Contact

Reaching the editorial team behind this reference resource connects researchers, grant applicants, institution administrators, and members of the public with the staff responsible for maintaining accurate, up-to-date information about the National Institutes of Health. This page explains the geographic and subject scope covered, what details to include when submitting an inquiry, how long a response typically takes, and which alternative channels exist for different inquiry types.

Service area covered

This resource operates at national scope, covering NIH programs, funding mechanisms, institutes, and policies as they apply across all 50 US states and US territories. Subject matter falls into five primary categories:

1. Grant programs and funding — including the NIH grant application process, peer review, SBIR/STTR programs, and budget and federal appropriations
2. Research programs and initiatives — such as the All of Us Research Program, the BRAIN Initiative, and clinical trials
3. Training, careers, and workforce — covering fellowship programs, postdoctoral programs, undergraduate internships, and loan repayment programs
4. Policy and compliance — including human subjects research protections, data sharing policy, open access policy, and conflict of interest policy
5. Health information and public resources — such as MedlinePlus, PubMed and research databases, and health information for patients

Inquiries falling outside NIH's federal biomedical and behavioral research mandate — for example, questions about state health department programs, private pharmaceutical companies, or non-federally funded clinical research — fall outside the scope of this resource and cannot be addressed here.

What to include in your message

Clear, specific messages receive faster and more accurate responses. The following structured breakdown identifies what to include depending on inquiry type:

For factual corrections or content disputes:
- The specific page URL or title containing the disputed information
- The precise claim believed to be inaccurate, quoted verbatim
- A named public source (agency document, statute, Federal Register notice, or peer-reviewed publication) that supports the correction

For grant and funding questions:
- The NIH funding opportunity number (e.g., PA-24-XXXX format) if applicable
- The relevant institute or center, drawn from the NIH institutes and centers list
- Whether the inquiry concerns a new application, a resubmission, or an active award

For training and career inquiries:
- The specific program (postdoctoral, undergraduate, loan repayment, etc.)
- Career stage and institutional affiliation where relevant

For policy and compliance questions:
- The specific regulation, policy number, or NOT-OD notice in question
- The institutional context (grantee institution, IRB, sponsored programs office)

Messages that omit the page or topic in question, or that ask for legal, clinical, or financial advice, cannot be addressed through this channel.

Response expectations

Editorial inquiries submitted through the contact form enter a review queue handled on business days. The comparison below distinguishes between two categories of inquiry and their respective handling timelines:

Responses to factual corrections depend on editorial verification against primary sources including NIH.gov, the NIH RePORTER database, the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), and published NIH policy notices. If a submitted correction cannot be verified against a named public source, the original content is retained.

This resource does not provide urgent or time-sensitive guidance. Applicants facing grant submission deadlines, researchers with active award issues, or patients seeking clinical guidance should contact NIH directly through the channels listed below.

Additional contact options

For matters requiring direct engagement with NIH as a federal agency — rather than with this reference resource — the following official channels are authoritative:

• NIH Office of Communications and Public Liaison: Reachable at 1-800-4-CANCER (for NCI) and through institute-specific public affairs offices listed at nih.gov/about-nih/contact-us
• NIH Grants Information: The NIH Division of Grants (OER) operates a help desk at grants.nih.gov/support for applicant and grantee questions
• eRA Commons technical support: For electronic submission issues, eRA Commons support is available at era.nih.gov/need-help
• Clinical Trials inquiries: The NIH Clinical Center's Patient Recruitment office handles inquiries about federally sponsored trials listed at ClinicalTrials.gov
• Health information for the public: MedlinePlus at medlineplus.gov addresses patient-facing health questions without routing through editorial staff

Directing inquiries to the appropriate channel — editorial, technical, or federal — reduces response time and ensures the request reaches staff with decision-making authority over the relevant subject matter.

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