Month: September 2026

Finding the right funding opportunity as an early career investigator can feel overwhelming but understanding the NIH funding landscape can help inform your choice. 

You, our extramural research community, are central to the NIAID mission of understanding, treating, and preventing infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases. In this feature article, all of us at NIAID aim to support you by highlighting some of the latest developments that will impact your work, sharing resources and new opportunities, and answering common questions from the community.

As part of NIH's broader effort to simplify the funding landscape, we’re pleased to highlight three new parent funding opportunities under the NIH Research Education Program (R25). Similar to updates to career development, loan repayment, and predoctoral/postdoctoral transition programs, these new research education programs provide a simpler framework for supporting research education activities while helping NIH develop the scientific workforce of the future.

As previously shared in November 2025 and April 2026, NIH implemented emergency modifications to peer review processes following the resumption of activities after the lapse in appropriations (NOT-OD-26-012, NOT-OD-26-069). These modifications remain in effect through the January 2027 Advisory Council round (NOT-OD-26-114).

Earlier this year, we asked the research community to weigh in on a proposed Clinical Trial Specific Application Form that would consolidate clinical trial information currently provided across two application components into a single, semi-structured form with page limits (NOT-OD-26-058). On behalf of the NIH Clinical Trials Application Working Group, I am pleased to share what we heard, and how your feedback will help shape our next steps.

On August 19, 2026, NIH released for public comment a Draft Biosafety Policy for Research Involving Biohazards for public comment. When finalized, the policy will replace the current NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules.

Research environments free from harassment, bullying, retaliation, and other hostile working conditions are fundamental to the conduct of NIH-supported biomedical studies.  These conditions enable trainees, staff, and collaborators to work effectively while preserving scientific integrity, protecting the biomedical research workforce, and ensuring the responsible stewardship of public funds. 

We are pleased to announce that the fiscal year (FY) 2027 NIH Extramural Loan Repayment Program (LRP) application cycle opened on September 1, 2026, and closes on November 19, 2026. Researchers interested in applying are encouraged to join the LRP Technical Assistance Webinar that takes a deep dive into the application process, and more. 

In May, we shared NIH-wide fiscal year (FY) 2025 enrollment data on the sex, race, ethnicity, and age of participants in NIH-supported clinical research, offering a broad view of inclusion across the NIH portfolio. More detailed FY25 enrollment data are now available through the NIH Research, Condition, and Disease Categorization (RCDC) Inclusion Statistics Report.