Inside Extramural: The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

“Inside Extramural at the NIH Institute, Center, or Office (ICO)” is a new feature that gives ICOs a dedicated space to share updates on funding priorities, policies, initiatives, and resources relevant to their extramural research community. Check back regularly for insights and information to help you stay informed about developments across NIH. 

Carolyn Hutter, Ph.D., Acting Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

Message from the Acting Director, Carolyn Hutter, Ph.D. 

We at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) are pleased to be the inaugural contributor to this new NIH Extramural Nexus feature, and share some updates and information to keep the extramural genomic research community informed. The staff at NHGRI are deeply committed to supporting our mission of accelerating scientific and medical breakthroughs in genomics that improve human health. As discussed in the NIH Extramural Nexus, NIH is making changes to how research is submitted, reviewed and funded. We encourage you to subscribe and follow the updates in this space and to stay connected with our Program Directors, who can serve as stewards as you navigate this changing landscape. 

We have joined other ICOs in implementing the NIH Unified Funding Strategy. Specifically, NHGRI is maintaining our long-standing practice of not using paylines, and we continue to weigh application score and percentile within individual initiatives or scientific areas alongside programmatic priorities, career stage, and portfolio balance. This is a deliberate approach that preserves flexibility in how we fund the best science. We are also leveraging multi-year funding approaches so that we can continue to sustain high levels of support for genomic research while we navigate internal staffing changes. 

Our scientific focus remains on supporting cutting-edge research, developing new technologies, and studying the impact of genomics on society. We fund research that is comprehensive (genome-wide or transcriptome-wide) and generalizable (broadly applicable for many biological systems and not disease- or organ-specific). Please also check our NIH Grants and Funding profile page regularly for additional extramural-focused updates. 

Featured Opportunities and Research Priorities 

NHGRI is reducing the number of Institute-specific, topic-targeted funding announcements, including the sunsetting of NOFOs like Understanding the Genetic Architecture of Complex Traits (PAR-23-301) and Advancing Genomic Medicine Research (RFA-HG-23-032). This doesn't mean NHGRI has lost interest in these scientific areas; it reflects an NIH-wide effort to simplify the funding landscape. We welcome investigator-initiated applications in these areas submitted through the broader Parent Announcements. 

NHGRI is also communicating areas of our high programmatic priority through Highlighted Topics (see also these Nexus articles, FAQs, and subscribe for weekly alerts). Interested researchers are encouraged to contact the identified NHGRI staff to learn more, and apply through a parent funding opportunity if your research ideas align. As of June 2026, NHGRI is leading two Highlighted Topics (below) and participating in several others led by different ICOs. Applicants interested in these areas are encouraged to contact the NHGRI program lead listed on each topic before submitting. 

• Technology Development for Genomics
• Advancing the Use of Genomic Information Into Clinical Care   

NHGRI is also continuing to support larger scale, highly collaborative projects that are carried out in research consortia. One example is the Genomics Research to Elucidate the Genetics of Rare Disease: Innovation consortium, which recently released Innovation Projects, Technology Integration Center and Data Coordination and Outreach Center funding opportunities. This program seeks to catalyze a dramatic shift in rare disease diagnosis through the development of highly innovative solutions to some of the current challenges that face this field. Applications are due October 30^th. Interested applicants are encouraged to attend the pre-application webinar on August 12, 2026. A recording will be made available after the event as well.  

What We're Hearing from Our Community 

On multi-year funding: NHGRI has increasingly turned to this approach in both fiscal years 2025 and 2026, which let us commit a grant's full budget upfront rather than releasing it year by year. This helps NHGRI manage its funding efficiently and ensure we are spending our extramural appropriations on meritorious and innovative genomic science, even with a more limited grants management staff. If you are the PI on a multi-year funded award, keep two things in mind:  

• You still need to submit annual Research Performance Progress Reports
• Options for extending the award (whether at no cost or with additional funding) are more limited than they would be under incremental funding.  

On early-career support: NHGRI continues to prioritize support for early career investigators. In FY 2026 NHGRI is structuring all early-stage investigator (ESI) awards to be multi-year funded. This caps the project period at four years but gives ESIs more stability and flexibility in timing aims and tasks across a single, longer grant period. NHGRI also continues to support early-career investigators through Supporting Talented Early Career Researchers in Genomics (RFA-HG-25-009), which has an upcoming final receipt date of February 26, 2027. 

On applying without Letters of Intent: With Letters of Intent (LOI) no longer accepted, we strongly encourage applicants to reach out directly to NHGRI program staff before submission to discuss scientific fit and programmatic priority. Program Staff for specific NHGRI scientific areas of emphasis can be found in the resources link below. 

On NHGRI’s scientific mission and funding priorities: NHGRI remains a non-categorical Institute, meaning it supports research that generates broadly applicable knowledge across many diseases and biological systems. Disease-specific research, in contrast, is assigned upon receipt at NIH to the relevant disease-specific ICO.  

On specific ancestry populations: NIH recognizes the value of broad population reach in genomic and other research, but distinctions in study design to focus on particular populations with, for example, high disease burden or limited access to genomic testing and care, must be scientifically justified and directly relevant to the health outcomes under investigation. 

NHGRI Resources for Researchers, Applicants, and Award Recipients 

• Stay familiar with the long-standing NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy, including NHGRI-specific data repository requirements.
• Profile page — mission, funding policies, and current opportunities
• FY 2026 funding strategy
• Program Directors by research area — for pre-submission discussions
• Highlighted Topics — current NHGRI-led and NHGRI-participating topics
• NIH Loan Repayment Program — for eligible early-career researchers 

Council Corner 

The National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research has recently approved Institute-initiated concepts on:  

• Ancient DNA for Modern Genomics Research Projects
• NHGRI Analysis, Visualization, and Informatics Lab-space Program Renewal
• Developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression Project
• Ethical, Legal and Social Implications Research Renewal
• Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science
• Genomic Community Resources
• Toolkits for Dissemination of Genomic Technologies  

Keep an eye on the “Explore NIH Grant Opportunities” to see which of these concepts have been published as funding opportunities (see this Nexus article for more).  

These recent presentations to our Council may also be helpful: 

• Recent Developments in NIH Peer Review – Ray Jacobson, Ph.D., Director, Center for Scientific Review
• NIH Director’s Update – Jayanta Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, Director, NIH