»Federal Research Policies

Proposal Preparation Updates From Federal Sponsors

Currently, many federal agencies are updating their policies and solicitations in response to recent Executive Orders and related federal administration and agency directives. Official new policy documents are being developed, and agencies have started to release interim guidance documents.    

The new policies and guidance documents listed here are just a subset of those issued since early 2025. While the list is not exhaustive, they represent those that are the most relevant to principal investigators applying for or managing federal funding.  

The regulatory environment and agency-specific terms and conditions and requirements are changing rapidly. The Office of Research will continue to monitor these developments closely and update this page as appropriate.


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National Institutes of Health (NIH)

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Last Updated: May 19, 2026

Release Date Title Notice Number
April 21, 2026 Announcement of Upcoming System Enforcement of Common Forms and End of NIH's Leniency Period

Summary: The leniency period previously communicated in NOT-OD-26-033 will end on May 7, 2026. Use of SciENcv to prepare the Common Forms for Biographical Sketches and Current and Pending (Other) Support will be required for all application due dates and JIT, RPPR, and Prior Approval submissions on or after May 8, 2026.		 NOT-OD-26-079
April 6, 2026 Implementation of Changes for Basic Experimental Studies with Humans

Summary: For applications submitted for due dates on or after May 25, 2026, applicants proposing BESH must select Clinical Trial Not Allowed or Clinical Trial Optional NOFOs. Applications proposing BESH may not be submitted to Clinical Trial Required NOFOs unless they are also proposing a separate clinical trial.		 NOT-OD-26-067
March 31, 2026 Update of NIH Late Application Submission Policy and End of Continuous Submission

Summary: NIH will cease accepting continuous submissions as of August 11, 2026. PD/PIs serving on review panels within four weeks before or after a due date are allowed to submit applications up to two (2) weeks late under the revised Late Application Submission Policy.		 NOT-OD-26-064
March 25, 2026 Prior Approval Requirement for Changes to Domestic Subawards

Summary: Effective June 1, 2026, all prime recipients are required to obtain NIH prior approval when adding a new domestic subaward to a project post-award, when the arrangement was not originally part of the peer-reviewed and approved application.		 NOT-OD-26-062
February 18, 2026 Reminder of Requirement for Certification of IRB Approval

Summary: NIH requires certification that all nonexempt human subjects research has been reviewed and approved by an appropriate IRB before funds can be used for nonexempt human subjects research. Submission of conditional, pre-approval, interim or expired IRB approval dates is not acceptable. 		 NOT-OD-26-043
February 10, 2026 NIH No Longer Requires Advanced Permission for Conference Grant Applications NOT-OD-26-040
February 5, 2026 Updated Elements of an NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan

Summary: Effective for applications submitted for due dates on or after May 25, 2026, applicants are required to use the new, simpler DMS Plan Format.		 NOT-OD-26-046
February 4, 2026 Adjusted Timeline for NIH's Implementation of Common Forms NOT-OD-26-033
January 30, 2026 Notice of Temporary Extension to Early-Stage Investigator (ESI) Eligibility Period NOT-OD-020
January 30, 2026 Notice of Temporary Extension of Eligibility for the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) NOT-OD-26-021
January 29, 2026 Basic Experimental Studies in Humans (BESH) Will No Longer Be Considered Clinical Trials by the NIH NOT-OD-26-032
January 28, 2026 NIH Removing AIDS Application Due Dates from NOFOs NOT-OD-26-029
December 3, 2025 Updated Application Policies: NIH Administrative Burden Reduction Effort Remove of Requirements for Letters of Intent and Unsolicited Applications Requesting $500,000 or More in Direct Costs NOT-OD-26-019
December 2, 2025 NIHs Implementation of Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support for Due Dates on or after January 25, 2026

Summary: Notice provides information on new forms and details for submission deadlines and disclosure requirements. Individuals must obtain an ORCID ID and link it to their eRA Commons account.		 NOT-OD-26-018
December 2, 2025 Research Training Requirements for NIH

Summary: This notice notifies the extramural community of the NIH implementation of the Research Security Training (RST) requirements outlined in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Completion of RST and the individual certifications will be required for applications submitted for due dates on or after May 25, 2026.		 NOT-OD-26-017
September 12, 2025 New Application Structure for NIH-Funded International Collaborations
Summary: Notice of new activity codes PF5 and UF5 for proposals for NIH Funding including Foreign Components.		 NOT-OD-25-155
July 17, 2025 Supporting Fairness and Originality in NIH Research Applications

Summary: NIH will not consider applications that are either substantially developed by AI, or contain sections substantially developed by AI. NIH will only accept six (6) applications per PD/PI per calendar year. This applies to new, renewal, resubmission, or revision applications but excludes T activity codes and R13 Conference Grant applications. 		 NOT-OD-25-132
April 30, 2025 Revision: Notice of Updated Effective Date for the 2024 NIH Public Access Policy

Summary: Policy effective date updated to 7/1/2025 - Submission of an electronic version of the Author Accepted Manuscript to PubMed Central upon its acceptance for publication for public availability without embargo upon the Official Date of Publication. Original 2024 NIH Public Access Policy released on December 17, 2024 NOT-OD-25-047		 NOT-OD-25-101

National Science Foundation (NSF)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued Supplement 2 to the Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG 24-1), effective January 22, 2026. The following sections of the PAPPG are revised to align with NSF's Gold Standard Science implementation plan:

  • Public Access to Research Products (Chapter XI.D.2.c)
  • Dissemination and Sharing of Research Results (Chapter XI.D.4)
  • Data Management and Sharing Plan (Chapter II.D.2.(i).(ii))
_______________________________________________________________________________

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued Supplement 1 to the Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG 24-1), effective December 8, 2025. This update introduces several important changes that impact proposal submissions, award management, and institutional compliance.  


