These FAQs explain how to establish a partnership with NIH intramural investigators and how to plan access to specialized NIH research resources. They cover general topics such as available resources, partnership planning, access requests, and collaboration logistics. The information is general and may not apply in the same way to every project. Each collaboration is governed by its final written agreement.
To discuss a specific project, contact [email protected].
Questions
Intramural Research Resources
You can search the Resources on the Collaborating with NIH Intramural Investigators at the Clinical Center website. The website lists the NIH employee(s) who serve as the contact for each resource and you are encouraged to contact them directly.
Currently, an external investigator may access resources only via a formal funding relationship with the NIH (contract, grant, or cooperative agreement). In most situations, a documented research collaboration with an NIH investigator is required. This research collaboration may be documented by the following: Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, Memorandum of Understanding, Clinical Trial Agreement, or Intergovernmental Personnel Act agreement or other appropriate written agreement.
Yes. Two specific opportunities are available.
- NIH has a new funding opportunity, "Opportunities for Collaborative Research at the NIH Clinical Center (U01 Clinical Trial Optional).
- Administrative supplements are available to supplement NIH grants for short term Bench-to-Bedside projects which involve a partnership between intramural and extramural investigators pursuing a translational research project.
You may also be able to utilize other NIH grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts as a vehicle for accessing Clinical Center resources under certain conditions. For more information please contact [email protected].
After the grant or contract is approved and funded, the request will be entered into a queue for prioritization based on both scientific merit and availability of the resource. The department that provides or oversees the resource will provide an approximate timeline.
Clinical Center costs vary depending on the services required to support specific research projects. Please contact [email protected] with questions related to costs for specific resources.
Please contact [email protected] and your request for access to a specific resource will be considered. Not all resources will be offered for collaboration and some may have limited availability.
You can search the Search the Studies website for an up-to-date list of current protocols.
Collaborations
To identify investigators interested in your area of research, you can search the Database of NIH Intramural Research Reports, the Intramural Principal Investigator Directory, and the Search the Studies website.
When contact information is not available on the above sites, you will find contact information for NIH investigators on the NIH Directory.
A collaboration between an extramural investigator and an intramural investigator must be documented in writing. A research collaboration may be documented by the following: Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, Memorandum of Understanding, Clinical Trial Agreement, Intergovernmental Personnel Act agreement or other appropriate written agreement. In any collaboration, the intramural and extramural investigators can interact in several ways. Below are a few examples of potential collaboration models:
- An intramural Investigator conducts specific studies at the Clinical Center and an extramural investigator conducts their collaborative studies at their home institution
- A trainee/Junior Faculty member comes to the Clinical Center to manage/conduct collaborative project
- An extramural Investigator takes a sabbatical to conduct joint studies at the Clinical Center
In many cases, the collaboration will be implemented through a specific funding opportunity. See the Bench to Bedside Program or the Opportunities for Collaborative Research at the NIH Clinical Center (U01 Clinical Trial Optional)
In limited circumstances access to resources in the absence of a formal scientific collaboration may be possible with a written agreement. Please contact [email protected] for further guidance.