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. 

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.

As we celebrate our nation’s birthday and in the spirit of charting new paths, NIH is pleased to announce a new parent funding opportunity designed to help promising Ph.D. students take an important step toward research independence.

NIH’s policies and funding approaches are designed to maintain strong support for investigator-initiated fundamental research. NIH’s Gold Standard Science plan explains that our priority-setting processes provide strong support for hypothesis-driven research while balancing opportunities to support other forms of research. Advancing foundational knowledge of human health and disease is a stated goal for the next NIH-wide strategic plan. Here we discuss NIH’s continued commitment in this area.

In March 2025, NIH announced that all peer review would be centralized within the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) (see also this NIH Guide Notice). As the one-year anniversary approaches, we are providing an update on the consolidation and its initial effects on the peer-review process. 

We invite input by April 17, 2026 on a Proposed Clinical Trial-Specific Application Form for investigator-initiated clinical trials. 

NIH is streamlining the landscape for Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs, or funding opportunities) and the application process. We are placing greater emphasis on investigator-initiated science rather than asking researchers to align their work with highly specific funding opportunities.  

To promote transparency, each year we provide information about the NIH’s investments of taxpayer funds in extramural biomedical research and related activities. Today, we are sharing funding data for fiscal years (FYs) 2023 to 2025.

Last November, NIH announced it is implementing steps towards a unified strategy that will help guide clearer and consistent funding decisions across all Institutes and Centers (ICs). The August NIH Director’s statement laid the foundation, and today we are sharing our thoughts on this NIH Unified Funding Strategy (UFS) from a holistic NIH viewpoint first, and then how this approach aligns with our individual Institute or Center (IC) established funding practices. 

Simplifying administrative processes to reduce burden for the scientific community and the NIH is one of several ongoing NIH priorities for 2026. Towards this goal, HIV/AIDS-related applications submitted after May 7, 2026 will follow the general standard application receipt dates. Aligning the receipt dates will simplify the grant submission process for applicants, NIH receipt and referral processes, and   Notices of Funding Opportunities.