NIH Extramural Nexus (News)

As part of our efforts to simplify and streamline the landscape of NIH funding opportunities, we are sharing information about upcoming updates to individual career development (K) award programs. 

NIH remains committed to integrity and fairness in peer review, as well as to transparency and listening to the research community. Applicants, reviewers, researchers, and other members of the research community who have concerns about unfair peer review at NIH or potential review integrity concerns can report them to NIH through dedicated channels.

You have likely come across the Public Health Service (PHS) assignment request form when putting together your grant application. It’s optional, but we encourage applicants to fill it out. This form is available in nearly all competing NIH application form packages and allows you to provide specific application assignment and review information to referral and review staff. 

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. 

“Inside Extramural at NIH” is a new feature that gives individual NIH institutes, Centers, and Offices a dedicated space to share updates on funding priorities, policies, initiatives, and resources relevant to their extramural research community.  In this inaugural post, we hear from the National Human Genome Research Institute, its Acting Director, as well as more about their extramural funding priorities, opportunities, relevant policies, and resources for the genomics research community. 

The NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) are programs established by Congress and designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers. Applications for FY 2027 Extramural LRP awards will be accepted from September 1 until November 19, 2026.  

On July 28, 2026, the Administration released the U.S. Government Policy for Stopping High-Risk Life Sciences Research, pursuant to Executive Order 14292 on "Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research.” This new government-wide policy defines areas of life sciences research that pose the greatest risk to our nation's security, implements federal funding prohibitions, and establishes a framework for addressing risk and ensuring compliance. 

NIH has a step-by-step guide available for linking an ORCID iD to an eRA Commons account.

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.

Contacting an NIH Program Officer (PO) at the right time can be an important part of preparing a competitive research application.  Early communication helps establish a connection with NIH staff who understand your scientific area and the priorities of their Institute, Center, or Office (ICO).