Announcement: The National Institutes of Health(NIH) will be implementing multiple changes that will impact the preparation and peer review of most grant applications submitted to NIH for due dates on or after January 25, 2025. A recent guide notice was distributed that provides an overview of each of the changes to help contextualize them as details are released over the next few months. In addition, NIH has developed an informative video that provides an overview of the following changes:
Simplified Review Criteria for Most Research Project Grants
- This initiative was announced this past October and an informational webinar was held in November.
- NIH will be providing additional information on what this means for funding opportunities in an upcoming webinar on April 17, 2024.
Revisions to the Fellowship Application and Review Process
Over the next few weeks, NIH will be releasing details of the resulting fellowship application and review changes they are implementing.
The changes are intended to:
- Better focus reviewer attention on the fellowship candidate’s preparedness and potential, the research training plan, and the sponsor/sponsoring institutional commitment to the candidate.
- Ensure a broad range of candidates and research training contexts can be recognized as meritorious.
- Reduce bias in review by emphasizing the commitment to the candidate without undue consideration of sponsor and institutional reputation.
NIH will be hosting a webinar to walk the community through the fellowship changes on September 19, 2024.
Updates to Reference Letter Guidance
NIH is updating the instructions for reference letters to provide more structure for reviewers. Resulting letters will better assist reviewers in outlining the candidate’s strengths, weaknesses, and potential to pursue a productive career in biomedical science. The updated instructions will be posted later this fall on the Reference Letter web page.
Updates to NRSA Training Grant Applications
Later this spring, NIH will publish an NIH Guide notice announcing changes to training grant applications that, at a high level, include:
- Updating the NRSA Data Tables to reduce applicant and reviewer burden.
- Including the Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research and the Recruitment Plan to Enhance Diversity as items that contribute to the overall impact score.
- Enhancing research training programs by further defining expectations for mentor training and clarifying positive outcomes related to preparing trainees for the breadth of research and related careers relevant to the NIH mission.
NIH will be hosting a webinar to walk the community through the training grant changes on June 5, 2024.
Updated Application Forms (FORMS-I)
NIH will release updated application forms to support many of the changes coming in 2025. The new forms must be used for application due dates on or after January 25, 2025. Applications submitted for due dates prior to January 25 should continue to use FORMS-H. Please review the FORMS-I Guide Notice to learn more about the timing and availability of the new forms.
Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support
To be adopted in 2025 for all applications and Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPRs) submitted to NIH, the Common Forms represent a collaborative effort between Federal research agencies to ensure standard disclosure requirements as outlined in the National Security Presidential Memorandum – 33. In addition to providing greater standardization across federal agencies, the Common Forms provide clarity regarding disclosure requirements (e.g., who discloses what, relevant limitations and exclusions), disclosure process (e.g., updates, corrections, certification, and provision of supporting documentation), and expected degree of cross-agency uniformity. NIH will be providing details on the implementation and timing in the next few months.
Questions? If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your DCG Officer.