April 30, 2026

NIH & NSF Update 4/30/2026

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The NIH and NSF recently released a couple of policy and guidance updates we wanted to bring to your attention.
NIH Common Forms Implementation

NIH Common Forms Implementation

NOT OD-26-079 Upcoming System Enforcement of Common Forms and End of NIHs Leniency Period

On or after May 8, 2026 the Common Forms will be required for: Biographical Sketch, Current and Pending (Other) Support, and NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement for all application due dates and Just-In-Time (JIT), Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR), and Prior Approval submissions.

The notice also includes a variety of updates and reminders:

  • Entering zero effort on Current and Pending (Other) Support
  • Updates regarding Research Security Training Certification
  • Updates Regarding the NIH Grants Policy Statement (GPS)
  • Reminders for Linking Your ORCID to your SciENcv and eRA Commons Accounts
  • Reminder for RPPR, JIT and Prior Approval Modules

We are including some highlights from the notice, though we urge you to review NOT OD-26-079 for yourself as well.

On April 22, 2026, SciENcv added the Research Security Training (RST) Certification to the Common Forms to provide individuals time to comply with the requirement for applications submitted for due dates on or after May 25, 2026 (NOT-OD-26-017).

If you certified your Common Forms prior to April 22, 2026, and have:

  • Not yet submitted your application for a due date on or after May 25, 2026, you should regenerate your Common Form PDF(s) prior to submission.
  • Submitted your application for a due date on or after May 25, 2026, you do not need to resubmit your application with regenerated Common Forms. NIH staff will collect updated documents to meet the RST certification requirement at JIT for applications selected for possible funding.

For applications that include Common Forms with the Research Security Training Certification, which are submitted for due dates prior to the effective date for required training (i.e. those for due dates on or before May 24, 2026), NIH will not hold individuals accountable for the portion of the certification statement related to the research security training.

Confirm your ORCID iD is displayed in the Persistent Identifier (PID) section of the Common Forms.

Looking to complete Research Security Training at the UW?
Follow the steps outlined in the UW’s Research Security Training page to ensure the training appears under your profile in the UW’s MyResearch Training Transcript

NIH Reinstates 10% De Minimis IDC Rate

NOT-OD-26-072 explains that the FY26 budget legislation for NIH removed previously allowable flexibilities from the 2024 updates to Uniform Administrative Requirements for Federal Financial Assistance (Uniform Guidance).

This means that the allowable de minimis indirect cost rate for subrecipients under NIH funded-awards is 10% (not the 15% cited in the Uniform Guidance).

NSF: Webform required for Data Management & Sharing Plan

As of 4/27/2027, the NSF has implemented a new webform within Research.gov for Data Management & Sharing Plan submission.
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The webform must be completed to submit a proposal unless a justification is provided. ​

Once data is saved in the new webform, any previously uploaded PDF will be overwritten.

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