Mark Your Calendars: Fall 2026 NIH National Advisory Council or Board (NACs) Meetings

Here, we are sharing upcoming NIH National Advisory Council or Board (NAC) meetings for your awareness. 

A portion of NAC meeting proceedings are open to the public. Viewers can hear Institute or Center Director remarks, updates on priorities and initiatives, budget overviews, scientific highlights, and concept clearance for future possible funding opportunities. However, deliberations around applications are kept confidential and held during closed sessions. 

It is important to understand that Advisory Councils do not make funding decisions. Rather, as part of the second level of NIH peer review, they make recommendations to the Institute or Center Director on which applications are suitable for funding consideration, taking into account program relevance, public health priorities, and portfolio balance. 

In practice, this means that they occasionally may deem an application not suitable for funding consideration, such as determining if additional funds should be provided to already well-supported investigators. 

NIH Institute and Center Directors consider the input received on reviewed applications from their Advisory Councils, together with input outlined in the NIH Unified Funding Strategy, to help inform their funding decisions. 

Fall meetings represent the first Council/Board round of the new fiscal year. In most cases, applications considered during this round will not receive awards before December, although limited exceptions may be made at an ICO’s discretion. Applicants who receive a request for Just-in-Time information in September should respond promptly. 

Below are upcoming Fall 2026 Council Meeting Dates. You may watch public sessions via NIH Videocast.