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SCORING NIH GRANTS

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Objectives

  • Application sections that are scored by reviewers
  • Number of reviewers per application.
  • Range for scored criteria.
  • Overall Impact and range.
  • Out of range scoring.
  • Triage and resubmissions

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Alignment of Application Format with �Scored Review Criteria

Scored Review Criteria

Application

Significance

Research Strategy

a. Significance

Investigator(s)

Biosketch

Personal Statement

Innovation

Research Strategy

b. Innovation

Approach

Research Strategy

c. Approach

Environment

Resources

Environment

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CRITERIA SCORES AND OVERALL IMPACT SCORE

  • Individual criteria scores (significance, innovation, etc) are scored by each reviewer assigned to the application.
    • 1 to 9 scale going from best to worst.
    • Detailed on the grant summary statement and are there to show what sections need to be improved in each reviewer’s opinion.
    • They are not used during study section review of the application.
    • Criteria scores provide insight to improvements necessary for resubmission.
    • The overall impact score is not an average of the criteria scores.
    • The overall impact score (1 to 9) is how each member of the study section views the application.

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REVIEWERS

  • Norm is three scientific reviewers.
  • Primary – Introduction of application and 1st review.
  • 2nd Reviewer –strengths and weaknesses not in primary.
  • 3rd Reviewer – strengths and weaknesses not in 1st and 2nd .
  • Discussion by Study Section.
  • Final recommended overall impact scores from 3 reviewers.

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REVIEWERS�Final Scores

  • Final Impact Scores from entire study section.
  • Impact scores within range of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Reviewer.
  • If out-of-range, study section member must identify why.
  • For example, if 1st, 2nd and 3rd score 1,2,3. Range 1 to 3.
  • A score of 4 must supply a reason.

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Final Impact Score�

  • Average of Study Section Impact Scores X10.
  • 10 to 90 scoring range.
  • 10 is best and 90 is worst.
  • Follows same strength and weakness criteria.
  • Converted into a percentile if sufficient applications.

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IMPACT SCORES AND PERCENTILE

  • In standing study sections (meet 3x per year) impact scores are assigned a percentile score.
  • For unsolicited R01s reviewed by the Center for Scientific Review (CSR), NIH converts your overall impact score into a percentile. A percentile ranks your application relative to the other applications reviewed by your study section at its last three meetings. Percentiles range from 1 to 99 in whole numbers.
  • Percentile scores are used to determine paylines in each NIH institute.
  • Percentile are used to prevent study section to study section variation in scoring intensity. Easy versus hard.
  • Most requests for applications (RFA) will not use percentiles.

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Not Discussed

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    • Discuss ~ 50-60% of applications
    • SRO will then ask if there are any other applications that panel wishes to discuss
    • The remaining applications will not be discussed

(applications receive criterion scores only)

      • Same after review of ~60% of SBIR applications

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QUESTIONS

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QUESTIONS

  • The entire membership of the study section gives a final overall impact score. T
  • Individual criteria scores are useful for identifying areas of a grant needing improvement for future submissions. T
  • An overall impact score of 9 identifies an application with no weaknesses. F
  • Most grants have 3 assigned reviewers. T
  • Percentile ranking of grants assures all study sections are treated equally. T