'N' Acronyms

National Advisory Council or Board NAC  
See: Council/Board, Advisory
National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA  
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an executive branch agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's civilian space program and aeronautics and aerospace research.
National BioSpecimen Network NBN  
The National Biospecimen Network (NBN) provides a key infrastructure to harness the potential of new technologies for cancer research, while ensuring that the privacy interests of biospecimen donors are preserved. It creates a comprehensive framework for sharing and comparing research results through a robust, flexible, scalable, and secure bioinformatics system that supports the collection, processing, storage, annotation, and distribution of biospecimens and data using standard operating procedures based on best practices. This combination of characteristics is vital to fully support emerging scientific opportunities to accelerate progress in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
National Cancer Advisory Board NCAB  
The National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB) is a chartered advisory committee to the Secretary, DHHS, and the Director, NCI, composed of both scientists and lay members, which performs the final advisory review of grant applications and advises on matters of significance to the policies, missions, and goals of the NCI.
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences NCATS  
The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was officially established in fiscal year 2012 to transform the translational science process so that new treatments and cures for disease can be delivered to patients faster. NCATS, one of 27 Institutes and Centers (ICs) at NIH, strives to develop innovations to reduce, remove or bypass costly and time-consuming bottlenecks in the translational research pipeline in an effort to speed the delivery of new drugs, diagnostics and medical devices to patients.
National Center for Biotechnology Information NCBI  
The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information.
National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine NCCAM  
In December of 2014, in an omnibus budget measure signed by President Obama, Congress changes NCCAM's name to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). The change is made to more accurately reflect the Center's research commitment to studying promising health approaches already in use by the American public.
See: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
NCI Community Cancer Centers Program NCCCP  
See: NCI Community Oncology Research Program
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health NCCIH  
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) is the Federal Government's lead agency for scientific research on the diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine.
National Cooperative Drug Discovery Groups NCDDGs  
Supported broad, innovative, multi-disciplinary approaches to the discovery of new, synthetic or natural-source derived anticancer drugs.
National Cancer Institute NCI  
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NCI, established under the National Cancer Act of 1937, is the Federal Government's principal agency for cancer research and training. The National Cancer Act of 1971 broadened the scope and responsibilities of the NCI and created the National Cancer Program. Over the years, legislative amendments have maintained the NCI authorities and responsibilities and added new information dissemination mandates as well as a requirement to assess the incorporation of state-of-the-art cancer treatments into clinical practice.
National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Frederick NCI-F  
The National Cancer Institute at Frederick conducts basic, translational, and preclinical cancer and AIDS research to develop the next generation of cancer tests and treatments. Home to the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research.
Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory NCL  
The National Cancer Institute founded the Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory (NCL) in collaboration with FDA and NIST as a public-private partnership to accelerate the development of promising nanotech therapies and diagnostics. The NCL's initial mission was to develop an "Assay Cascade" of scientific tests that would help determine the reproducibility, safety, and efficacy of nanomedicines to facilitate regulatory review. NCL has helped several nanomedicine formulations enter and progress through clinical trials, including nanoformulations of small molecules, peptides, proteins, siRNAs and plasmids. NCL's years of running studies on multiple nanomaterial formulations has allowed us to accumulate tremendously nuanced knowledge about what works and what doesn't work for nanomedicines. While other academic, industry, or government labs have specialized expertise in one or even a few particular types of nanomaterials, NCL is the only lab with experience testing the wide variety of platforms used in nanomedicine. Since it was founded in 2004, the NCL has tested more than 350 nanomaterials, including almost every type of nanoparticle used in biomedical R&D: metallic, liposomes, polymers, proteins, micelles, DNA and RNA nanostructures, carbon nanotubes, etc.
NCI Community Oncology Research Program NCORP  
The NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) is a national network of investigators, cancer care providers, academic institutions, and other organizations. NCORP conducts multi-site cancer clinical trials and studies in diverse populations in community-based healthcare systems across the United States and Puerto Rico.

NCORP's community-based approach builds on the scope and activities of NCI's previously supported community networks: the NCI Community Clinical Oncology Program (Community Clinical Oncology Programs, Minority-Based Clinical Oncology Programs, Research Bases), administered by the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention; and the NCI Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP), administered by the NCI Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences.

