NIH Updates – April 2026
NIH news
- NIH continues modified peer review practices adopted during 2025 shutdown (source: AAMC)
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) published a notice to provide the extramural community with information on the continuation of select peer review practices implemented following a lapse of appropriations in 2025. Due to the large volume of peer review meetings that were missed during the lapse in appropriations, the following modifications were made to peer review practices for applications submitted for the January 2026 and May 2026 Advisory Councils: 1) generally 30-35%, rather than approximately 50%, of applications will be discussed, (2) applications deemed to be in the middle third will be designated as “competitive but not discussed” and will be considered for funding, along with the discussed applications, (3) summary statements will be simplified as discussed in the notice. An NIH blog published Monday by Bruce Reed, acting director of the Center for Scientific Review, asserts that centralized NIH peer review has strengthened efficiency, competition, and transparency.
- NIH releases informational notices regarding SBIR/STTR awards (source: AAMC)
- Following the reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, signed into law on April 13, the NIH released a series of notices on Monday detailing policy changes and implementation requirements related to SBIR/STRR applications and awards. Policy changes in the reauthorizing legislation include changes related to discretionary technical and business assistance funds and changes to the SBIR and STTR Foreign Risk Due Diligence program. The reauthorizing legislation also includes a requirement for federal agencies to set a maximum limit on the number of SBIR and STTR applications or proposals a Small Business Concern, including its affiliates, can submit across the Department of Health and Human Services per fiscal year (FY). SBIR/STTR funding opportunities “may take some time to be issued and begin accepting applications,” according to a Tuesday Extramural Nexus post, but the agency can resume issuing noncompeting continuations
- NIH is ending their leniency for the use of the new NIH Biosketch Common Form (source: NOT-OD-26-079)
- The current leniency period previously communicated in NOT-OD-26-033 will end on May 7, 2026, the final AIDS standard receipt date for Cycle 1. Use of the Common Forms for Biographical Sketch, Current and Pending (Other) Support and NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement will be required for all application due dates and Just-In-Time (JIT), Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR), and Prior Approval submissions on or after May 8, 2026. During the remainder of the leniency period, NIH will continue to provide system warnings and will not withdraw applications containing the NIH Biosketch and NIH Other Support format pages, or non-compliant Common Forms. On May 8, 2026, system warnings will change to errors that will stop any submission not using compliant Common Forms
Modified on April 24, 2026