NIGMS puts out a nice blog that often has information that is applicable to NIH grants in general. I subscribe to it and often mine out grantsmanship gems from it. In the latest issue, NIGMS discusses how the change in fiscal year (FY13 is meant to begin on Oct 1, 2012) may affect your funded NIH grant:
Topics include:
*September Council’s over. My application did well in review. When is my grant going to get funded?
*Would my grant application be funded more quickly if it went to a different Council round?
*Why can’t I activate my NRSA fellowship in October or early November?
*I’m moving from one institution to another on October 1. Can my grant or fellowship be transferred when I move? I want it to start on the day that I arrive or, if that’s not possible, later in October.
*I’ve applied for a diversity supplement for an individual who’s arriving on October 25. Will the supplement be available on the day that she arrives?
*My grant’s anniversary date is December 1. Why are the awards late most years?
*Why was my continuation budget reduced? Is the likelihood of a budget cut higher if my grant’s anniversary date is in the winter? Will the cut funds ever be restored?