Program officials (POs) at the NIH Institutes & Centers (ICs) serve as programmatic and scientific contacts.
POs can provide feedback on the fit of your proposed work/idea with the mission and scientific priorities of their IC; provide feedback on the fit of your proposed work/idea with a specific FOA; and provide general tips/strategies on writing a strong application. When reaching out to a program official use email as the method of contact, begin with plenty of time, and be specific (include grant number or other details, explain why you are reaching out, and provide enough information and context for a meaningful discussion). The full content of NIH’s blog post is available here.