Sharpening Your Focus: We’re in This Together! NIH Applications and Multiple PIs

You have identified a funding opportunity, and you have planned an innovative and exciting research project that you wish to pursue with a key collaborator. How do you know if a multiple-PI application is the right choice for you?

The decision to submit or participate in a multiple-PI application is up to the institution and to the individual investigators. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) intended the multiple-PI option to encourage collaboration among equals when this is the best way to address the scientific problem at hand. The NIH views all PIs equally, with shared responsibility to complete project goals. However, the PI who is listed first in the application will be recognized as the “Contact” PI who will be the main point of contact for communications between the agency and the leadership team.

If you think a multiple-PI application may be best for your project, you will want to keep the following in mind:

• You will need to complete a Multiple PI Leadership Plan describing the roles and areas of responsibility of the named PIs.
• Early Stage Investigator (ESI) and or New Investigator policies will only apply to applications where all PIs qualify as ESIs or New Investigators.

If you are unsure about whether you should submit a multiple-PI application, you are encouraged to contact your program officer to discuss whether this option is appropriate for your project.

Resources

• NIH – Multiple Principal Investigators
• NIH Frequently Asked Questions: Multiple Principal Investigators

Sharpening Your Focus: Tips on Grant Proposal Preparation is a series of tips published in Medical School Research News about proposal preparation. This article was written by MaryJo Banasik, J.D., Ph.D., Research Development Specialist, you can view the full archive of articles here.