In an era where information overload can slow down even the most efficient teams, NIH is stepping into the future with CHIRP, Chatbot for the NIH Community. CHIRP is a secure, NIH-hosted chatbot designed to help researchers, administrators, and staff streamline their work, find answers faster, and collaborate more effectively.
Whether you’re summarizing a dense research document, brainstorming ideas, or navigating NIH systems, CHIRP is your AI powered partner—always ready to assist, 24/7.
What Is CHIRP?
CHIRP is more than just a chatbot. It’s a secure, NIH-integrated tool that leverages large language models (LLMs) to provide natural language responses to your questions and tasks. From answering simple factual queries to analyzing uploaded documents, CHIRP is designed to support a wide range of use cases—all within the NIH ecosystem.
How to Access CHIRP
Getting started with CHIRP is easy. Connect to the NIH network (on campus or via VPN) and login to https://chirp.od.nih.gov/. On your first login, select your NIH role, review the terms of use, and click “I Agree, Proceed.”
Once logged in, you’ll find a user-friendly chat interface where you can type questions, upload documents, and explore advanced features like temperature control (which adjusts how creative or factual the responses are).
What Can CHIRP Do?
CHIRP is designed to be intuitive and flexible. Here are just a few things it can help with:
- Answering Questions: From “What’s the capital of France?” to “Explain the NIH grant process,” CHIRP can handle it.
- Document Analysis: Accepted file types include PDF, XML, JSON, Word, Text, JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, and Markdown.
- Prompt Engineering: Learn how to craft better questions to get more accurate and useful responses.
- Session Memory: CHIRP remembers context within a single conversation, making it easier to build on previous questions
Advantages of CHIRP
Through HHS, NIH offers access to web-based AI assistants such as ChatGPT for Government. While these tools are powerful and, in some cases, offer features not yet available with CHIRP, CHIRP offers a few advantages:
- Built specifically for NIH, CHIRP is secure and allows use of sensitive data types not permitted with other chatbots.
- Supports multiple AI models (e.g., OpenAI, Claude) for experimentation within the same conversation.
- Provides image generation capability through Dall-E.
- Users can manually adjust the “temperature” setting to choose between more consistent or more creative responses.
- Free ChatGPT access ends in August 2026, making CHIRP a cost-effective generative AI option after that date.
Explore the CHIRP SharePoint Site
To support users across NIH, the CHIRP team has launched a dedicated SharePoint site that serves as the central hub for all things CHIRP.
Here, you’ll find:
- The full CHIRP User Guide
- Training and support materials
- Frequently Asked Questions
- A link to submit questions directly to the CHIRP team
This site is continuously updated with new resources, announcements, and feedback opportunities. It’s your go-to destination for staying informed and getting the most out of CHIRP.
Why It Matters
CHIRP is part of a broader NIH initiative to embrace a “try first” culture—encouraging innovation, experimentation, and digital transformation. CHIRP isn’t just a tool—it’s a step toward a smarter, more connected NIH. Try it today and see how it can transform the way you work.
Author:
Data Analytics & Business Intelligence Branch (DABIB) Team
Office of Strategy
Office of the Director, Executive Office
National Institutes of Health
Point of Contact:
Steevenson Nelson, Ph.D.
Data Analytics & Business Intelligence Branch (DABIB)
Office of Strategy
Office of the Director, Executive Office
National Institutes of Health
Steevenson.Nelson@nih.gov