RR Series — Research Grants

NIH R37 Grants — MERIT Award

R01 with extended funding for top-scoring established investigators

Funding

Same as R01

Duration

Up to 7 years

Eligibility

By IC selection from top-scoring R01 applicants

Activity code

R37

What is the NIH R37 grant?

The R37 (MERIT Award) is awarded by the institute, not by direct application. It extends a top-scoring R01 to up to 7 years (instead of 5) without requiring a competing renewal in year 5. ICs vary in how aggressively they convert R01s to R37s.

Recent R37 awards (last 24 months)

Live data from NIH RePORTER

987

Awards

$271,756,161

Total funding (sample)

$543,512

Average award

Sample reflects up to the most recent 500 NIH RePORTER awards with this activity code in the past 24 months. Total project count is the full RePORTER count.

Most recently awarded R37 grants

Oxidative Lipidomics in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury

Hülya Bayir · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES, NY · NIH

$397,501

FY 2026

Project: 5R37NS061817-16

Effect of inflammation on JAK2 mutant evolution in the hematopoietic system: mathematical models and experiments

Angela Fleischman · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE, CA · NIH

$87,317

FY 2026

Project: 3R37CA271172-05S1

Investigating Type I Interferon response and differentiation in FLT3-inhibitor persistent acute myeloid leukemia

Robert Bowman · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, PA · NIH

$434,969

FY 2026

Project: 1R37CA307677-01

Neuronal senescence and inflammation in Alzheimer's disease

FRED GAGE · SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES, CA · NIH

$393,750

FY 2026

Project: 4R37AG072502-04

Targeting Metabolic Crosstalk in Pancreatic Cancer

Christopher Halbrook · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE, CA · NIH

$446,746

FY 2026

Project: 5R37CA283575-03

Snail-Related Studies of Transmission & Control of Schistosomiasis in Kenya

ERIC LOKER · UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO, NM · NIH

$350,916

FY 2026

Project: 5R37AI101438-15

Leveraging the GTP Biosynthetic Pathway for Anti-Tumor Therapies

Anna Bianchi-Smiraglia · ROSWELL PARK CANCER INSTITUTE CORP, NY · NIH

$396,881

FY 2026

Project: 4R37CA248018-06

Psychobiological Mechanisms Underlying the Association Between Early Life Stress and Depression Across Adolescence

IAN GOTLIB · STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CA · NIH

$727,843

FY 2026

Project: 5R37MH101495-13

Top NIH institutes funding R37

By total funding in the last 24 months

  1. 1.NIH500 · $271,756,161

Top funded institutions

Most R37 awards in the last 24 months

  1. 1.UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA14 awards
  2. 2.UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO13 awards
  3. 3.WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY12 awards
  4. 4.COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES12 awards
  5. 5.STANFORD UNIVERSITY12 awards
  6. 6.YALE UNIVERSITY11 awards

Who applies for R37

You do not apply directly. You apply for an R01; if your application scores in the top range, the institute may convert it to an R37.

When to choose R37

You cannot proactively choose R37 — it is awarded based on R01 score.

When NOT to choose R37

See above.

Search tips for R37

  • R37 awards are useful indicators of high-impact established labs.

Search NIH grants by activity code

Open NIH grant search

Find R37-funded PIs

Open PI Finder

R37 funding trends

Open trend search

Related NIH grant types

RR01

Research Project Grant

Discrete, specified investigator-led research project

RR35

Outstanding Investigator Award

Long, flexible support for productive investigators (one program per lab)