Each year the granting process for the James & Esther King Biomedical Research Program begins with guidance from the Biomedical Research Advisory Council in preparing and issuing a Call for Grant Applications. Eligible institutions and other interested parties are notified in advance of upcoming opportunities, and applicants are allowed several weeks in which to prepare and submit applications for grant funding. When the application process has ended based on published program deadlines, a two-tier evaluation process is used to evaluate proposals for administrative compliance and scientific merit. Experienced scientists with specific expertise in the application topics are recruited from outside the state of Florida to provide peer review of the applications-a process that examines both technical merit and compliance with the overall program objectives. Funding recommendations are made by the Advisory Council to the Secretary of the Department of Health and, depending on available funds, awardees are announced.