01466nas a2200157   4500000000100000008004100001260001500042100001600057700001600073700001900089245005000108856005300158300001600211490000800227520107300235       2024                            d  c2024-04-011 aHoumam Araj1 aLeroy Worth1 aDavid T. Yeung00aElements of successful NIH grant applications  uhttps://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2315735121  ae23157351210 v1213 aIs there a formula for a competitive NIH grant application? The Serenity Prayer may provide one: "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the ability to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." But how to tell the difference? In this Perspective, we provide an inclusive roadmap—elements of NIH funding. Collectively, we have over 30 y of peer review experience as NIH Scientific Review Officers in addition to over 30 y of program experience as NIH Program Officers. This article distills our NIH experience. We use Euclid’s 13-book landmark, The Elements, as our template to humbly share what we learned. We have three specific aims: inform, guide, and motivate prospective applicants. We also address ways that support diversity and inclusion among applicants and young investigators in biomedical research. The elements we describe come from a wide range of sources. Some themes will be general. Some will be specific. All will be candid. The ultimate goal is a competitive application, serenity, and hopefully both.