NOT-OD-23-067 extends the following guidance provided for applicants preparing applications for the August/October 2023 Council round, starting with the January 25, 2023 due dates.

NIH grant applications should not include contingency or recovery plans for problems resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Reviewers will continue to receive instructions to assume that constraints arising from the COVID-19 pandemic will be resolved during the project period and thus should not affect their scores.

Effects on productivity due to the pandemic or other scoreable issues may be addressed in the Personal Statement in the NIH Biosketch. Reviewers will take these pandemic-related circumstances into account when assessing productivity and other score-driving factors.

Please see Notice for other details and where to direct inquiries.