The National Institutes of Health has a formal process to resolve disagreements between grant applicants and NIH review committees and/or NIH staff concerning the referral and review of applications.

Before beginning the process of appeal, the principal investigator is strongly advised to speak with the NIGMS program director responsible for the application. The program director can explain the options and their consequences and is often in a position to help the applicant understand the study section's recommendation. In most cases, issues can be resolved at this stage.

For those cases that cannot be resolved by discussion, the first step in the appeals process is the submission of an appeal letter.

An appeal letter submitted after study section review should be sent to the program director in NIGMS. Program and review staff will try to resolve the issues and take the appropriate action. If the issues cannot be resolved by staff, the appeal letter and all relevant information are made available to the National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council for review.

The Council may agree with either the study section or the applicant. If the Council agrees with the applicant, it recommends the appropriate action to resolve the matter. If the Council agrees with the study section, the applicant may submit a revised application. The program director can often give valuable advice about options.

It may be necessary to delay Council consideration of an appeal until the following Council meeting if the letter is not received in time for consideration.

The Council's recommendation is the final step in the appeals process.

NOTE: An appeal letter submitted before study section review of the application should be sent to the appropriate staff in the Center for Scientific Review, or the Office of Scientific Review of NIGMS if the review is to be conducted by an NIGMS review committee. Referral/review staff will respond to the letter.