No. 82: Questions for a Program Officer?

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Questions for a Program Officer?

Open Forum: This is your chance. Do you have questions you have always wanted to ask an NIH Program Officer — sometimes also known as a “Program Director” or “Project Officer”?

Principal Investigators Association (PIA) will help you get the answers you’ve been seeking. Just send us the questions you want to ask these key players at NIH. You can submit them anonymously below by entering them in the “comments” field. Or you can send them in an email to [email protected].

And once we gather the answers, we will publish them in our upcoming report — NIH Program Officer: Under-recognized Vital Participant in the Grant Process.

This report will detail the PO’s duties and responsibilities and serve as an aid for grant applicants who want to reach out to them for assistance and guidance.

If you would like to be on the priority list to receive this important report on the “Unsung Heroes” of the federal grants process who play such a vital role — often behind the scenes — send the following information to [email protected]:

Name
Address
Email address

We will keep your contact information confidential and only use it to ensure you are notified as soon as this unique report is available.

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Comments (9)

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written by PO search, July 18, 2011

I know that most of the ICs post PO emails on their websites. But some are easier to find than others. Is there a central location for this contact information? Or an easy way to do a search on the site?

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written by NIH newbie, July 18, 2011

What information can a PO really give me? What questions are they allowed to answer?

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written by Confused RO1 Sherlock seeking POs, July 18, 2011

Kudos for thinking of this valuable report. Some NIH IC's I've dealt with have kept the names of their program officers in a locked closet, and despite numerous phone calls and Web work I can't find out who would be best for my proposal. But other ICs are shining examples of helpfulness and efficiency in aiding potential applicants to find every PO abd his/her interests and contact info. I hope your independent pub will have the guts to name names--who are the most helpful ICs as regards PO role,location,and contact info, and which ICs are still in the Dark Ages. Good luck! But be warned: you might make some behind-the-times IC Direcors squirm. Can you take the heat?

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written by Curious, July 18, 2011

What is the concise list of questions that I should prepare before calling PO so that time was not wasted. How often I can call the relevant PO?

Thank you !

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written by P.O. Term limits?, July 19, 2011

Is there a max number years a PO can serve in his/her rolefor a particlar niche in a paticularIC? Reason: My curent one for past two years seems standoffish and even unfriendly. Can't see how I can do more to "patch up" the relationship.. My only hope is he will "rotate away" to some other spot in NIH. Is there a "termlimit" or limit on years a PO can seve one IC in one niche? If not, I might remain stuck with this negative guy forever--with corresponding diminution of hopes for successful grant award..

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written by Always Learning, July 19, 2011

After the grant is recieved, during its operation, how much contact with the PO is expected?

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written by P.O. Etiquette?, July 19, 2011

I am hoping to meet the relevant PO for my IC the first time at an upcoming national meeting. May I invite him for a drink in the hotel bar after the day's sessions, and sign the total check to my room? Does it make a diference that I am female and he is male? Does it mitigate things if he is openly or probably gay?

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written by Can "bench researcher" become a PO? , July 20, 2011

I've successfully applied for and received several NIH grants. So I've met several of their POs. I'm thinking of a carer shift, and wonder if I might become a PO? What sort of qualifications must they have? If hired from "outside", how do they get trained in the work a PO actually does? Is there a "boot camp" or online learning course?. What would be some tpical compensation ranges? Can a PO become a long-term employee at NIH, or is it just a time-limited post, like a 2-year rsidency for example?

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written by Floundering Newbie, July 20, 2011

Where the heck do I start to find a PO? Throw a dart at NIH web sites or what? There are scores or hundreds of POs, it seems. How do I narrow it down to 2 or 3 logical ones?

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