We often encourage you to “talk to your program officer” or “the program officer assigned to your application.” But, for a nascent research project, there’s no one at NIAID already designated to help you. Whom should you ask for help with general matters like identifying an appropriate funding opportunity or discovering available resources?
The answer is still a program officer, it’s just a matter of finding the right one. Remember, program officers are staff scientists who administer grant portfolios, set priorities for committing federal funds, and act as advocates for their scientific areas.
Find a Program Officer with Relevant Expertise
Broadly speaking, NIAID’s program officers are arranged into scientific areas. Your research interests will act as criteria for finding an ideal match.
Start by searching with the Matchmaker tool on NIH RePORTER. It allows you to input scientific text, such as an abstract, and then search for “Similar Program Officials.” On the list of search results, you can view active projects administered by each program officer and then click to see their email address if you recognize someone whose grant portfolio overlaps well with your research.
If you’re still stuck, try going through one of our extramural program division’s general lines:
- Division of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (DAIDS)—301-496-0545
- Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation (DAIT)—301-496-1886
- Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID)—301-496-1884
Don’t hesitate to reach out. Getting in touch with someone at NIAID isn’t meant to be a barrier to entry.
When a Program Officer Isn’t Best
There are a handful of situations in which you should contact NIAID staff who specialize in a particular activity, rather than a certain scientific domain, for general inquiries.
- If your organization is a small business, contact the NIAID Small Business Team.
- If you are pursuing a training, fellowship, or career development award, contact our Office of Research Training and Special Programs.
- If your research interests center on data science, contact NIAID’s Office of Data Science and Emerging Technologies.
- If you are a foreign researcher with general questions about NIAID, contact our Office of Global Research.
- If your goal is to work in one of NIAID’s intramural laboratories, contact the NIAID Employment Outreach Team.
Further Guidance
Our webpage Contacting Program Officers and Grant Management Specialists lists other situations in which you might need to contact certain NIAID staff; for example, to receive an acceptance letter before applying for a conference grant. You should also consider our advice at Get a Speedy Response From Your Program Officer, which gives practical guidance on what information you should include in messages to NIAID staff so that we can respond efficiently.