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The NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR) is the part of the National Institutes of Health that organizes peer review of grant applications. Since 2025 it manages review for essentially all NIH applications, not only the majority it handled before. This page, written for applicants and research administrators, explains what CSR does, what changed with the 2025 centralization, and how CSR’s role differs from that of the NIH institute or center that decides on funding. Facts are as described on the official CSR pages and in a CSR slide deck, read on 7 November 2026.
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Suggested question: “What does the NIH Center for Scientific Review do?”
What the NIH Center for Scientific Review is and who runs it
CSR “organizes the peer review of all NIH research proposals, cooperative agreements, and research & development contracts,” according to the CSR About page (read 2026-11-07). The same page states that CSR has worked since 1946 toward reviews that are “fair, independent, expert, and timely” and “free from inappropriate influences.” The page lists Dr. Raymond Jacobson as director; a May 2026 CSR presentation titles him Acting Director.
Applications are reviewed in study sections, formally Scientific Review Groups (SRGs). CSR’s page names four categories: Standing, Small Business & Technology Transfer, Fellowship, and Special Emphasis. Review Branches are clusters of study sections grouped by scientific discipline. For the study-section concept itself, see NIH study section and peer review.
What CSR is responsible for, and what it is not
CSR’s submission and assignment page says its “primary role is to handle the receipt and review of all grant applications that NIH receives,” and that “NIH separates the review process from funding decisions” (CSR Submission and Assignment, read 2026-11-07). CSR runs the scientific merit review; the funding decision sits with NIH institutes and centers.
| Question | CSR | Funding institute or center (IC) |
|---|---|---|
| Role in the process | Receipt and peer review of applications | Funding decisions (kept separate from review) |
For how the roles of scientific review officer, program officer and grants management specialist differ, see NIH program officer vs scientific review officer vs grants management specialist.
What changed in 2025: review centralized in CSR
According to a CSR presentation, “Recent Developments in NIH Peer Review,” given by Raymond Jacobson on 19 May 2026 (slide deck, read 2026-11-07), NIH announced on 6 March 2025 that review would be centralized in CSR, and by 1 June 2025 all review was being managed by CSR. The deck gives these figures:
| Measure | Until 2025 | After centralization |
|---|---|---|
| Administratively distinct review units | 24 (CSR plus 23 IC review branches) | CSR manages all review |
| Share of applications reviewed | CSR 77%, IC branches 23% | All applications managed by CSR |
| Share of R01s reviewed by CSR | 94% | All managed by CSR |
| Fellowship (F) applications reviewed by CSR | 85% | All managed by CSR |
| Small business applications reviewed by CSR | 85% | All managed by CSR |
| Applications reviewed in 2024 | CSR 66,697; largest IC branch 4,373 | About 30,000 additional applications a year, and about 250 IC review staff absorbed |
| Review branch structure in 2026 | n/a | 37 review branches in 5 divisions (7, 8, 7, 8 and 7 branches) |
Structure and counts reflect the May 2026 deck and may have changed since.
Eligibility: who deals with CSR
Applicants do not apply to CSR as a program. They submit an application to NIH, and CSR receives it and arranges review. Questions about submission and assignment go to CSR’s Division of Receipt and Referral (DRR), listed on the About page at [email protected]. The submission and assignment page links to further pages on the assignment process, requesting a scientific review group, requesting reassignment, and withdrawing an application; those pages hold the rules.
Application and assignment steps
- The application is submitted to NIH and received by CSR, which handles receipt for all NIH applications.
- The application is assigned to a study section and to an institute or center. To request a particular assignment, applicants use a cover letter or the PHS Assignment Request Form: see NIH cover letter and assignment request and PHS Assignment Request Form.
- The study section reviews the application and a summary statement follows; see how to read and respond to an NIH summary statement.
- The funding institute or center makes the funding decision, separately from review. The full sequence is in the NIH grant cycle.
Typical timeline phases
In order, an application passes through receipt, assignment to a study section and institute, scientific review, and then the institute’s funding decision. Calendar dates differ by funding opportunity and are set in the notice of funding opportunity; the NIH grant cycle guide covers the cycle.
Common mistakes
- Treating CSR as a funder. CSR runs review; funding decisions are separate.
- Treating peer review and the decision to fund as one step. See is NIH research peer reviewed.
- Relying on older descriptions in which institutes review their own applications. Before 2025 IC review branches handled about 23% of applications; the deck says all review is now managed by CSR.
Emergency review measure during the 2025 shutdown
The same deck reports that the 43-day 2025 shutdown led to more than 500 meeting cancellations and involved 465 scientific review officers. As an emergency measure, about one third of applications were discussed, a middle third were labelled “Competitive but not discussed,” and institutes considered the top two thirds for funding. This was an emergency modification, not the standard process.
Related pages
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| NIH study section | The review group CSR convenes |
| PHS Assignment Request Form | Requesting study section and institute assignment |
| NIH summary statement | The outcome document of review |
| NIH grant cycle | From submission to award |
FAQ
What does the NIH Center for Scientific Review do?
It receives NIH grant applications and organizes their peer review in study sections, keeping review separate from funding decisions (CSR pages, read 2026-11-07).
Does CSR decide which grants are funded?
No. CSR states that NIH separates the review process from funding decisions; funding rests with the institutes and centers.
Does CSR now review every NIH application?
Per the May 2026 CSR deck, all review has been managed by CSR since 1 June 2025, after an announcement on 6 March 2025. Before that CSR reviewed 77% of applications.
Who handles submission or assignment questions?
CSR’s Division of Receipt and Referral, at [email protected] per the CSR About page.
Sources
- CSR, About CSR, read 2026-11-07.
- CSR, Submission and Assignment, read 2026-11-07.
- R. Jacobson, Recent Developments in NIH Peer Review, CSR, 19 May 2026, read 2026-11-07.
