Key Dates

Related Announcements

April 3, 2025 - NIH Operates Under a Continuing Resolution. See Notice NOT-OD-25-084.

November 14, 2025 - Interim Guidance on Reopening of NIH Extramural Activities. See Notice NOT-OD-26-005.

Issued by

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH)

Purpose

As you may be aware, there has been a lapse in appropriated federal fund as of October 1, 2025. Because a funding lapse has occurred, please be advised that National Institutes of Health (NIH) staff may not be available to provide normal oversight and administrative support services.

For awards received prior to the lapse in funding, you may be able to continue drawing funds from prior awards during an appropriations lapse.  HHS’s Payment Management System will remain operational to continue processing those drawdown requests. The robust internal controls that currently exist will continue to ensure the integrity of grant drawdown requests and payments.  Please note, if you received your notice of grant award with restrictive terms and conditions, or if your drawdown request triggers one of the Payment Management System edit checks and/or the drawdown limit controls, you may not be able to drawdown funds.

Please check our website at www.grants.nih.gov and www.HHS.gov for updates. Thank you for your assistance during this period of government shutdown and your ongoing support of NIH.

CONTACT WITH NIH STAFF

eRA Systems: eRA systems will be operational, but with limited support.  Furthermore, use is restricted to excepted activities.  eRA will provide limited end-user support for excepted/approved staff and excepted programs. The eRA service desk will not be operational. If applicants encounter system issues when applying, they should submit an eRA service desk ticket to document the issue. NIH will take this into consideration for accepting late applications when operations resume.

E-mail, Phone, Fax, and Postal Mail Contacts:  For the duration of the funding lapse, NIH extramural employees will be prohibited from working (remotely or in the office).  Consequently, there will be no access to voice mail, e-mail, fax, or postal mail during this period.  Mail requiring someone to sign/accept may not be received.  All other postal mail, fax, and voice mail communications will not be acted upon until after operations resume. It is recommended that you delay sending such communications until after operations resume.

Central E-mail Boxes for Policy and Compliance:  For the duration of the funding lapse, all central e-mail boxes and web ticketing systems for questions related to NIH grants policy and compliance will not be operational. 

Human Safety: In the event of an emergency involving human participant safety in NIH funded research, please contact Dr. Jon Lorsch ([email protected]). 

SUBMISSION OF GRANT APPLICATIONS

For the duration of the funding lapse, applicants should continue to submit applications in accordance with the due dates outlined in the Notices of Funding Opportunities. Applications will be accepted and reviewed once operations resume.  For any applications submitted immediately prior to or during the funding lapse, here is what will happen:

1. For electronic submissions through Grants.gov: Grants.gov will be open and can accept electronic applications.  However, applications will not be processed by NIH until operations resume. 
2. For electronic submission of multi-project applications through NIH’s ASSIST system: The ASSIST system will remain available and can accept applications. However, applications will not be processed by NIH until operations resume.

PEER REVIEW AND COUNCIL MEETINGS

Initial Peer Review Meetings:  For the duration of the funding lapse, the NIH will not be able to conduct initial peer review meetings – whether in-person or through teleconferences or other electronic media. Also, during this time, the NIH staff will not be able to send or receive email messages or update website information. When operations resume, those meetings will be re-scheduled, and the pending applications will be processed and reviewed as soon as possible. 

Also, the results, including final impact scores and summary statements, of some peer review meetings that took place prior to the orderly shutdown of operations may not be available until operations resume.  Therefore, applicants with applications going through the peer review process should stay tuned to the national news to determine when operations of the government resume and then check the NIH website for information on any review meetings that may have been extended or re-scheduled.  The results of meetings held prior to a potential funding lapse will be released as soon as possible after resumption of operations.

Individuals who had agreed to serve on NIH review panels ("study sections") that were scheduled to meet during the funding lapse will have access to the Internet Assisted Review (IAR) site and will be able to upload initial critiques and initial scores, but technical support will not be available. Reviewers who were scheduled to travel for a review meeting on a day when operations are down will not be able to board a plane or train and will be sent instructions on how to handle their reservations.  Reviewers who are attending an NIH review panel on the day of orderly shutdown will be able to change their travel plans and return home.  Therefore, peer reviewers should stay tuned to the national news to determine when operations of the NIH will resume and then check the NIH website for information on meetings that have been re-scheduled.   As soon as possible after operations resume, the NIH Scientific Review Officer in charge of the review meeting will contact those reviewers with more detailed information.

