Find NIH researchers in your area of science and learn how Collaborations Between Extramural and NIAID Scientists work.