Letter of Intent
Many Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) (whether Program Announcements or Requests for Applications) request that prospective applicants submit a letter of intent prior to the submission of a grant application. For those FOAs that request it, a letter of intent should include the following:
- Descriptive title of proposed research
- Name, address, and telephone number of the Principal Investigator(s)
- Names of other key personnel
- Participating institutions
- Number and title of the funding opportunity
Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows Institute/Center (IC) staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.
The letter of intent should be sent by the date listed on the specific FOA and to the contact and address listed therein. For more information, contact the Program Officer (Scientific/Research Contact(s)) listed in the FOA.
Also, remember that if your budget is at or going to exceed $500,000 in direct costs for any year of the project, NIH policy (NOT-OD-02-004 ) requires prior approval from IC programmatic staff at least six weeks prior to the anticipated submission date. Information regarding this approval should be submitted in a cover letter along with the application.