National Cancer Policy Board NCPB  
From 1997 to 2005, the National Cancer Policy Board (NCPB) addressed broad policy issues that affect cancer in the United States and recommended ways to advance U.S. efforts against cancer. The Board brought together leaders from the cancer community to identify and conduct studies and other activities that contributed to cancer research, prevention, treatment, and public awareness. On May 1, 2005, the Institute of Medicine established the National Cancer Policy Forum to succeed the Board.
NCI Council of Research Advocates NCRA  
The NCI Council of Research Advocates (NCRA), previously known as the Director's Consumer Liaison Group (DCLG), is the only federal advisory committee comprised of advocate leaders at NCI. NCRA members are selected for their expert knowledge of issues of importance to the cancer research community. The NCRA focuses on matters that facilitate research and often identifies and responds to challenges facing the Institute at the request of NCI leadership.
National Center for Research Resources NCRR  
Dismantled in 2012, with programs transfered to NCATS, NIGMS, NIMHD, etc.
See Also: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences National Institute of General Medical Sciences National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
National Clinical Trials Network NCTN  
The cornerstone of NCI's transformed clinical trials program, the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) is a network of organizations and clinicians that conduct large phase II and phase III clinical trials across the United States and Canada that help to establish new standards of care, set the stage for FDA approval of new therapies, test new approaches to radiation therapy and surgery, and validate new biomarkers. NCTN provides an infrastructure for NCI-funded treatment, screening, and diagnosis trials at over 3,000 clinical trials sites.
New Drug Application NDA  
Application, new drug application, or NDA is the application described under §314.50, including all amendments and supplements to the application. An NDA refers to "stand-alone" applications submitted under section 505(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and to 505(b)(2) applications

Quoted from 21 CFR §314.3.

NIH Enterprise Directory NED  
The NIH Enterprise Directory (NED) is a meta-directory that enables NIH staff to easily find information about the people who work at NIH.
National Eye Institute NEI  
The National Eye Institute's mission is to "conduct and support research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to blinding eye diseases, visual disorders, mechanisms of visual function, preservation of sight, and the special health problems and requirements of the blind."
NCI Experimental Therapeutics Program NExT  
The mission of the NExT Program is to advance clinical practice and bring improved therapies to patients with cancer by supporting the most promising new drug discovery and development projects. The NExT Program is not a grant mechanism; applications with exceptional science cannot be accepted without a clear path to the clinic or potential benefit to patients. Awardees will not necessarily receive direct funding; rather, the NCI may allocate various contract and grant resources toward the implementation and development of submitted projects. The NCI will partner with successful applicants to facilitate the milestone-driven progression of new anticancer drugs (small molecules, biologics) and imaging agents towards clinical evaluation and registration.
NCI Frederick Advisory Committee NFAC  
Is now the Frederick National Laboratory Advisory Committee (FNLAC).
See: Frederick National Laboratory Advisory Committee
NCI Funded Research Portfolio NFRP  
The NCI Funded Research Portfolio (NFRP) web site contains information about research grants, contract awards, and intramural research projects funded by the National Cancer Institute. The NFRP provides access to various NCI budget reports that contain information about research funding according to specific research categories. It also provides the ability to search the database in various ways, including text searching of project abstracts and the ability to search the NIH research categories that are assigned to projects carried out by extramural and intramural groups.
National Human Genome Research Institute NHGRI  
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) supports the development of resources and technology that will accelerate genome research and its application to human health. A critical part of the NHGRI mission continues to be the study of the ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of genome research. NHGRI also supports the training of investigators and the dissemination of genome information to the public and to health professionals.
National Health Interview Survey NHIS  
The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) has monitored the health of the nation since 1957. NHIS data on a broad range of health topics are collected through personal household interviews. For over 50 years, the U.S. Census Bureau has been the data collection agent for the National Health Interview Survey. Survey results have been instrumental in providing data to track health status, health care access, and progress toward achieving national health objectives.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute NHLBI  
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) provides global leadership for a research, training, and education program to promote the prevention and treatment of heart, lung, and blood diseases and enhance the health of all individuals so that they can live longer and more fulfilling lives.
National Institute on Aging NIA  
The National Institute on Aging's (NIA) mission is to:
  • Support and conduct genetic, biological, clinical, behavioral, social, and economic research on aging.
  • Foster the development of research and clinician scientists in aging.
  • Provide research resources.
  • Disseminate information about aging and advances in research to the public, health care professionals, and the scientific community, among a variety of audiences.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA  
The mission of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is to generate and disseminate fundamental knowledge about the effects of alcohol on health and well-being, and apply that knowledge to improve diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of alcohol-related problems, including alcohol use disorder, across the lifespan.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases NIAID  
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) conducts and supports basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases. For more than 60 years, NIAID research has led to new therapies, vaccines, diagnostic tests, and other technologies that have improved the health of millions of people in the United States and around the world.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases NIAMS  
The mission of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) is to support research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases; the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research; and the dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases.
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering NIBIB  
The mission of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) is to improve health by leading the development and accelerating the application of biomedical technologies. The Institute is committed to integrating the physical and engineering sciences with the life sciences to advance basic research and medical care.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development NICHD  
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) mission is to ensure that every person is born healthy and wanted, that women suffer no harmful effects from reproductive processes, and that all children have the chance to achieve their full potential for healthy and productive lives. The institute also aims to ensure the health, productivity, independence, and well-being of people through optimal rehabilitation.
National Institute on Drug Abuse NIDA  
The mission of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is to advance science on the causes and consequences of drug use and addiction and to apply that knowledge to improve individual and public health.

