Do your homework, find the right NIH program, and establish a relationship with the program director.
By Randolph Fillmore
With an annual budget of $29.45 billion, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is a major funding source for biomedical and pharmaceutical research. At the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) 2015 Annual Meeting and Exposition, several NIH program directors discussed current and future NIH funding opportunities relevant to pharmaceutical scientists. Speakers illuminated the seemingly endless web of pathways through the NIH funding maze and answered participants’ questions to better equip both junior and senior researchers to identify and negotiate the NIH programs right for them and to adjust to the shifting landscape of federal funding.