How to Use the NIH RePORTER (Research Funding) MCP in CrewAI

Q: How do I restrict which tools from the NIH RePORTER (Research Funding) MCP server my CrewAI agent can use?

For more control, use the MCPServerHTTP class from crewai.mcp. It has a toolfilter parameter that lets you explicitly provide a list of tool names, like 'searchprojects', that the agent is allowed to access from that server.

Deploy a CrewAI team to autonomously analyze NIH funding landscapes. Assign agents to find grants, review papers, and identify research trends.

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Connect NIH RePORTER (Research Funding) MCP to CrewAI

Create your Vinkius account to connect NIH RePORTER (Research Funding) to CrewAI and route execution through our secure gateway. The platform manages server hosting, runtime updates, and security layers. Configuration requires no manual server provisioning.

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Setup NIH RePORTER (Research Funding) with CrewAI

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Assemble a Research Analyst Crew

The `search_projects` tool is perfect for a dedicated "Grant Scout" agent in your CrewAI team. Its only job is to find grants related to a topic, like 'synthetic biology', and pass the list of project IDs to the next agent in the crew. That next agent, a "Publication Analyst," is equipped with the `search_publications` tool. It takes the project IDs from the scout and pulls all associated papers for each one. This way, your crew builds a complete picture of a research area, from funding to output.

Autonomous Competitive Analysis

Define a crew to track what other institutions are working on. An agent using `search_projects` can monitor for new grants awarded to specific organizations or PIs. It's a simple, focused task that it can do continuously. Its findings are then passed to an "Analysis Agent" that looks for trends in the funding data. This second agent might use `search_publications` to see what work is resulting from that funding. The whole process can run on its own, delivering weekly briefs without any human input.

Role-Based Tool Access for Your Crew

Your "Grant Scout" agent only needs `search_projects`. It has no business looking up publications. CrewAI lets you configure your agents so they only have access to the tools they absolutely need for their role. This MCP Server provides two distinct tools, making it easy to enforce this separation of duties. The `search_publications` tool can be exclusively assigned to your "Literature Analyst." This keeps your autonomous crew organized and efficient.

Setup guide

Set up NIH RePORTER (Research Funding) MCP in CrewAI

Prerequisites

Python 3.10+ installed
crewai package (pip install crewai)
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Install CrewAI
Run pip install crewai to install the framework. MCP support is built-in via the mcps parameter.
2

Add the MCP URL to your agent
Pass your Vinkius endpoint directly to the mcps list. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your token from cloud.vinkius.com. CrewAI handles tool discovery and caching automatically.
3

Kick off your crew
Create a Crew with your agent and tasks. Call crew.kickoff() — the agent will automatically invoke NIH RePORTER (Research Funding) tools as needed.

crew.py

from crewai import Agent, Task, Crew

agent = Agent(
    role="NIH RePORTER (Research Funding) Analyst",
    goal="Access and analyze NIH RePORTER (Research Funding) data via MCP.",
    backstory="Expert analyst with direct NIH RePORTER (Research Funding) access.",
    mcps=[
        "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    ],
)

task = Task(
    description="List recent NIH RePORTER (Research Funding) transactions",
    agent=agent,
    expected_output="A summary of recent activity",
)

crew = Crew(agents=[agent], tasks=[task])
result = crew.kickoff()
print(result)

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Prerequisites

Python 3.10+ installed
crewai + crewai-tools packages
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Install dependencies
Run pip install crewai crewai-tools. The MCPServerAdapter handles lifecycle management and tool conversion.
2

Connect with MCPServerAdapter
Use MCPServerAdapter as a context manager with SseServerParameters pointing to your Vinkius endpoint. The adapter automatically manages connection lifecycle.
3

Assign tools and run
Pass the returned mcp_tools to your agent's tools parameter. The adapter converts MCP tools to native BaseTool objects compatible with all CrewAI agents.

crew.py

from crewai import Agent, Task, Crew
from crewai_tools import MCPServerAdapter
from mcp import SseServerParameters

server_params = SseServerParameters(
    url="https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
)

with MCPServerAdapter(server_params) as mcp_tools:
    agent = Agent(
        role="NIH RePORTER (Research Funding) Analyst",
        goal="Access and analyze NIH RePORTER (Research Funding) data via MCP.",
        backstory="Expert analyst with direct NIH RePORTER (Research Funding) access.",
        tools=mcp_tools,
    )

    task = Task(
        description="List recent NIH RePORTER (Research Funding) transactions",
        agent=agent,
        expected_output="A summary of recent activity",
    )

    crew = Crew(agents=[agent], tasks=[task])
    result = crew.kickoff()
    print(result)

Get your connection token →

Independent Platform Disclaimer: Vinkius is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, verified by, or otherwise authorized by NIH RePORTER. All third-party trademarks, logos, and brand names are the property of their respective owners. Their use on this website is strictly for informational purposes to identify service compatibility and interoperability.

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Common questions about NIH RePORTER (Research Funding) MCP in CrewAI

The easiest way is to pass the Vinkius MCP server URL directly into the `mcps` list when defining your Agent in CrewAI. The agent will automatically discover and gain the ability to use both the `search_projects` and `search_publications` tools.

Yes, that is a core pattern for CrewAI. You create a "Researcher" agent with a task to use `search_projects`, and a separate "Analyst" agent with a task to use `search_publications` on the output of the first agent.

For more control, use the `MCPServerHTTP` class from `crewai.mcp`. It has a `tool_filter` parameter that lets you explicitly provide a list of tool names, like `['search_projects']`, that the agent is allowed to access from that server.

CrewAI handles this through its task and context system. The output from a task using the `search_projects` tool, like a list of project IDs, automatically becomes available in the context for the next agent's task.

The NIH data is public. The security focus is on your autonomous process itself. Vinkius processes each tool call from your CrewAI agents in a separate, sandboxed isolate, meaning your crew's queries for project and publication data are handled in a stateless, secure manner.

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