Policy Changes Affect NIH Grant Applications

From GRC GrantWeek:

In recent months, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released several notices regarding policy changes to its application and review processes:

• Reviewers have been instructed not to consider inappropriate text or materials that have been placed in application sections (such as the Protection of Human Subject section) that do not have page limits, or in the appendix, as a way to circumvent page limits for the Research Strategy or other page-limited sections.
• The two-day error correction window will be eliminated for all electronic and paper-based applications submitted January 25, 2011 or later.
• Post-submission grant application materials are acceptable only if they result from unforeseen administrative issues, and must be submitted no later than 30 calendar days prior to the peer review meeting. Exceptions are specified for institutional training mechanisms and certain request for applications.
• New applications for Career Development, Institutional Training, and Individual National Research Service Award programs must use ADOBE-FORMS-B1 packages for deadlines on or after January 25, 2011. Applications for all other NIH programs must use the new forms for due dates of May 7, 2011 and beyond.
• The “grandparent” grace period for A2 (second resubmission) applications is ending. All applicants, including those who were eligible for continuous submission, who submitted A0 (original submission) applications that were assigned through August 2009 council are permitted two resubmissions. Applicants can determine their assigned council date by examining the first page of the Summary Statement, or by viewing their Status page in eRA Commons. Applicants who are allowed two resubmissions must submit their A2 application no later than the appropriate due date for cycle III in 2010. The exceptions are HIV/AIDS A2 resubmissions, whose final resubmission date is January 7, 2011.
• Resubmission (A1) applications submitted on or after January 25, 2011 will not be accepted later than 37 months after the date of receipt of the initial new, renewal, or revision application.

For more details, contact the NIH Division of Receipt and Referral at 301/435-0715 or the NIH review policy officer at ReviewPolicyOfficer@mail.nih.gov.