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Data AnalysisJanuary 22, 202412 min read

NIH Funding Success Rate by Topic: 2024 Research Area Analysis

Comprehensive analysis of NIH funding success rates across research disciplines to help you strategically plan your grant applications and maximize your chances of success.

Overall NIH Funding Success Rates 2024

20.7%
Overall Success Rate
18.2%
R01 Success Rate
15.8%
New Investigator Rate

Success Rates by Research Topic

Cancer Research

22.3%
Success Rate

Neuroscience

19.8%
Success Rate

Cardiology

21.1%
Success Rate

Infectious Disease

24.2%
Success Rate

Mental Health

18.5%
Success Rate

Aging Research

20.9%
Success Rate

NIH Institute-Specific Success Rates

NCI (Cancer)

Payline: 11th percentile

22.3%
Success Rate

NINDS (Neurological)

Payline: 15th percentile

19.8%
Success Rate

NHLBI (Heart/Lung)

Payline: 12th percentile

21.1%
Success Rate

NIAID (Infectious)

Payline: 18th percentile

24.2%
Success Rate

NIMH (Mental Health)

Payline: 14th percentile

18.5%
Success Rate

Strategic Insights for Grant Applications

High-Success Areas

  • Infectious Disease: 24.2% success rate
  • Cancer Research: 22.3% success rate
  • Cardiovascular: 21.1% success rate
  • Aging Research: 20.9% success rate

Competitive Areas

  • Mental Health: 18.5% success rate
  • Neuroscience: 19.8% success rate
  • Basic Biology: 17.9% success rate
  • Genomics: 16.4% success rate

Key Takeaways for Grant Success

  • • Consider applying to institutes with higher success rates
  • • Align research with current NIH priorities
  • • New investigators should focus on mentored career awards first
  • • Interdisciplinary proposals may have advantages

Find Successful PIs in Your Research Area

Discover recently funded researchers and analyze their success strategies

Trust & Transparency

How this content is reviewed before it goes live

NIH Grant Explorer combines public NIH records with editorial interpretation. We publish the review structure, methodology, and correction pathways so readers can judge the value of a guide or chart for themselves.

When a topic turns into an official policy question, we point readers back to NIH rather than pretending an independent site can replace the underlying federal guidance.