Advisory Council Review: The NIH will not be able to conduct Advisory Council review meetings – whether in-person or through teleconferences or other electronic media - during the funding lapse.  Also, during this time, the NIH staff will not be able to send or receive email messages, or update website information, and NIH computer systems that support review functions will not be operational.  Therefore, no applications will be processed for Council review or will be taken to Council meetings during that time.  When operations resume, those pending applications will be processed, and meetings will be re-scheduled as soon as possible. 

Applicants with applications pending Council review during that time should check the NIH website for information after operations resume.  Advisory Council members should stay tuned to the national news to determine when operations of the government will resume and then check the NIH website for information on Council meetings that have been re-scheduled.   As soon as possible after operations resume, the NIH Executive Secretary in charge of the Council meeting will contact those Council members with more detailed information.

AWARDED GRANTS

Currently Active Grant Awards:  For the duration of the funding lapse, all work and activities performed under currently active NIH grant awards may continue.  However, see below for limits on performing many of the reporting requirements associated with NIH grant funding. 

Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR): For any annual or final RPPRs due during the funding lapse, eRA Commons will be available.  Users must submit reports on time, and NIH staff will review reports after operations resume.  

Notices of Award (NoAs):  With the exception of excepted programs, no NIH grant awards will be processed for the duration of the funding lapse.  For any awards processed before the funding lapse that have an issue date during the funding lapse, the awards will not be sent to the recipient on the issue date.  Once operations resume, all pending NoAs will be sent.  This will not affect the start date nor the issue date of these awards; it just affects the date the award document is sent to the recipient and available for access in the eRA Commons.  In the absence of receiving the NoA, institutions may use pre-award costs authority at their own risk. 

No-cost Extension (NCE) Notifications:   eRA Commons will remain accessible during the funding lapse; however, staff will not be available to review and approve requests. For any grants due to expire during the funding lapse, recipients should submit NCE notifications in accordance with standard requirements. Requests for second and greater NCEs, which require prior approval, the request may be submitted but will not be reviewed until operations resume. 

General Access to eRA Commons and Other OER-Supported Systems:  eRA Commons will be accessible during the funding lapse.  Users will be able to access the Commons for viewing electronically submitted applications, accessing Internet Assisted Review, or processing such actions as Commons Registration, xTrain documents, Closeout documents, and/or FCOI notifications etc.  However, limited staff support will be available. 

Prior Approval Requests and Other Communications:  NIH extramural employees will have no access to voice mail or e-mail during the funding lapse.  All prior approval requests and other communications will not be received until operations resume.  It is recommended that you delay sending such communications until after operations resume.

Access to HHS Program Support Center (PSC)/Payment Management System (PMS):   For awards received prior to the lapse in funding, recipients may continue drawing funds during an appropriations lapse.  PMS will remain operational to continue processing drawdown requests, so that payments can be made.  The robust internal controls that currently exist will continue to ensure the integrity of grant drawdown requests and payments.  Please note, recipients of grant awards with restrictive terms and conditions, or requests that trigger one of the PMS edit checks and/or the drawdown limit controls, may not be able to drawdown funds. Recipients can continue to complete and submit their Federal Financial Reports (FFR) in PMS. However, NIH staff will not be available to review and process FFRs until operations resume. 

ANIMAL WELFARE

The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) business processes are funded by annual appropriations and are not designated as excepted activities under the Antideficiency Act. No activities associated with the OLAW mission will continue for the duration of the funding lapse.  For the duration of the funding lapse, PHS-funded institutions are encouraged to delay sending all Assurance documents, preliminary or final reports of noncompliance or IACUC suspensions as required under the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals IV.F.3, or other correspondence due to OLAW until after operations resume. OLAW will extend deadlines for all reporting activities as necessary to compensate for the period of the lapse in funding and the unavailability of the website and OLAW operational support.

Institutions are reminded that their obligation under their Animal Welfare Assurance to ensure ongoing local support and oversight, and to address and correct all situations that affect animal welfare and compliance with the PHS Policy continues during this period.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA)
Office of Extramural Research
[email protected]