Costs charged to awards must be allowable, allocable, reasonable, necessary, and consistently applied regardless of the source of funds.

The cost principles address four tests that NIH follows in determining the allowability of costs. In general, NIH grant awards provide for reimbursement of actual, allowable costs incurred and are subject to Federal cost principles. Information on the applicable cost principles and on allowable and unallowable costs under NIH grants is provided in the NIH Grants Policy Statement under Cost Considerations. Any resulting award will include a budget that is consistent with these requirements. (Note: these tips do not supersede the budget instructions found in the relevant application instruction guide found on the How to Apply - Application Guide page.Īn applicant's budget request is reviewed for compliance with the governing cost principles and other requirements and policies applicable to the type of recipient and the type of award. What Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs rate should I use?īelow are some additional tips and reminders we have found to be helpful for preparing a research grant application, mainly geared towards the SF424 (R&R) application. What is the graduate student stipend rate?

What should be considered a direct cost or indirect cost?

Your best resources for answering these questions are the grants or sponsored programs office within your own institution, your departmental administrative officials, and your peers. As you begin to develop a budget for your research grant application and put all of the relevant costs down on paper, many questions may arise.

How much is you need a budget