Everyone knows that only the highest scoring grant proposals get awarded. For this, you have to comprehend its scoring process. There are multiple scoring systems worldwide, but the most frequently used system is of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It has a certain priority scoring system to judge the applications. Each criterion has its marks. This article will especially focus on the NIH grants scoring rules. You can further use this piece of information while scripting and reviewing your grant proposal.
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A few decades ago, either experienced investigators or those with high references were able to get the grants. It was a difficult time for the new impactful investigators to find their place in the field of research. Hence, many questions started to arise regarding this issue. The authority members then proposed that having a specific scoring process will highlight the applications having more impact on science. The target was also to introduce a meritorious sorting system applicable to all the research applications. Hence, the concept of a scoring system hatched that created possibilities for inexperienced but innovative scientists.
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All the applications are assembled and scrutinized for all the necessary documentation. These applications are then assigned to their specific reviewers. These reviewers will badge your application with two types of independent scoring systems. These are:
Usually, scores are given based on five criteria before the peer review session. Each criterion is given a separate numerical score in the range of 1 to 9, with 1 being exceptional and 9 being poor. Every reviewer has his unique perception of scoring an application using the set criteria (Elizabeth et al., 2017). These criteria are different for independent research (R) grants and the training (F & K) grants. These are discussed in detail below.
Independent Researcher Grant Criteria Scoring
Following are the criteria for the scoring of an independent researcher’s grant application:
Training grants include the F and K-type grant applications. Following are the criteria for the scoring of training grant applications:
The second system of scoring is the impact scoring system. In this, a general evaluation of the grant application is done. This system depicts the overall impact of the proposed research applications in the innovation and advancement of science. The impact score is independent of the criterion score given to it. The biohazards of your research are also observed here. The scale for scoring is from 1 to 9, with 1 being exceptional and 9 being poor. These scores vary according to the application characteristics (Matthew, Robin, Deepshikha, Katherine & Katrina, 2016). Hence, the reviewers are specially instructed to utilize a full scale for impact scoring so that greater judgment should be made between the applicants.
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A peer review meeting is held after the pre-scoring of applications by their assigned reviewers. Many applicants may develop mistrust concerning the scoring process (Hendy et al., 2012). This meeting is held to ensure transparency. Here, every reviewer puts forward his entrusted applications and explains how he gave the scoring. The secondary reviewers then come forward and give remarks about the scoring of the applications. Hence, you can also call it a debate session. A reviewer may alter his given score if the reviewer has a change in opinion about any application’s criterion score after the peer review session. Therefore, the final criterion and impact scores are pinned after the meeting ends.
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The mean of overall marks of the application is multiplied by 100 (Michael et al., 2019). This is the mean score derived from the numbers given to your application individually by all the members of the peer review meeting. Its scale ranges from 100 to 500, with 100 being best and 500 being the worst for an application. This scoring goes for both research and training grants. The priority scoring is the final score of your application. After this, each application is prioritized accordingly for funding according to the merit score.
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The term un-scored is used when your application has a priority score equal to or greater than 250. These applications are also called streamlined applications. They are set aside to save time in the meeting. The reviewers then correspond to their applicants with the necessary comments and criticisms. They are given a chance to revise their applications according to their shortcomings.
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Several applications will have a conflict with the reviewers, which may lead to bias. These conflicts can be in the form of any direct or indirect relationship between the applicant and the reviewer. To avoid this bias, the reviewers with conflicts are not chosen for the peer review meeting panel.
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It is of utter importance to know the scoring process before writing any grant application. In this way, you will be able to focus on the points that are relevant and necessary for the reviewers to score your application. The panel set for the peer review meeting is chosen by the NIH itself. These are experienced individuals in their respected fields. They use a set guideline for scoring and prioritizing the submitted grant proposals. Following these rules is mandatory for all the peer reviewers as the future of many great researchers lies on their shoulders. Although NIH has an excellent scoring procedure but making sure that the reviewers adhere to these rules is also the responsibility of the NIH that should be evaluated from time to time.
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