🪴 Oliver’s Note - Patience and What Lies Ahead
With the government reopening, the NIH is poised to return to its regular operations, or at least adapt to the evolving new normal. As NIH SROs and POs resume their duties, grant reviews and awards are expected to pick up pace and recover from the 43-day shutdown. But some patience is advised as the recovery takes place.
HHS is currently functioning under the Continuing Resolution that facilitated the government's reopening, but a full-year spending bill may soon be on the horizon. During this CR period, spending will be cautious, typically reflecting a reduction from the previous fiscal year, which may slow the issuance of new awards.
The critical issue remains the content of the forthcoming HHS spending bill. While the President has suggested severe cuts of around 40%, Congress has countered with proposals for a flat budget or even a slight increase for FY26 compared to the previous year. It is anticipated that Congress will assert its fiscal authority, and a resolution will be reached soon.
Nonetheless, even with a flat budget, NIH paylines, particularly at the NCI, will remain highly competitive or less euphemistically, low. The push towards multi-year funding for awards is a key factor contributing to this trend and is expected to impact paylines for several more years.
Until a budget is finalized, these remain projections, but we are undoubtedly in a period characterized by low paylines. To me that means making sure that every proposal that you submit is optimized for success - strong science, clear significance and innovation and strong presentation of the science.
🗓️ Upcoming Grants
Standard NIH Due Dates
For new R01 submissions these are Feb 5, June 5, Oct 5
For R01 renewal, resubmission or revisions these are Mar 5, July 5, Nov 5
For more information check out the NIH Standard Due Dates page.
Today’s edition is shorter than usual - there will be more to write about again as the government reopens and after the US Thanksgiving Holiday next week.
🗞️ Science & Policy Updates
NOT-OD-26-005 Interim Guidance on Reopening of NIH Extramural Activities
Following the government shutdown, the NIH is rescheduling all October and November grant application submission deadlines to allow applicants access to NIH staff for help.
Additionally, all peer review meetings and council meetings scheduled between October 1 and November 14 have been cancelled and will also be rescheduled.
The eRA system remained operational during the shutdown for application and report submissions. Staff are now addressing help desk tickets in the order they were received, and email confirmations for submitted reports will be sent out soon.
Book a meeting via my website www.bogler.cc
Send an email to me at: [email protected]