NIH Establishes Multiple Principal Investigator Awards

Beginning with research grant applications submitted for February 2007 receipt dates, the NIH will allow applicants and their institutions to identify more than one Principal Investigator (PI). The NIH believes that the multiple PI option will offer a new and important opportunity for investigators seeking support for projects or activities that require a “team science” approach and which do not fit the single-PI model. The multiple-PI model is intended to supplement, and not to replace, the traditional single PI model. The goal is to encourage collaboration among equals when that is the most appropriate way to address a scientific problem. The Multiple PI option will be extended to most research grant applications submitted electronically through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/) using the SF424 R&R application package.

Applications that involve more than one PI must include a Leadership Plan that describes the roles, the responsibilities, and the working relationship of the identified PIs. The Leadership Plan should include a description of the rationale for choosing a multiple PI approach. The governance and organizational structure of the leadership team and the research project should also be described, including communication plans, process for making decisions on scientific direction, and procedures for resolving conflicts. The roles and administrative, technical, and scientific responsibilities for the project or program should be delineated for the PIs and other collaborators. If budget allocation is planned, the distribution of resources to specific components of the project or the individual PIs must be delineated in the Leadership Plan.

The following Multiple PI options are still being developed or assessed by the NIH:

• The ability to manage research projects using linked awards involving PIs located at more than one institution. (Awards involving PIs at different institutions will be managed using subcontracts until options involving linked awards have been developed.)

• The ability to recognize non-PI key contributors to the project.

• The desirability of formally apportioning funds under a grant to various components of a project or the PIs associated with those components.

Although the number of applications submitted with more than one PI is expected to be relatively small compared with those that continue to use the traditional single-PI format, NIH hopes that the ability to submit applications with more than one PI will encourage multidisciplinary efforts.

For more details about features of the multiple PI option, please contact your Research Administrator. The NIH notice may be found at http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-017.html