The NIH R37 (Method to Extend Research in Time, or “MERIT”) award is not a grant program you apply for. It is a status NIH staff and advisory councils confer on an already-submitted, already-scored R01 application. If you searched for “NIH R37” hoping to find an application form or a funding opportunity announcement to respond to, the most important fact on this page is the one you need first: there is no R37 application. You cannot nominate yourself, and no funding opportunity announcement solicits R37 applications directly.
Quick facts: R37 MERIT at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is it | An NIH activity code that converts an eligible, already-submitted R01 application into up to 7 years of support instead of the standard project period |
| Can I apply for one | No. Investigators may not apply for a MERIT award; NIH program staff and/or the cognizant National Advisory Council or Board identify candidates during review of regular R01 applications |
| Who is eligible | Varies by Institute/Center, but the best-documented current use (NCI) requires all PD/PIs to hold Early Stage Investigator (ESI) status and the R01 application to score within that IC’s payline |
| Total possible support | Up to 7 years: an initial segment of up to 5 years, plus an available extension of up to 2 additional years |
| How the extension is triggered | By nomination and administrative request, not by a new competing application or peer review from scratch |
| Who requests the extension | The institution’s Signing Official / Authorized Organizational Representative (not the PI directly), submitted to the awarding IC in advance of the initial segment’s end |
| What kind of NIH action funds it | A Type 4 award — the NIH application-type code reserved for extensions of time or funds beyond originally recommended levels, restricted to MERIT awards and SBIR Fast-Track awards |
What the R37 activity code actually is
Per NIH’s Office of Extramural Research, the R37 MERIT award exists “to provide long-term grant support to investigators whose research competence and productivity are distinctly superior and who are highly likely to continue to perform in an outstanding manner.” R37 is one of NIH’s activity codes — the two- or three-character designations (R01, R37, K99, U01, and so on) that classify every NIH grant mechanism — and it is treated as an R01-equivalent for policy purposes, including Early Stage Investigator (ESI) status determinations.
Any NIH Institute or Center can in principle use the R37 code, but eligibility rules, payline thresholds, and extension procedures are set by each awarding IC individually — NIH does not publish one uniform, government-wide R37 eligibility or extension policy. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) runs the most fully documented, currently active R37 MERIT program, and it is the example used throughout the rest of this page. If you hold or are being considered for an R37 at a different Institute or Center, confirm the specifics against that IC’s own funding opportunity announcement and Notice of Award — do not assume NCI’s process applies verbatim elsewhere.
You are nominated, not an applicant: how the initial award happens
At NCI, the pathway to an R37 MERIT award runs through the standard R01 application process, not a separate one:
- You submit a regular R01 application. There is no separate MERIT application, form, or funding opportunity announcement. Eligible applicants apply the same way they would for any competing R01.
- All PD/PIs must hold Early Stage Investigator status at the time of award for the application to be considered for ESI MERIT conversion. If any PD/PI on the application does not have ESI status, the application is not eligible for this conversion pathway.
- The application goes through standard scientific peer review like any other R01 — there is no separate MERIT study section or review criteria.
- If the resulting score falls within NCI’s payline for experienced and new investigators, NCI program staff and the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB) may identify the application as eligible for conversion to an ESI MERIT (R37) award rather than a standard R01.
- You find out through the award notice, not a decision letter you requested. There is no step at which the PI submits a request to be considered — identification and conversion happen on the funder’s side.
Source: NIH Office of Extramural Research, “Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) Award (R37)” (grants.nih.gov/funding/activity-codes/R37), and National Cancer Institute, “MERIT Award (R37)” (cancer.gov/grants-training/grants-funding/funding-opportunities/merit) — both fetched directly and current as of this page’s last-verified date below.