This involves:

  • Strategically supporting and conducting basic and clinical research on drug use (including nicotine), its consequences, and the underlying neurobiological, behavioral, and social mechanisms involved.
  • Ensuring the effective translation, implementation, and dissemination of scientific research findings to improve the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders and enhance public awareness of addiction as a brain disorder.
National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders NIDCD  
Established in 1988, the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) is mandated to conduct and support biomedical and behavioral research and research training in the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language. The institute also conducts and supports research and research training related to disease prevention and health promotion; addresses special biomedical and behavioral problems associated with people who have communication impairments or disorders; and supports efforts to create devices which substitute for lost and impaired sensory and communication function.
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research NIDCR  
The mission of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is to improve dental, oral, and craniofacial health through research, research training, and the dissemination of health information.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases NIDDK  
The mission of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is to conduct and support medical research and research training and to disseminate science-based information on diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases, nutritional disorders, and obesity; and kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases, to improve people's health and quality of life.​
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences NIEHS  
The mission of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is to discover how the environment affects people in order to promote healthier lives.
National Institute of General Medical Sciences NIGMS  
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) supports basic research that increases understanding of biological processes and lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention. NIGMS-funded scientists investigate how living systems work at a range of levels, from molecules and cells to tissues, whole organisms and populations. The Institute also supports research in certain clinical areas, primarily those that affect multiple organ systems. To assure the vitality and continued productivity of the research enterprise, NIGMS provides leadership in training the next generation of scientists, in enhancing the diversity of the scientific workforce, and in developing research capacities throughout the country.
National Institutes of Health NIH  
A Federal agency, whose mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is part of the Public Health System (PHS), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Comprised of 27 separate components, mainly Institutes and Centers, NIH has in excess of 75 buildings on more than 300 acres in Bethesda, Maryland.
NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts NIH Guide  
The NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (NIH Guide) is the official publication for NIH biomedical and behavioral research grant policies, guidelines and funding opportunities.

We publish daily, and issue a table of contents weekly.

For additional information, visit the NIH OER About the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts webpage.

National Institutes of Health, Office of the Director NIH/OD  
See: Office of the Director, NIH
Grants Policy Statement, NIH NIHGPS  
The NIH Grants Policy Statement (NIHGPS) makes available, in a single document, the policy requirements that serve as the terms and conditions of NIH grant awards.
NIH Manuscript Submission System NIHMS  
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) developed the NIH Manuscript Submission (NIHMS) system to facilitate the submission of peer-reviewed manuscripts for inclusion in PubMed Central (PMC) in support of the NIH Public Access Policy. Since its inception in 2005, NIHMS has expanded to support the public access policies of other organizations and government agencies (for more details, see the Funders List). The NIHMS system allows users, such as authors, principal investigators, and publishers to supply material for conversion to XML documents in a format that can be ingested by PMC. Depositing a manuscript in NIHMS for inclusion in PMC is a multi-step process, requiring an author to approve the deposited files and associated funding before conversion and the PMC-ready version after conversion.
NIH Manuscript Submission Identifier NIHMS ID  
The NIHMSID is a preliminary article identifier that applies only to manuscripts deposited through the NIH Manuscript Submission System (NIHMS).
National Institute of Mental Health NIMH  
The mission of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure.
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities NIMHD  

The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities' (NIMHD's) mission is to lead scientific research to improve minority health and reduce health disparities.

