NIH Extramural Nexus (News)

As part of NIH's ongoing efforts to provide transparency into funding trends, updated NIH data show the median age at which investigators receive their first R01-equivalent award remains around 42 years of age through fiscal year (FY) 2025. 

“Inside Extramural at NIH” is a new feature that gives individual NIH institutes, Centers, and Offices a dedicated space to share updates on funding priorities, policies, initiatives, and resources relevant to their extramural research community.  In this inaugural post, we hear from the National Human Genome Research Institute, its Acting Director, as well as more about their extramural funding priorities, opportunities, relevant policies, and resources for the genomics research community. 

The NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) are programs established by Congress and designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers. Applications for FY 2027 Extramural LRP awards will be accepted from September 1 until November 19, 2026.  

On July 28, 2026, the Administration released the U.S. Government Policy for Stopping High-Risk Life Sciences Research, pursuant to Executive Order 14292 on "Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research.” This new government-wide policy defines areas of life sciences research that pose the greatest risk to our nation's security, implements federal funding prohibitions, and establishes a framework for addressing risk and ensuring compliance. 

NIH has a step-by-step guide available for linking an ORCID iD to an eRA Commons account.

NIH supports an array of data and biospecimen repositories to help ensure valuable scientific resources are available to researchers. Many repositories link biospecimens to rich clinical, phenotypic, imaging, genomic, or longitudinal datasets, allowing researchers to validate findings across data types and apply modern analytical approaches. Here, we discuss the policies and principles governing data management and repositories. Then, we spotlight selected examples of NIH-supported repositories.

Contacting an NIH Program Officer (PO) at the right time can be an important part of preparing a competitive research application.  Early communication helps establish a connection with NIH staff who understand your scientific area and the priorities of their Institute, Center, or Office (ICO). 

As part of NIH’s ongoing efforts to modernize its web presence and make information easier to find in one place, our NIH Funding social media accounts have transitioned to NIH Innovates on X and LinkedIn. You can expect the same information on grants and funding, plus more updates from NIH’s institutes, centers, and offices.

If you’re planning to apply for an NIH fellowship (F), career development award (K), or training grant (T), staying informed about recent NIH efforts to centralize peer review can help you understand how your application may be assigned and reviewed. 

We invite you to join a conversation between NIH leadership on NIH’s Unified Funding Strategy. Our Unified Funding Strategy is designed to support NIH Institutes and Centers to make informed, transparent, and flexible funding decisions. During their conversation, NIH leadership will clarify the approach’s rationale, goals, and implementation across NIH; address misconceptions; and help foster communication between NIH staff and research community.