Year: 2026

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. 

NIH updated the How to Apply – Application Guide in December 2025 to reflect recent policy and procedure updates. Find details on all of the major changes and revisions since the last major release at Significant Changes. 

NIH (including help desks) will be closed on Monday, February 16, 2026 for the federal holiday (Washington's Birthday). If a grant application due date falls on a federal holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.

NIH implemented its Simplified Review Framework (SRF) for the peer review of the majority of competing research project grant (RPG) applications in summer 2025. How is it going?

You have two options to find Notices of Funding Opportunities: search on Grants.gov or use NIH’s new Explore NIH Opportunities tool. The NIH tool includes additional options for NIH-specific filters, sorting, and advanced search.