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NIH Updates

  • On December 2, 2025, NIH issued NOT-OD-26-018 to announce adoption of the Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support for due dates on or after January 25, 2026. NIH will require individuals identified as senior/key personnel certify on their Common Form for Biographical Sketch that they are not a party to a malign foreign talent recruitment program and annually at the time of award. This effective date replaces the previously communicated dates in NOT-OD-24-163. NIH anticipates finalizing the templates in SciENcv for Common Forms, the NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement and associated instructions the week of December 15, 2025.
  • On December 2, 2025, NIH issued NOT-OD-26-017 to announce that effective for applications due on or after May 25, 2026, each individual listed as senior/key personnel must certify through the Biographical Sketch in SciENcv that they have completed Research Security Training (RST) within 12 months of the date of the application submission. This requirement can be met by completing one of the options below.
  • On November 24, 2026, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Issued NOT-OD-26-012 to provide guidance on resumption of NIH activities after the federal government shutdown.
    • Key Points
      • Late Grant Applications
        • Applications due Oct 1–Dec 5, 2025 can be submitted until Dec 8, 2025 (5 PM local time) without inclusion of a cover letter providing justification. There will be no extra 2-week window. If you have already submitted a proposal during that time frame there is requirement to resubmit it.
      • Post-Submission Materials
        • Jan 2026 Council: Materials will be accepted up to 1 week before peer review as described in NOT-OD-19-083.
        • May 2026 Council: NIH will accept one-page update with preliminary data as post-submission materials for applications submitted under all activity codes, ONLY if the NOFO used for submission allowed preliminary data in the application. The deadline for submitting all post-submission materials, including preliminary data, will be 30 days before the study section meeting. See NOT-OD-19-083 for instructions.
      • RPPR Reports
        • Reports submitted during shutdown (Oct 1–Nov 13) do not need resubmission unless requested by NIH.
      • Eligibility Adjustments
        • NIH will automatically adjust the Early Stage Investigator (ESI) status for applicants whose status changed during the period of delay caused by the shutdown.K99/R00 timeline updates coming separately.
      • Loan Repayment Program

New Training Video: Finding and Editing a Returned EPASS

Principal Investigators, with assistance from their department, prepare and submit an Extramural Proposal and Submission Summary (EPASS) for departmental approval and OCGA review for each proposal. If revisions are needed to an EPASS, OCGA will return the EPASS in the electronic EPASS system and notification will be sent to the EPASS preparer. OCGA has created a brief training video to provide guidance on finding and editing a returned EPASS. View the video here.