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These workspaces are organizing and drafting tools. Always confirm current requirements against the NOFO, NIH instructions, and your institution's sponsored research office. River is not an official NIH system and does not submit to eRA Commons or Grants.gov.

NIH Grant Templates and Application Workspaces

Prepare R01, R21, P01, K award, training grant, instrumentation, and SBIR/STTR applications in a guided River workspace. Choose your mechanism, answer a few project questions, and River builds the right set of documents, checklists, and folders.

Built with grant professionalsRiver Docs, Word, PDF, and HTML exportFor PIs, lab managers, research admins, and grant writers
R01 Grant Workspace
WORKSPACE
Application
Specific Aims
Research Strategy
Project Summary
Budget Justification
Biosketches
Submission Checklist
Specific Aims
1. Significance
2. Innovation

How It Works

1

Choose your grant mechanism

Start with the type of NIH application you're preparing: R01, P01, K award, T32, S10, SBIR/STTR, or another mechanism.

2

Answer a few project questions

Tell River whether your project includes human subjects, a clinical trial, vertebrate animals, multiple PIs, subawards, scientific data generation, key biological resources, or a resubmission.

3

Build your application workspace

River creates a structured workspace with the right documents, checklists, draft sections, and supporting materials — ready to edit in River Docs or export to Word, PDF, or HTML.

NIH Grant Templates by Type

R01 Grant Templates

For major investigator-initiated NIH research projects. Includes templates for every required and optional attachment, organized into a structured workspace.

Includes templates for:

  • Specific Aims
  • Research Strategy
  • Project Summary / Abstract
  • Project Narrative
  • Facilities & Other Resources
  • Equipment
  • Budget Justification
  • Data Management and Sharing Plan
  • Authentication of Key Biological and Chemical Resources
  • Letters of Support
  • Human Subjects attachments, if applicable

R21 and R03 Grant Templates

For exploratory, developmental, or smaller-scope research projects. Use these when you need a tighter application package and a focused scientific rationale.

Includes templates for:

  • Specific Aims
  • Research Strategy
  • Innovation / exploratory rationale
  • Project Summary
  • Budget Justification
  • DMS Plan
  • Supporting attachments

P01 and Center Grant Templates

For complex, multi-project NIH applications with shared scientific themes, cores, and leadership structures.

Includes templates for:

  • Overall Component
  • Individual Project Components
  • Core Components
  • Administrative Core
  • Leadership Plan
  • Institutional Commitment
  • Shared Resource Plans
  • Project-specific Aims and Strategies
  • Multi-investigator coordination tracker
  • Letters of Support
  • Budget and subaward materials

K Award Templates

For mentored career development awards and early-career investigator applications.

Includes templates for:

  • Candidate Background
  • Career Goals and Objectives
  • Career Development / Training Plan
  • Research Strategy
  • Specific Aims
  • Mentor Statements
  • Advisory Committee Materials
  • Institutional Commitment
  • Responsible Conduct of Research Plan
  • Letters of Support
  • Budget Justification

T32 Training Grant Templates

For institutional training programs supporting cohorts of trainees.

Includes templates for:

  • Program Plan
  • Training Program Structure
  • Faculty Tables
  • Trainee Tables
  • Recruitment Plan
  • Responsible Conduct of Research
  • Institutional Environment
  • Letters of Support
  • Evaluation and Tracking Plan

S10 Instrumentation Grant Templates

For shared instrumentation and high-end instrumentation applications.

Includes templates for:

  • Justification of Need
  • Technical Expertise
  • Research Projects
  • Summary Tables
  • Administration Plan
  • Institutional Commitment
  • Overall Benefit
  • Equipment Description
  • Usage and Access Plan

SBIR / STTR Grant Templates

For biomedical startups and small businesses applying for non-dilutive NIH funding.

Includes templates for:

  • Specific Aims
  • Research Strategy
  • Commercialization Plan
  • Company and Team Overview
  • Market and Use Case
  • Product Development Plan
  • IP and Regulatory Notes
  • Budget Justification
  • Subaward / partner materials

Common NIH Application Attachments

Depending on the grant and project, your workspace may include:

  • Specific Aims
  • Research Strategy
  • Introduction for resubmissions
  • Project Summary / Abstract
  • Project Narrative
  • Bibliography & References
  • Facilities & Other Resources
  • Equipment
  • Budget Justification
  • Biosketches
  • Other Support
  • Letters of Support
  • Multiple PD/PI Leadership Plan
  • Data Management and Sharing Plan
  • Resource Sharing Plan
  • Authentication of Key Biological and Chemical Resources
  • Vertebrate Animals
  • Select Agent Research
  • Human Subjects and Clinical Trials forms
  • Inclusion of Women and Minorities
  • Inclusion Across the Lifespan
  • Recruitment and Retention Plan
  • Study Timeline
  • Protection of Human Subjects
  • Data and Safety Monitoring Plan
  • Statistical Design and Power
  • IND/IDE Status
  • Dissemination Plan

Why Use a Grant Workspace Instead of a Folder of Templates?

NIH applications are workflow problems, not just writing problems.

A single grant may involve a PI, co-investigators, trainees, research administrators, finance staff, department leadership, collaborators, and institutional review processes. The problem is not only drafting each section. It is knowing what is required, keeping every artifact connected, tracking what changed, and making sure the final package matches the NOFO.

River gives you a structured workspace for the whole application.

What You Get in River

  • A complete workspace for your grant type
  • Editable River Docs for every major section
  • Checklists for required and conditional attachments
  • A project questionnaire that routes you to the right materials
  • Drafting prompts for each section
  • Review checklists for scientific clarity and compliance
  • Shared folders for letters, biosketches, budgets, and attachments
  • Export to Word, PDF, HTML, or River Docs
  • AI assistance that understands the full workspace context

Frequently Asked Questions

Build the Right NIH Application Package

Choose your mechanism, answer a few project questions, and River creates a structured workspace with the right documents, checklists, and folders.