U.S. flag
        An official website of the United States government
          Here’s how you know

      Official websites use .gov
                A
                .gov
                website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
          Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
                A lock
                  (
                  
                  )
                   or
                  https://
                   means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.Search
                Menu
    
                      Información en Español
                      Search NINDSSearch NINDS
            

            Main navigation
  

        
              Health Information
                                     Toggle Health Information Dropdown
                                Disorders
                Clinical Trials
                Patient & Caregiver Education
                Public Education
                Support Resources
                Funding
                                     Toggle Funding Dropdown
                                Find Funding Opportunities
                About Funding
                Preparing Your Application
                After You Submit
                Determining Your Funding Likelihood
                Manage Your Award
                NINDS Small Business Program
                Training & Career Development
                Current Research
                                     Toggle Current Research Dropdown
                                Coronavirus and NINDS
                Focus on Disorders
                Focus on Tools & Topics
                Research Funded by NINDS
                Research at NINDS
                Scientific Resources
                Trans-Agency Activities
                News & Events
                                     Toggle News & Events Dropdown
                                Events
                News
                Director's Messages
                About NINDS
                                     Toggle About NINDS Dropdown
                                Who We Are
                What We Do
                Job Opportunities 
 Home
                                Funding
                        Determining Your Funding Likelihood
SHARE: Understanding Paylines
Paylines and Percentile Scores: Understanding the Difference

In order to understand how NINDS makes funding decisions, it is first important to understand the concept of paylines and percentile scores.

Percentile Scores

Let’s start with percentile scores. Percentiles indicate relative rank. For unsolicited applications reviewed by the Center for Scientific Review (CSR), NIH converts an overall priority score into a percentile. A percentile ranks an application relative to the other applications reviewed by a study section at its last three meetings. Percentiles range from 1 to 99 in whole numbers. In contrast to usual mathematical practice, a lower number indicates a better score.

NIH uses percentiles to counter a phenomenon called "score creep" where study sections give applications increasingly better scores. As a result, scores cluster in the exceptional range, making it impossible to discriminate among applications. Each study section can apply the NIH review criteria differently, scoring either more harshly or more favorably. Percentiling counters these trends by ranking applications relative to others scored by the same study section. Altogether, percentiling makes review fairer to applicants. Our colleagues at NIAID go into further detail, describing how percentiles are calculated using sample data.

Payline

Next, we’ll cover how a percentile score is related to the Institute’s payline. Each Fiscal Year (FY), the Institute identifies a percentile score that serves as “payline”, or funding cutoff, beyond which most applications will not be funded. NINDS sets paylines for R01, R03, R15, and R21 applications by balancing the amount of funds available to spend on new grant awards with an estimated number of applications we anticipate will score well based on historic trends. More details about how the Institute establishes its payline can be found below.

Recognizing the diversity of the grant portfolio, NINDS views paylines as the fairest way to make most funding decisions. A numerical value lets the Institute cut across disciplines and fund the best science as determined by peer review. It is important to remember that paylines vary among NIH institutes, so a percentile or overall priority score that is not fundable in one institute may be fundable in another.

Image
              Histogram illustrating the number of applications funded on the Y-axis and the percentile of those applications on the X-axis. Colors are used to indicate funded, unfunded, and bridged awards.
Funding outcomes for R01 applications in Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21). In FY21, the payline was set at the 14th percentile. You can explore this data in more detail with interactive graphs and the most recent outcomes on our Funding Outcomes pages.

How NINDS sets paylines

We’ve talked about what a payline is and how it’s used at NINDS.  But the process of determining what the payline will be in a given year is quite complex.  Below we describe some of the considerations that NINDS (and most NIH ICs) must account for when setting paylines.  As we’ve discussed elsewhere, the Federal appropriations process is a complex one, and often NIH doesn’t receive a final budget until mid-way through the fiscal year. Using all the information and historic data we have at our disposal, NINDS sets a conservative payline at the beginning of the fiscal year, with the hope of being able to raise it after a budget is finalized. However, even knowing how much money is available to spend in a given year isn’t quite as simple as it seems. Beyond that, many other factors go into setting the payline, including:

Money tied up in “outyear commitments”. Most NIH grant awards are made for more than 1 year; however, when NIH awards a grant, it pays out one year at a time.  If you receive a 5-year R01, you typically receive 1 year of funding in the first year and additional installments in each of the remaining 4 years. NIH “commits” to paying the additional four years of money; however these funds come out of each subsequent appropriation.
	Funds for new and established programs. At any point in time, the Institute commits money to support programs that capitalize on scientific opportunities, build capacity in needed areas of the scientific workforce, and/or catalyze understudied research areas.  Based on the published “set aside”, funds are held in reserve to support meritorious applications submitted in response to these Notices of Funding Opportunities. It is important to remember that the large Congressionally-supported programs (BRAIN, the AD/ADRD program, HEAL, and the SBIRprogram) receive funds specifically to support them, and thus do not have any bearing on the NINDS payline.
	Trends in grant applications. It is difficult to predict how many applications NINDS will receive and how much they will cost at any given payline point, but this is one of the main factors the Institute grapples with each year.  This has become increasingly complex, as we have reached an inflection point in the number and size (in dollars) of applications we receive. Grant applications are at historic highs, while the number of PIs that NIH supports is stable, relatively speaking (see Research Project Grant Investigators: Number of Competing Investigators and Funding Rates chart). Moreover, increasing grant budgets make this calculus even more challenging. Funding
  
    

