NIH Grant Application Extension and Additional Agency Updates
Dear Colleagues,
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released additional guidance on the reopening of agency activities. The announcement outlines updated due dates for proposals, post-submission materials, and other important information. A summary of the important information can be found below.
Rescheduling October Application Due Dates
All grant applications submitted late for due dates between Oct. 1 and Dec. 5 will be accepted through 5 p.m. local time Dec. 8. There is no additional two-week late window.
Post-Submission Materials
For applications for January 2026 Council, NIH will accept post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-19-083, up to one week before the scheduled peer review meeting.
For all applications for May 2026 Council, NIH will accept a one-page update with preliminary data as post-submission materials for applications submitted under all activity codes, ONLY if the Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) used for submission allowed preliminary data in the application. One page of preliminary data will be accepted for single-component applications or for each component of a multi-component application. The deadline for submitting all post-submission materials, including preliminary data, will be 30 days before the study section meeting. All other materials listed in NOT-OD-19-083 as acceptable post-submission materials will continue to be accepted if submitted 30 days before the study section meeting. Instructions for submission are included in NOT-OD-19-083.
Research Performance Progress Report Submitted to NIH During the Shutdown
Recipients who submitted their Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR) that were due between Oct. 1 and Nov. 13 should not have to resubmit their reports, unless the institution receives a request from the funding institute, center, or office (ICO). If you had submission challenges during the federal government shutdown, contact staff at the appropriate ICO.
Loan Repayment Program
The Extramural Loan Repayment Program (LRP) Application Submission Deadline is now Dec. 4. Refer to NOT-OD-26-010 for more details.
Early Stage Investigator Eligibility
NIH will automatically adjust the Early Stage Investigator (ESI) status for applicants whose status has changed during the period of delay caused by the shutdown.
K99/R00 Eligibility
Information updating timelines for the K99/R00 NIH Pathway to Independence Award program will be issued separately.
Rescheduling Peer Review Meetings
The shutdown required that NIH cancel over 370 peer review meetings, impacting the review of over 24,000 applications. The volume of missed meetings complicates NIH efforts to catch up. In order for these applications to be considered in the January Council as originally planned, the following modifications in peer review practices will be made:
- The percent of applications discussed in most meetings will be reduced to 30-35 percent, instead of the current ~50 percent.
- Applications voted by the committee to be in the middle third will be designated as “competitive but not discussed,” and applications in the lowest third will be designated as “not competitive and not discussed.” Applications in the middle third will be considered for funding, along with the discussed applications.
- Summary statements will be simplified. Narrative paragraphs summarizing committee discussion will not be used. Instead, summaries will have a sentence describing the degree of consensus in the committee vote, plus bullets listing the main score driving points. Summaries for all applications will contain the written critiques from the three assigned reviewers, as is currently the case. Summaries for applications that are discussed will have the overall impact score.
The delay in reviewing applications submitted for the January Council creates a situation where peer review-related work for the January Council will overlap with that of the May 2026 Council. For that reason, the modifications in review practices outlined above will be in place through the May 2026 Advisory Council.
Please direct any questions regarding this notice to Jill Frankenfield,associate vice president of UMB’s Sponsored Programs Administration.
Sincerely,
Patrick O’Shea, PhD, MS
Vice President for Research