Don't Assume that You Can Send in Materials After the Deadline

NIH Restricts Submission of Late Application Materials. The time has arrived for strict limits for post-submission application materials. NIH has curbed the type of information you are allowed to submit late to mainly administrative items. See our June 23, 2010, article "Stricter Rules for Late Application Materials Are on Their Way" and the July 23, 2010, Guide notice.



Stricter Rules for Late Application Materials Are on Their Way
Summary

Starting with the September 25 receipt date, NIH will limit to mostly administrative items the information you may send your scientific review officer (SRO) after submitting your application.
Applications responding to requests for applications with a single due date will follow the existing policy instead.
Training grants will have their own requirements.
For the September 25, 2010, receipt date and beyond, you will be able to send only certain types of late materials.


In late May, NIH announced a future change to its policy for submitting late application materials, i.e., after the submission and before the initial peer review.

For now, you may send your scientific review officer a wide range of application information, following page limits and instructions in the March 19, 2010, Guide notice.

But once the new policy takes effect -- starting with the September 25, 2010, receipt date -- you will be restricted to certain types of materials, mainly administrative. See the bullets below, and find more details on the shift in the May 21, 2010, Guide notice.

Late Materials That Will Be OK

Under the new policy, you will be able to send these items to the SRO after submitting the application:

Revised budget pages, e.g., due to new funding.
Biographical sketches, e.g., due to the loss of a senior or key personnel.
Letters of support or collaboration due to the loss of a senior or key personnel (note this is the only reason -- see list below).
Adjustments resulting from natural disasters, e.g., due to loss of an animal colony.
Adjustments resulting from change of institutions, e.g., due to the PI's move to another university.
Article accepted for publication.
Late Materials That Will Not Be OK

You will no longer be able to send these items:

Updated Specific Aims or Research Strategy pages.
Late-breaking research findings.
Supplemental pages for information not in the application.
New letters of support or collaboration that do not result from a loss of a senior or key personnel.
NIH states these exceptions to the new policy:

Applications responding to requests for applications (RFA) that have only one due date will follow the March 19, 2010, Guide notice.
Some funding opportunity announcements may have unique requirements.
For training-type applications, you will be able to send up to three pages of updated information, also starting with the September 25, 2010, receipt date, for the following items -- read more in the June 11, 2010, Guide notice:
Applicant pool, admissions, enrollment, appointments, or achievements.
Faculty research support.
For applications responding to RFAs, get in touch with the peer review contact listed in the RFA or the scientific review officer to find out what you are allowed to do.

Remember that you must send your late materials 30 calendar days before the peer review meeting. Be sure to include the concurrence of your authorized organizational representative (business official) with the materials.