NOT-OD-26-069
NIH will continue temporary peer-review modifications through the October 2026 Advisory Council to address the backlog from the 2025 federal funding lapse.
Key Changes:
- Fewer applications will be discussed: Only 30–35% (down from ~50%).
- Applications in the middle third will be labeled “competitive but not discussed” and will still be considered for funding.
- Applications in the lowest third will be labeled “not competitive and not discussed.”
- Summary statements will be simplified:
- No narrative discussion summaries
- Include a brief consensus statement and bullet points of key scoring factors
- Retain reviewer critiques for all applications
- Include overall impact scores only for discussed applications
These temporary changes are intended to improve review efficiency while maintaining fair evaluation during recovery from prior disruptions.
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