NIH allows a grant to be revised and resubmitted twice. First-time applicants may have less preliminary data and fewer publications than more seasoned investigators would. Reviewers and NIH staff understand this. More emphasis is placed on the applicant's demonstration that he or she is truly independent of any former mentors, has some of his or her own resources and institutional support, and is able to independently lead a laboratory. Other important points are a demonstrated clear understanding of the literature, understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of proposed techniques, clear and precise language, ability to present and discuss significance of data, a clear experimental plan, etc.
New applicants make two common mistakes.
One is including too little detail about proposed studies and insufficient justification for the significance of the problem. Another is proposing far more work than can be reasonably done during the grant period. Be realistic about the time things take. There are 3 submission deadlines each year, and revised applications are due 1 month later than new applications. Therefore, the earliest a revised grant can be submitted is 9 months after the original submission.