Reaching out to NIH Program Officers

Here's how you can maximize your NIH SBIR award by being best friends with your program officer. So if you got an SBIR award from the NIH, you'll likely get assigned a program officer from the funding agency that gave you the grant. And this program officer is an NIH staff member that is responsible for overseeing your grant and to provide you with guidance and any advice if you need it throughout your proposed period. The program officer will also serve as your primary contact, and you should be communicating with them periodically throughout your proposed efforts. And to keep them updated with your progress on the project. And this NIH program officer is also responsible for reviewing your progress reports, helping you to navigate the NIH system, and also providing feedback on your research. Here, you want to start establishing a really productive and positive relationship with your program officer, and your goal is to try to maintain that throughout your proposed project period. And that's because they are also experts and can give you valuable advice to help you progress within your research plan. And that's just the start of what program officers can do.