Notice Number: NOT-OD-17-035

Key Dates
Release Date: January 13, 2017

Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

Purpose

This Notice reminds the scientific research community of the recent policy for allowable Appendix materials in applications submitted to the NIH, AHRQ, or NIOSH for due dates on or after January 25, 2017. Elimination of most Appendix materials is intended to rectify inequities in the peer review process that can arise from submission of inappropriate or excessive Appendix materials by some applicants and consideration of Appendix materials in peer review by some, but not all reviewers.

Allowable Appendix Materials

For applications proposing clinical trials (unless the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) provides other instructions for these materials):

• Clinical trial protocols
• Investigator's brochure from an Investigational New Drug (IND) application, as appropriate for the goals of the research proposed in the application.

For all applications:

• Blank informed consent/assent forms
• Blank surveys, questionnaires, and/or data collection instruments
• Other items only if they are specified in the FOA as allowable

No other items are allowed in the Appendix. Simply relocating disallowed materials to other parts of the application will result in a noncompliant application (NOT-OD-11-080).

Consequence for submitting disallowed materials:
Applications submitted for due dates on or after January 25, 2017, will be withdrawn as noncompliant if they are submitted with Appendix materials that are not specifically listed in NOT-OD-16-129 and this Notice, or specified in the individual FOA as allowed or required.

Please see our Frequently Asked Questions Resources for additional information:
FAQs on the NIH/AHRQ/NIOSH Appendix Policy

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Division of Receipt and Referral
Center for Scientific Review
Telephone: 301-435-0715
Email: csrdrr@mail.nih.gov

Sally A. Amero, Ph.D.
NIH Office of Extramural Research
Email: ReviewPolicyOfficer@mail.nih.gov

Lisa Scott-Morring, M.S., M.S.H.S., C.R.A.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Telephone: 301-427-1555
Email: Lisa.Scott@ahrq.hhs.gov

Viji Potula, Ph.D.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Telephone: 404-498-2551
Email: vbp6@cdc.gov