SBIR/STTR Project Pitch Submissions 

Chapter I.D. is revised to incorporate a new proposal type for the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Project Pitch to memorialize existing practices. The following underlined text is added: 

  • 5. SBIR/STTR Project Pitch 

The Project Pitch is the first step in the NSF SBIR/STTR submission process. The proposer must receive an official invitation via the Project Pitch process to submit an SBIR/STTR Phase I or SBIR/STTR Fast-Track proposal. Small businesses can submit one Project Pitch per submission deadline (refer to the latest SBIR/STTR Phase I or Fast-Track solicitation for upcoming submission deadlines). Project Pitches will be internally reviewed by a member of the SBIR/STTR team. Visit the program website, https://seedfund.nsf.gov/apply/project-pitch, for more information and instructions regarding submission of a Project Pitch. 

Restrictions on Drone Purchases 

NSF funds may not be used to buy or operate drones made or assembled by certain foreign entities (effective Dec 22, 2025). 

Data Management and Sharing Plans 

Chapter II.D.2.i(ii) is revised as part of the agency's implementation of the public access requirements that align with NSF's Gold Standard Science Implementation Plan that further implements U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy Memorandum, Agency Guidance for Implementing Gold Standard Science in the Conduct & Management of Scientific Activities. Per the tenets of reproducibility and transparency of Gold Standard Science, publications and supporting data are to be made publicly and freely available at the time of publication. A justification must be provided if there are any access limitations for supporting data. As a reminder, data management and sharing requirements and plans specific to the directorate or other NSF unit relevant to a proposal are available at www.nsf.gov/public-access. The following underlined text is added to the first paragraph of section (ii): 

Recipients are required to share all data supporting NSF funded publications at the time of publication. Exceptions to this sharing requirement should be described and justified within the DMSP.
 

Proposal Specific Revision Thresholds 

Chapter II.F is modified to increase caps for Planning, RAPID and EAGER proposals in response to NSF community needs. 

  • Planning Proposal. Chapter II.F.1 increases the funding request threshold limit to $200,000 from $100,000. The following underlined text is added and strikes previous text: 

    • Requests may be for up to $100,000 $200,000 per year (including indirect costs) and for up to two years in duration. The award size, however, will be consistent with the scope of the proposed planning activities and of a size comparable to planning grants in similar areas. 

  • Rapid Response Research (RAPID) Proposal. Chapter II.F.2 increases the funding request threshold limit to $300,000 from $200,000. The following underlined text is added and strikes previous text: 

    • Requests may be for up to $200,000 $300,000 (including indirect costs) and up to one year in duration. The award size, however, will be consistent with the project scope and of a size comparable to grants in similar areas. 

  • EArly-Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) Proposal. Chapter II.F.3 increases the funding request threshold limit to $400,000 from $300,000. The following underlined text is added and strikes previous text: 

    • Requests may be for up to $300,000 $400,000 (including indirect costs) and up to two years in duration. The award size, however, will be consistent with the project scope and of a size comparable to grants in similar areas. 


Research Misconduct 

Chapter XII.C is revised to incorporate the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools. The underlined text has been added: 

  • RESEARCH MISCONDUCT means fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism, whether committed by an individual directly or through the use or assistance of other persons, entities, or tools, including artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools, in proposing or performing research funded by NSF, reviewing research proposals submitted to NSF, or in reporting research results funded by NSF. 


Research Security Policy Effective 12/2/25 

  • Research-security Updates in "Important Notice No. 149" will go into effect December 2, 2025 

  • Under these rules, for proposals submitted on or after Dec 2nd, all senior/key personnel must have completed acceptable research security training within the prior 12 months; institutions must maintain detailed documentation of foreign support/appointments/"other support" 


Risk Assessments & Documentation 

Last updated: January 27, 2026

Department of Energy (DOE)

The DOE announced on December 3, 2025, that it will now require Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support, effective immediately. 

The DOE Federal Assistance Letter provides details for the Common Forms and their application in SciENcv. 

  • DOE will require the use of SciENcv to complete Common Forms (i.e., Biographical Sketch, Current and Pending (Other) Support) to produce digitally certified PDF(s). 

  • DOE will require certification from each individual (not their delegate) of their own form(s) in SciENcv acknowledging information is: 1) current, accurate, and complete and 2) at time of submission, they are not a party to a malign foreign talent recruitment program.

Last Updated: January 27, 2026

Trainings and Certifications


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CHIPS & Science Act & NSPM‑33

CHIPS & Science Act & NSPM‑33 mandates research security training for covered individuals (PIs, Co‑PIs, PDs, senior/key personnel) across federal agencies, covering foreign interference; cybersecurity; export control; disclosure; and conflicts of interest and of commitment.  Compliance certification must be provided by individuals and institutions during the application, just-in-time, or performance/progress report submission process. 

  • DOE: Effective May 1, 2025, covered individuals must complete training within 12 months prior to proposal, and annually for active awards. Acceptable options include the SECURE Center 1‑hour module or equivalent training.  

  • NSF: Starting October 10, 2025, senior/key personnel must complete training within 12 months before submission. Effective December 2, 2025, all personnel supported by NSF-funded projects must complete training by 60 days after appointment. The condensed 1‑hour SECURE module is accepted.  

  • NIH: Certification and enforcement of research security training compliance effective May 25, 2026. 

MFTRP (Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs) certification

Resources and Tools


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NIH Biographical Sketch and Other Support

Links to Federal Agency's Policies and Websites

Under Development