Dear Faculty Colleagues,
We are writing with updates about a few recent developments at the NIH.
The NIH has issued new guidance aimed at promoting fairness and originality in the research grant application process, and limiting the number of submissions by PIs. Please review the key policy updates below, which will affect submissions to the NIH beginning on September 25, 2025:
- AI Use in Applications
NIH emphasizes that research applications must reflect the original ideas of the applicant(s). While limited AI use in preparing proposals may be acceptable, applications substantially generated by AI are not considered original and may be disqualified. Post-award detection of AI-generated content could lead to research misconduct investigations and enforcement actions, including suspension or termination of the grant.
- Limit on Number of Submissions per Principal Investigator (PI)
NIH will limit the number of new, renewal, resubmission, or revision applications submitted per calendar year to six per PI (or Multiple PI), regardless of activity code, except for T-series (training grants) and R13 (conference grants). The limit does not include an individual who is co-PI or Senior/Key Personnel. This policy is designed to reduce burden on peer review and ensure quality and integrity in submissions.
If you have questions about how this may affect your grant strategy or proposal development process, please contact Cynthia Kane or your assigned Contract and Grant Specialist in ORSP.
Additionally, on August 15, the NIH Director announced a strategy to align funding decisions with a list of specific priorities, while stating that NIH “continues to support projects across the full spectrum of biomedical research.” We expect that NIH institutes and centers will weigh these priorities more heavily in awards and that forthcoming Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcements will reflect them (for example, that consideration of “new approach methodologies” may be required when animal models are proposed). We continue to monitor these developments and will provide investigators with further guidance as more information becomes available.
Best,
Anand Jagota
Dominic Packer
Cynthia Kane