    Find Funding Opportunities
                                                              
                    
                                      Approved Initiative Concepts
    
            Research Opportunity AnnouncementsAbout Funding
                                                              
                    
                                      NINDS Research Priorities
    
            Types of Research Support
                                                              
                    
                                      Research Project Grants
                                                              
                    
                                      Research With Activities Related to Diversity (ReWARD) (R01)
    
            Diversity R01 for New and "At-Risk" InvestigatorsResource Limited Institutions
    
            Achievement Awards
                                                              
                    
                                      NINDS Research Program Award (R35)
                                                              
                    
                                      NINDS R35 No Cost Extension Policy
    
            NINDS Research Program Award Frequently Asked Questions
    
            Research Program Award (R35) RecipientsJavits Neuroscience Investigator Award (R37)
                                                              
                    
                                      Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award (R37) RecipientsLandis Award for Outstanding Mentorship
                                                              
                    
                                      NINDS Landis Mentor Award Nomination Form
    
            Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship RecipientsNINDS K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award Recipients
    
            K12 Neurosurgeon Research Career Development Program (NRCDP) Awardees
        
  
              
    
            Team or Multi-Component
                                                              
                    
                                      Collaborative Opportunities for Multidisciplinary, Bold, and Innovative Neuroscience (COMBINE) (RM1)
                                                              
                    
                                      FAQS - NINDS Combine RM1
    
            PEDP - NINDS Interdisciplinary Team Science Grant (RM1 Clinical Trial Optional)Cooperative Agreements
    
            Conference and Supporting Resources
                                                              
                    
                                      R13/U13 GuidelinesAdministrative Supplements
    
            Contracts
                                                              
                    
                                      Contract Solicitations
    
            Contract ResourcesFind Your NINDS Program Officer
                                                              
                    
                                      Find Your Program Officer-Decision TreePreparing Your Application
                                                              
                    
                                      The Application Process
                                                              
                    
                                      Pre-Submission Approval Large Budgets
    
            Pre-Submission Approval R13/U13
    
            Late ApplicationsDetermining Eligiblity
                                                              
                    
                                      Foreign Eligibility
    
            New and Early Stage InvestigatorsAssembling a Team
    
            Preparing a Budget
                                                              
                    
                                      Salary Cap, Stipends, & Training Funds
    
            Creating a Budget
    
            Subaward BudgetsPreparing a Research Plan
                                                              
                    
                                      Rigorous Study Design and Transparent Reporting
    
            Writing For Reviewers
    
            Writing Specific Aims
    
            Writing a Research StrategyAdditional Application Forms
    
            Human Subject Clinical Trials
    
            Vertebrate Animals
    
            Data Management and Sharing Plan
                                                              
                    
                                      NINDS Interpretation of the NIH GDS PolicySubmission Troubleshooting and Technology
        
  
              
    
            After You Submit
                                                              
                    
                                      Tracking Your Application
    
            Understanding the Review Process
                                                              
                    
                                      First-Level Peer Review
    
            Scoring and Summary Statements
    
            Second-Level Peer ReviewDetermining Your Funding Likelihood
                                                              
                    
                                      Post Review: Next Steps
    
            Understanding Paylines
    
            NINDS Paylines
    
            Funding Beyond Payline (Select Pay)
    
            Funding Outcomes Data
                                                              
                    
                                      FY22 Total Extramural Research ExpendituresManage Your Award
                                                              
                    
                                      Pre-Award
                                                              
                    
                                      Just-In-Time Process
    
            Rules and Policies for Funding Consideration
    
            Negotiate Your Award
    
            Applications with Foreign Components
    
            Notice of AwardDuring Award
                                                              
                    
                                      Change in Scope or Data Sharing
    
            Change in PI or Senior/Key Personnel
    
            Change of Institution
    
            Carryover
    
            Reporting Requirements
    
            Supplements
    
            Phased and Transition Awards
    
            No-Cost ExtensionEnd of Award
        
  
              
    
            NINDS Small Business Program
                                                              
                    
                                      Small Business Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
    
            Types of NINDS Small Business Grants
    
            Areas of Interest
    
            Submitting a Small Business Application
    
            NINDS SBIR/STTR Funding Decision Process
    
            Company Showcase
    
            Awardee ResourcesTraining & Career Development
                                                              
                    
                                      Choose an Award by Career Stage & Eligibility
                                                              
                    
                                      High School, Undergraduate, & Post-Baccalaureate
    
            Predoctoral Fellows
    
            Postdoctoral Fellows
    
            Clinician Scientist
    
            Faculty
    
            Diversity AwardsChoose an Award by Program Type
                                                              
                    
                                      Individual Fellowships
    
            Career Development Awards
    
            Institutional Grants
    
            Other Training-Related Programs

Did you find the content you were looking for?
  Yes, I did find the content I was looking for



No, I did not find the content I was looking forPlease rate how easy it was to navigate the NINDS website
  Very easy to navigate



Easy to navigate



Neutral



Difficult to navigate



Very difficult to navigateThank you for letting us know! Any other feedback?Submit

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policyand Terms of Serviceapply.

      Last reviewed on June 12, 2023
        Contact Us
  

        
              Contact NINDS
                Visitor Information
        Related Sites
  

        
              Site Map
                National Institutes of Health
                Department of Health & Human Services
                USA.gov
        Policies
  

        
              Accessibility
                Freedom of Information Act
                Linking Policy
                Privacy Statement
                Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
Follow NINDS On Social Media
          
          National Institutes of Health (NIH)
          9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892