NOT-OD-26-029National Institutes of Health has announced that it will eliminate AIDS-specific application due dates from the grant application process, effective for applications submitted for January 2027 and later Advisory Council reviews.
Historically, non-standard AIDS due dates were created to speed funding during the early HIV/AIDS epidemic. However, with the dramatic growth in overall application volume, these special dates now create a significant administrative burden and no longer provide a clear advantage to applicants. Moving forward, HIV/AIDS applications will use the standard NIH receipt dates, which continue to occur three times per year, consistent with prior AIDS cycles.
NIH will continue to accept applications using AIDS due dates through May 2026 Council reviews. Beginning with January 2027 Council reviews, NOFOs listing AIDS due dates are superseded, and all relevant NOFOs will be updated to reflect standard application deadlines. This change is intended to improve efficiency, reduce confusion for applicants, and strengthen the integrity of the peer review process while maintaining rigorous scientific evaluation of HIV/AIDS research.