NIH Changes in November

The National Institutes of Health will be making significant changes to the FY 2016 NIH Grants Policy Statement (NIHGPS). The FY 2016 NIHGPS will be available in November. However, NIH has provided a document describing these changes.

Among the changes are the following:

1. To reduce administrative burden, NIH will allow our recipients to reduce effort during a NCE without prior approval.
2. Applications containing one or more biosketches that do not conform to the required format may be withdrawn (NOT-OD-15-032).
3. Applications that do not conform to the page limit requirements because inappropriate materials have been included in other parts of the application may be withdrawn (NOT-OD-11-080).
4. Applications submitted as new but containing elements of a resubmission or renewal application are noncompliant with the resubmission policy and may be withdrawn (NOT-OD-15-059).
5. Applications submitted after 5 PM local (applicant organization) time on the application due date may be withdrawn (NOT-OD-15-039).
6. Any change in research procedures in an active award that would result in an increased risk to human subjects will require prior NIH approval before implementation.

For more information, see the NIH Summary of Upcoming Significant Changes to the NIH Grants Policy Statement and the NIH Guide Notice, Significant Changes: FY 2016 NIH Grants Policy Statement (NOT-OD-16-017).

Update: On November 25, NIH issued:

• Publication of the Revised NIH Grants Policy Statement (Rev. 11/2015) for FY 2016 (NOT-OD-16-030), and
• Revised SF424 (R&R) Application Guides and Supplemental Instructions Available for Application Due Dates On and Between January 25, 2016 and May 24, 2016 (NOT-OD-16-029).