• DATA
  • ANALYSIS
  • METADATA
  • HUMAN

How to audit investigator funding history with your AI

Connect the NIH RePORTER MCP to your agent to pull real-time research award data. Once connected, you can query specific investigators or institutions for their full funding records.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How do I check an investigator's NIH funding history?

Your AI uses the search_projects tool to pull award data, project descriptions, and metadata from the NIH RePORTER database. You'll get a structured breakdown of past grants, active projects, and funding amounts for any specific person or organization.

Where every query lands.

The outcomes of your audit

The AI processes your request and organizes the NIH data into these specific views.

DATA

Complete award lists

The AI pulls every recorded grant for the target investigator. You get a clean list of project titles, amounts, and dates.

ANALYSIS

Funding trends

Your agent identifies patterns in how much an institution receives over time. This helps you spot shifts in research focus.

METADATA

Project specifics

Beyond just dollar amounts, the AI extracts project descriptions and key personnel. This builds a profile of their research niche.

HUMAN

Manual verification

The AI cannot verify if a grant is currently active or if the funding has been fully disbursed. You'll need to check the official NIH status for final confirmation.

The workflow

What your AI does when you ask for funding data.

The AI acts as a bridge between your chat interface and the NIH database.

  1. Identify the target

    Your agent interprets your request to find the right investigator name or institution ID.

    search_projects

  2. Query the database

    The AI calls the NIH RePORTER tool to pull all matching project records.

    search_projects

  3. Filter and clean

    The agent strips out irrelevant metadata and focuses on the specific funding metrics you asked for.

    search_projects

  4. Summarize findings

    The AI presents the raw data as a readable report or a structured list in your chat window.

    search_projects

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to begin your audit.

Starting points

Replace the names in brackets with the actual investigator or institution you want to research.

NIH RePORTER Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_f6J1qOexlNvaFGvWdWPyeqbN6cyCtZp8yhvum3N8/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — NIH RePORTER capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nih-reporter-research-funding-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_f6J1qOexlNvaFGvWdWPyeqbN6cyCtZp8yhvum3N8/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Show me the complete NIH award history for [Investigator Name].

  • List all active projects funded by the NIH for [Institution Name].

  • What is the total amount of NIH funding awarded to [Investigator Name] over the last five years?

  • Find all NIH projects related to [Research Topic] led by [Investigator Name].

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect NIH RePORTER once, then ask.

One click connects the MCP to your client. Your credentials stay encrypted, and you can start querying immediately.

Connect NIH RePORTER to your AI

FAQ

How this task behaves

  • 01

    Can the AI update NIH grant records?

    No. The AI can only read data from the NIH RePORTER database. It cannot modify or add any information to official NIH records.

  • 02

    Does the AI provide real-time funding updates?

    The AI pulls the most recent data available through the NIH RePORTER tool, but it doesn't have a live stream of incoming awards as they happen.

  • 03

    Can I export this data to a spreadsheet?

    The AI can format the data as a CSV-style list or a table in your chat, which you can then copy and paste into your own tools.

  • 04

    Can the AI contact the principal investigator?

    No. This MCP is for data retrieval only. It has no capability to send emails or messages to researchers.

  • 05

    What if the investigator has a common name?

    You should provide the investigator's institution or their specific researcher ID to ensure the AI pulls the correct history.

  • More questions about NIH RePORTER? See everything the NIH RePORTER Connector can do

Connect NIH RePORTER to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more