The extension: an 18-month-out administrative request, not a new application
The initial R37 segment runs up to 5 years. Extending into the additional up-to-2-year segment is where “nomination” logic applies a second time — the process is a request and expedited staff/council review, not a competing renewal application subject to fresh peer review of the full science.
| Step | What happens | Who does it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Timing | The extension request is submitted approximately 18 months before the end of the initial project period — well ahead of the award’s actual expiration | Institution |
| 2. Submission | The request is submitted to NCI by the institution, not the PI personally | Institutional Signing Official / Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) |
| 3. Staff review | NCI staff review the request and the accomplishments of the initial funding segment | NCI program staff |
| 4. Council review | The request is submitted to the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB) for review and recommendation | NCAB |
| 5. Decision | If granted, the awardee is notified of the length of the extension and the approved budget, typically implemented as a Type 4 award | NCI |
| 6. If not granted | The awardee may submit a competing renewal application or a new research grant application through the standard process | PI / institution |
Two details worth planning around: the review at this stage is described as an expedited review of accomplishments during the initial segment, not a full re-review of the science from the ground up — and the request has to be initiated by your institution’s Signing Official, not filed by the PI directly, so build the 18-months-out deadline into your institution’s internal grants-management tracking, not just the PI’s own calendar. Consult the most recent Notice of Award for your specific award’s extension-request requirements, since NCI directs awardees there for current specifics rather than a single static policy page.
Where R37 sits next to other NIH early-career and long-term mechanisms
| Mechanism | How you get it | Typical duration | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|---|
| R37 MERIT | Nomination/conversion from a scored R01; no direct application | Up to 5 years initial, up to 7 total with extension | ESI investigators with an R01 application scoring within payline (NCI’s documented use) |
| R01 | Direct competing application | Typically up to 5 years per competitive segment | Independent investigators generally |
| K99/R00 | Direct competing application | Up to 2 years mentored (K99) + up to 3 years independent (R00) | Postdocs transitioning to independent faculty positions |
| R35 (Outstanding Investigator-type awards) | Institute-specific, typically by application to a dedicated funding opportunity, at a later career stage than R37 MERIT | Longer-term, consolidates a lab’s research program rather than one project | Established investigators with a track record; program specifics vary by Institute/Center |
R37 MERIT and R35-type awards are both “long-term support” mechanisms, but they sit at different career stages and are reached differently — R37 MERIT is a conversion of a scored ESI R01, while R35-type programs generally require their own application to an Institute-specific funding opportunity. If you are past the early-stage-investigator window, an R35-type mechanism (where your Institute/Center offers one) is the more relevant comparison, not R37.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply directly for an NIH MERIT award?
No. NIH states plainly that investigators may not apply for a MERIT award. Program staff and the cognizant National Advisory Council or Board identify candidates from among applications already submitted as regular, competing R01 applications.
What does “R37 grant” mean if there’s no application?
R37 is the NIH activity code assigned to a MERIT award once an eligible R01 application is converted to it. Searching “R37 grant” as though it were a distinct funding opportunity to apply to is the most common misunderstanding of this mechanism — there is no R37-specific FOA to respond to.
What is a “MERIT extension” and who requests it?
It’s the request to extend an R37 award’s initial up-to-5-year segment by up to 2 additional years, funded as a Type 4 award if approved. At NCI, the institution’s Signing Official or AOR submits the request roughly 18 months before the initial segment ends; NCI staff and the National Cancer Advisory Board review it.
Does an R37 MERIT award count as an R01-equivalent?
Yes, for policy purposes including Early Stage Investigator status determinations, NIH treats R37 as an R01-equivalent activity code.
What happens if my MERIT extension request is denied?
Per NCI’s published process, the awardee may submit a competing renewal application or a new research grant application through the standard peer-review process.
Is the R37 MERIT process the same at every NIH Institute or Center?
Not necessarily. NIH’s government-wide R37 activity code page defines the award’s general purpose and confirms investigators cannot apply directly, but eligibility thresholds and the extension-request procedure documented on this page are NCI’s specific, published implementation. Confirm your own Institute/Center’s current process against its funding opportunity announcement and your Notice of Award before relying on NCI-specific timing.
Last verified: August 16, 2026, against NIH Office of Extramural Research’s R37 activity code page (grants.nih.gov/funding/activity-codes/R37) and the National Cancer Institute’s MERIT Award (R37) page (cancer.gov/grants-training/grants-funding/funding-opportunities/merit), both fetched directly. The NCI page’s own content was last updated by NCI on November 5, 2020; re-confirm against the live page and your current Notice of Award before treating institute-specific timing details as unchanged if using this page well after the verification date above.
For related NIH funding-mechanism background, see NCI Funding: How the National Cancer Institute’s Grant Mechanisms and Payline Work, NIH R01 Success Rates and Paylines by Institute, NIH Grants: An Overview, and The NIH Grant Cycle: A Full Annual Timeline.
