In a December blog post, NIGMS states it will “accept very few R13 or U13 applications in the future. We strongly encourage potential applicants to contact us before requesting approval to submit an application.” Associate Director for Extramural Activities at NIGMS, Ann Hagan PhD, explains further:
“We understand the importance of these meetings, but we receive a large number of requests to support them and have concluded that it is not cost-effective to consider most of these requests. The numerous applications for small conference grants are costly to process and review, and the funds used for them compete directly with research project grants, including R01s. Our priority is to use our resources in the ways that most directly promote research and training, which already include mechanisms to allow students and fellows to attend scientific meetings.”
For the full blog post, click here. Note the comments below the post from the President of Cold Spring Harbor Lab and the Chair of an upcoming Gordon Research Conference, as well as Dr. Hagan’s reply about the use of the R25 mechanism to fund courses and training workshops.
