Overview of NIMH Organization and Research Areas
Program Officer: Your program officer oversees a grant portfolio in your specific area of interest, coordinating all aspects of a grant from the early planning stage of an application to oversight of funded proposals. He/she can guide you through the application and funding process, both in terms of process and scientific content.
Research Areas—Click here to navigate among different NIMH extramural research components in order to find the most relevant branch/program contact for your research.
NIMH Staff Directories—Click here for all NIMH staff 's phone numbers and email addresses, including program officers and grants management specialists.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 institutes in the National Institutes of Health. NIMH funds grants for research projects and research training/research career development. Key items about NIMH research funding are:
- NIMH supports research through a wide variety of funding mechanisms.
- NIMH establishes priority areas for research funding within the Institute's overall mission of reducing the burden of mental disorders through research.
- NIMH program structure is organized into five major funding divisions.
- Each division contains several branches that focus on specific areas of the division's mission.
- Applications are assigned, according to content area, to a specific program official in one of the branches for funding and administrative purposes.
- It is strongly suggested you contact the program official whose area seems closest to your proposed research topic before beginning to prepare an application.
- Refer to the links in the box to the right for help in identifying a program officer and for descriptions of the mission of each branch.
If you are having difficulty identifying an appropriate program for your idea, contact a program officer so they can direct you appropriately. They are available to provide technical assistance on your research project, including scientific issues, as it goes through the NIH system. Once you have begun developing your application, it is a good idea to email an Abstract and the Specific Aims of your work to the Program Officer. Based on a review of this information, they might ask you to submit a longer, 3-5 page description.