When applying for NIH funding, don’t confuse a letter of support with a reference letter, as the two Types of Letters for Grant Applications fulfill distinct functions—a Letter of Support demonstrates commitment to participate in a project, whereas a Reference Letter verifies that a candidate is qualified for an opportunity. Below, follow our advice on letters of support to ensure they help rather than harm your application during peer review.
Collect letters of support from your collaborators such as consortium or contracted individuals or organizations, or from key personnel, institutions, and other significant contributors. The letters’ text should demonstrate their commitment and summarize the agreements and requirements you have in place to support your proposed research project. Familiarize yourself with the recommendations given in the SF 424/PHS 398 instructions at Letters of Support.
When you request a letter of support, consider providing your collaborator a summary of your agreement as a convenient starting point.
The letters of support should reflect the roles and commitment of collaborators on the project as well as the rate and price for contracted services, while also aligning with your application’s research strategy and budget. Additionally, they should clearly describe what type of support your collaborators will provide (e.g., reagents, animals, human samples, technology). Make sure to indicate whether the support is available to anyone on request or if your collaborator will provide it to you only. Our staff consider the latter point as they determine who may review your application without conflict.
If access to NIH services or resources is necessary for your research, you can ask your program officer (PO) for a letter of support to include in your application. Keep in mind that ethics rules mandate that NIAID’s program officials cannot give any investigator an unfair advantage over another in the grant application process. NIAID provides the applicant with documentation to confirm that he or she will have access to the services or resources such as relevant samples, for instance, if selected for funding. This documentation does not contain any information that reviewers could wrongly perceive as an endorsement, such as the relevant PO’s name, position, or personal letterhead.
In multi-component applications, you may include letters of support in the overall component, other components, or both unless stated otherwise in the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO). You may also be instructed to begin the Letters of Support attachment with a table of letter authors, their institutions, and the type of each letter (e.g., institutional commitment).
Include the letters as described in the NOFO’s instructions, but don’t assume that even more letters would be better. Note that some NOFOs also limit the number of letters allowed. We strongly advise against collecting letters of support solely as endorsements of your reputation, expertise, or research plans. In some cases, applicants have sent over a thousand letters of support. Large numbers of letters pose a significant burden on peer reviewers as they try to determine which are truly relevant to the project.
Unnecessary letters can also limit the pool of expert peer reviewers. Due to potential conflicts of interest, anyone who writes a letter may not review your application.
Lastly, if you intend to collaborate with an NIH intramural investigator, there is a defined process with many steps to follow, and you’ll need to set aside enough time in the application process. Learn more in our Intramural Scientist Collaboration on Extramural Funded Grants and Contracts SOP.
Done properly, relevant letters of support from your planned research collaborators will assure peer reviewers that your collaborations and institutional commitments are on the right track.