NIH Extramural Nexus (News)

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.

NIH’s Unified Funding Strategy provides a common NIH-wide framework for funding decisions while keeping peer review and scientific merit at the center. Explore key takeaways from a recent community webinar and access the recording and related resources.

NIH (including help desks) will be closed on Monday, October 12, 2026 for the federal holiday (Columbus Day). 

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.

In 2025, we announced an updated NIH Policy on Foreign Subawards (NOT-OD-25-104) and introduced the Collaborative International Research application and award structure using the PF5 activity code (NOT-OD-25-155) which was implemented earlier this year.