To accomplish this, NIMHD

  • Plans, coordinates, reviews, and evaluates NIH minority health and health disparities research and activities;
  • Conducts and supports research in minority health and health disparities;
  • Promotes and supports the training of a diverse research workforce;
  • Translates and disseminates research information; and
  • Fosters innovative collaborations and partnerships.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke NINDS  
The mission of the National Institute of Neurological disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease.
National Institute for Nursing Research NINR  
The mission of the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) is to promote and improve the health of individuals, families, and communities. To achieve this mission, NINR supports and conducts clinical and basic research and research training on health and illness, research that spans and integrates the behavioral and biological sciences, and that develops the scientific basis for clinical practice.
National Library of Medicine NLM  
The National Library of Medicine (NLM), on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, has been a center of information innovation since its founding in 1836. The world's largest biomedical library, NLM maintains and makes available a vast print collection and produces electronic information resources on a wide range of topics that are searched billions of times each year by millions of people around the globe. It also supports and conducts research, development, and training in biomedical informatics and health information technology. In addition, the Library coordinates a 6,000-member National Network of Libraries of Medicine that promotes and provides access to health information in communities across the United States.
Notice of Award NoA  
The official, legally binding document, signed (or the electronic equivalent of signature) by a Grants Management Officer that:

  1. notifies the recipient of the award of a grant;
  2. contains or references all the terms and conditions of the grant and Federal funding limits and obligations; and,
  3. provides the documentary basis for recording the obligation of Federal funds in the NIH accounting system.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Notice NOT  
See: NIH Guide Notice
NIH Guide Notice NOT  
A Notice (Guide Notice) is an official NIH announcement relating to a change in policy, procedure, form, or system. Notices are posted on the NIH website and users can be notified via a variety of NIH listservs. You can search for notices and funding opportunities at the NIH Guide.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

See Also: NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Not Present NP  
NotPresent (NP) is noted on the vote sheet for a study section or special emphasis panel review group when a reviewer is not present for the review of a grant application; please note that this term is not used if the reviewer is absent because of a conflict-of-interest (in such cases, "CF" is noted instead).

See also the NIH OER Reviewer Orientation.

National Quality Forum NQF  
The National Quality Forum (NQF) is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan, membership-based organization that works to catalyze improvements in healthcare. NQF measures and standards serve as a critically important foundation for initiatives to enhance healthcare value, make patient care safer, and achieve better outcomes.
Not Recommended for Further Consideration NRFC  
An application may be designated Not Recommended for Further Consideration (NRFC) by the Scientific Review Group if it lacks significant and substantial merit; presents serious ethical problems in the protection of human subjects from research risks; or presents serious ethical problems in the use of vertebrate animals, biohazards, and/or select agents. Applications designated as NRFC do not proceed to the second level of peer review (National Advisory Council/Board) because they cannot be funded.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

National Research Service Award NRSA  
See: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA)
No Score NS  
See: Unscored
See Also: Not Discussed Not Recommended for Further Consideration
National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project NSABP  
The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) is a clinical trials cooperative group supported since its inception by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). We have a more than 50-year history of designing and conducting clinical trials that have changed the way breast cancer is treated, and, more recently, prevented. It was the NSABP's breast cancer studies that led to the establishment of lumpectomy plus radiation over radical mastectomy as the standard surgical treatment for breast cancer. We were also the first to demonstrate that adjuvant therapy could alter the natural history of breast cancer, increasing survival rates, and the first to demonstrate on a large scale the preventive effects of the drug tamoxifen in breast cancer.
Nanodelivery Systems and Devices Branch NSDB  
The Nanodelivery Systems and Devices Branch (NSDB) of the Cancer Imaging Program (CIP) is within NCI's Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD). NSDB develops and implements programs with and for the extramural research community related to the use of nanotechnology in medicine and cancer.

The NSDB leadership is staffed by a team of individuals whose collective backgrounds and expertise cover the broad multidisciplinary nature of cancer nanotechnology.

The mission of the Nanodelivery Systems and Devices Branch is to strategically develop, fund, and administer initiatives aimed at solving modern oncology problems with nanotechnology solutions.

The overarching goal of these initiatives is to discover and develop innovative nanotechnologies for application(s), ranging from discovery through to clinical translation phases, for the delivery of innovative clinically relevant technologies aimed at cancer prevention, diagnosis, control, and treatment.

See Also: NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer
National Science Foundation NSF  
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..."
No Study Section NSS  
Not reviewed in a continuing Scientific Review Group in the Center for Scientific Review or a NIH Institute/Center.
See Also: Special Emphasis Panel
Network for Translational Research: Optical Imaging NTROI  
The purpose of the network was the development, optimization, and validation of imaging methods and protocols for rapid translation to clinical environments. Optimization and validation were to be accomplished through consensus processes.

For additional information visit The Network for Translational Research (NTR): Optical Imaging in Multimodal Platforms webpage.